Basketball season opens at home Saturday

COUGAR MEN

With Cougar basketball set to tip-off this weekend, both the Cougar men and women’s squads will have a different look for the 2011-12 season.

On the men’s side, the Cougars will return only five players from last year’s team, and as such will need to rely heavily on their new recruits throughout the season. Head coach Marc Dobell will have his work cut out for him this season as he works to build chemistry with his new unit.

Dobell has a solid reputation for getting the most out of his players, and will count on his core of returnees to help facilitate that process and improve upon their ACAC bronze medal from last season.

The five returning Cougars include second year players Awet Abraha and Kyle Wilson, third year guard Chase Rickaby, fourth year forward Nick Loewen and fifth year guard Trent Offereins. All five players will see more floor time this year than years past as they enter their final year in the ACAC.

New additions to the team include high school graduates Ammon Crowfoot (Western Canada), Shayne Stumpf (Lacombe), James Lefebvre (Didsbury), and Mangk Akwl (Father Lacombe), along with transfers Josh White (3rd year - SAIT), Keville Ollivierre (5th year - Red Deer College), and Kyle Newman (4th year - Yuba College / Dakota- Weslayan).
Notables among the new recruits is standout Ammon Crowfoot (Western Canada Highschool).

Crowfoot recently led his high school team to the Provincial high school senior boys 4A championship title this past March, and was also the recipient of the 2009 Tom Longboat award, given each year provincially to the top amateur aboriginal athletes.

The Cougars have been working hard in exhibition play as they try to gel in time for their regular season opener against the Medicine Hat Rattlers on Friday. The Cougars are a deep squad that will be able to utilize all 12 players, but it remains to be seen whether that depth can translate to some regular season wins. As usual, coach Dobell has his players working hard and playing together, a Cougar basketball tradition that can always be counted on.

The Cougar men will return home on Saturday, October 22nd for their home opener, the second game of the home-and-home series versus the Rattlers. Tip-off is at 8 p.m.

COUGAR WOMEN

After taking home the ACAC bronze medal last season, the Cougar women and head coach Joe Enevoldson have the same goals that they begin each season with, an ACAC title and a trip to the nationals.

The Cougars have been working hard all offseason in preparation for the 2011-12 season, and with a solid core of returning players are primed for another deep run.

Enevoldson has once again built his team around toughness, defence and rebounding, the pillars that he believes are the key to the mental aspects of the game come playoff time.
The determination amongst the women is evident, and the addition of new strength and conditioning coach Zac Chalmers is one indication that the Cougars mean business this year.

Fourth year All-Conference and Academic All-Canadian guard Emily Larson will be the Cougars’ catalyst in the backcourt, and will work with second year players Danica Rybachuk and Jorgia Van de Sype to create the perfect blend of offensive and defensive talent at the guard position.

Highly touted recruit Jessica Comfort and Vancouver Island University (VIU) transfer Katie Pearson will round out the backcourt for the Cougars. Comfort is an extremely athletic guard with great court vision whose playmaking abilities will make her an immediate threat this season. Pearson has the ability to get to the rim and will add some veteran leadership on the court and in the locker room.

The loss of All-Conference forward Jamie Morck will leave a void up front for the Cougars, and while her numbers won’t be duplicated by just one player, the Cougars have a solid rotation at the post position that will allow them to compensate.

Evan Hudson, Kari Youmans, Carrie Pickering and Kristen Docherty will get the bulk of the work down low, and the Cougars have added freshman India Ashboth out of Perth, Australia who has the ability to run the floor in transition in addition to her passing and defensive skills.

In addition to Morck, the Cougars will be without third year guard Nikki Golding, who will redshirt this season after tearing her ACL in the offseason.

Putting a top-tier team on the court year-in and year-out is always a challenge, but the Cougars’ depth and athleticism is as good as ever and it looks like they’ll be in the hunt again come playoff time.

The Cougar women begin their season this Friday on the road against the Medicine Hat Rattlers, and will return to Kenyon Court for their home opener on Saturday, October 22nd. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.

Fans attending Saturday night’s game will also have a chance to win an Apple iPad. Games are always free for students, staff and faculty, come out and cheer on your Cougars!