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Steven Noble
Editor, Internal Publications
p. 403.440.5692
e-mail: snoble@mtroyal.ca

Fred Cheney
Media Relations Officer
p. 403.440.5195
e-mail: fcheney@mtroyal.ca

 

Hello again Cougars fans.

Time really flies by.

The first half of the 2009-2010 Alberta Colleges Athletic Association basketball season has come to a close and, with it, the Mount Royal men’s team can look back on some highs and lows.

Veteran forward Brett Kobe is leading the team in rebounds yet again and will play a pivotal role in the team's success as it marches toward a second straight championship.

But I’m happy to report there were more of the former than the latter, particularly considering this is turning out to be a tumultuous follow-up to our championship season.

The Cougars sit at the top of the South Conference with a winning record of 9-3 as of press time, putting us in good position as we inch closer to playoff time.

Our top scorer Steve Trinidad missed a few games recovering from an injury, but the team picked up the slack in his absence, revealing a parade of talent and passion all the way down the bench.

That’s an important confidence builder. Even if opponents shut down our top guys, we can bring players off the bench and still compete for a win. Not a lot of teams can say that.

The ever-reliable Brett Kobe has continued to perform as he has for the past four years, racking up seven double-doubles so far this year and leads the team in rebounds for the fifth straight year.

Unfortunately, a few players had to leave the team in order to focus on their studies, as academics are always at the top of our priorities. They will be sorely missed.

Personally, I had a less than triumphant return from my own struggles with injury.

After being cleared to play with a “50/50” chance of re-injury, I managed to make it through the beginning of my first practice before suffering another tear of my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and part of my medial collateral ligament (MCL), two of the major ligaments holding my knee together.

I have since undergone a successful surgery to reconstruct and repair both and am well on my way to a full recovery with plans of playing again in the near future.

Due to this sequence of events, Coach Marc Dobell had to bring in someone to fill the voids on the roster, and he has found the right man for the job. At 6’8”, Clarence Smith has been a great addition to the team.

His experience playing for Lakeland College as well as the University of Manitoba will definitely make him a weapon to be reckoned with on the basketball court, giving the Cougars’ attack yet another legitimate weapon.

Looking ahead to the second half of the season, we are poised to make a run at a second straight ACAC Conference championship.

With the depth of our bench and experience there is absolutely no reason why we cannot bring home yet another banner to hang alongside the others already decorating the gymnasium rafters.

Until next time, all the best and thank you for supporting the Cougars.

— Nick Wiebe, Forward, Cougars basketball, Jan 28, 2010