Win or lose, Concordia basketball coach John Dore is known for giving notoriously lengthy postgame talks to his players. After last Saturday’s nearly flawless 106-76 win at UQAM however, the meeting was kept unusually brief. But perhaps that in itself says more than any postgame talk, about how coach Dore feels about his team’s play of late.
As the Stingers hit the midway point in the Quebec University Basketball League’s regular season, they did so with a four game swing that saw them beat all of their conference rivals. The four-game winning streak has moved Concordia (7-2) into sole possession of first place for the first time since November, and suddenly the Stingers’ pre-season goals are well within reach.
“We’ve said all along that we’re playing for home-court advantage,” said fifth-year senior Rastko Popovic, after Friday’s 91-76 home win over Laval. “Luckily, we’re back in first place now, so we control our own destiny. We just have to win out.”
The importance of home-court advantage, Popovic said, lies mostly in the QUBL’s playoff format, which features best-of-one semi final and championship games.
Concordia is 15-1 in its last 16 regular-season games at Loyola Gym, in addition to a pair of home playoff wins last March.
BUCKLEY EARNS RESPECT
The worry coming into this season for Concordia was that a roster mixed of youth and veterans would be hard-pressed to duplicate the success of last year’s experienced group that reached the national finals. In particular, replacing all-Canadian point guard Phil Langlois was expected to have its challenges. Apparently the memo never made it to freshman Damian Buckley who has filled in admirably while silencing any doubters.
“Damian is light years ahead of where he was at the beginning of the year, and that was already a high level,” said coach Dore. “He’s learning to run defensively, and he’s not afraid to shoot the three anymore, which is making him tougher to guard against.”
Buckley has emerged as an early favourite to win the QUBL Rookie of the Year, leading the province’s top-rated offence with an 18.7 points-per-game scoring average. He also leads the team in assists and minutes played, and is shooting a league-best 84.8 per cent from the foul line.
“I’m still working on scoring and passing and putting those two things together,” Buckley said last weekend. “I want to get the ball to guys in positions where they can score so they shouldn’t have to dribble with it. That’s what Phil used to do very well,” Buckley said, adding that he has become more aware of his teammates’ strengths and tendencies since the start of the season.
“Not too many people can cover Damian one-on-one,” Popovic said. “I think at the beginning of the year, maybe he wasn’t getting the respect he deserved. Teams just figured that with Phil gone, we would be easier to defend, but now that we’ve played every team a couple of times, they have to be taking Damian seriously now.”
McCARTHY IMPRESSES
In addition to Buckley, centre Ben McCarthy is another newcomer who has improved from the start of the season. The graduate student, who played his under-grad years at St. Mary’s, was recently inserted into the Stingers starting lineup and he hasn’t looked out of place.
In Friday’s win against Laval, the six-foot-ten McCarthy had a season-high 16 points, and he followed it up with 15 points on 7-7 shooting in Saturday’s win at UQAM.
“Ben has been an important force inside for us,” said Dore. “He’s taking advantage of his playing time, blocking shots and scoring.”
McCarthy’s good play has come at an opportune time for Concordia with sophomore Jamal Gallier slowed by injury. Gallier was the starting centre to begin the regular season, but was limited to just over 11 minutes per game off the bench last weekend, as he looks to get back 100 per cent physically.
LOOKING AHEAD
With seven games left to play, the QUBL regular-season title looks to be a three-team race with Concordia (7-2), Bishop’s (6-2) and Laval (6-3) separated by just one game. Of the Stingers four remaining road games two are in Lennoxville against Bishop’s. The teams split the two games played at Concordia earlier this month.
According to Dore, one area he would like to see his team improve is its ability to play a full game. “Defensively we may play tough for 25 seconds and then stop going hard, but that comes with being a young team. Hopefully that won’t last much longer.”
NOTEBOOK
Forward Andre Johnny started both games last weekend, his first two starts of the regular-season. Fourth-year forward Patrick Perrotte was named Concordia’s Male Athlete of the Week for the week of January 16. It was the third time this season Perrotte received the award. Second-year guard Stephanie Ramonas of the women’s team was named Concordia’s Female Athlete of the Week for the first time.
All five Concordia starters reached double figures in scoring during Saturday’s 106-76 win at UQAM. Chris Blackwood and Damian Buckley had 22 points each . The Stinger Men improved to 10-0 lifetime against UQAM.Concordia hits the road this weekend visiting Bishop’s Friday and playing at UQAM Saturday. Women’s games begin at 6 p.m., with the men tipping off at 8 p.m..
LADY BEES SWEPT
The women’s team dropped to 0-9 in regular season play with losses last weekend to Laval and UQAM. Forward Fanie Ruel led the Stingers with 16 points in Friday’s 83-60 home loss against Laval, while sister Emilie Ruel had a team-high 12 points in a 51-36 loss at UQAM.
