If the Toronto Raptors have been making you significantly nauseous so far this season, then I should advise you to take a look at another beloved Toronto basketball team. The Varsity Blues men’s basketball team opened their season in triumphant fashion, as they won both of their home games at the AC on the weekend.
They opened with an emphatic 80-68 win against the Windsor Lancers and battled to win their Saturday contest 68-53 over Western.
The game against those Lancers had an amazing atmosphere to it, as countless hoops fans showed up to cheer the Blues on. Famous alumnus Don Gibson was in attendance and was introduced and given a standing ovation for the incredible contributions he made to the men’s basketball program.
Gibson was the captain of the team during the Depression and War era. His alumni contributions for the last 50 years have been a blessing for the well-being of the program.
The Blues did not disappoint Gibson on Remembrance Day. In the victory, Blues sharpshooters Paul Seragutis and Mo Safarzadeh led the Blues in scoring with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Safarzadeh was magnificent from behind the arc, scoring five three-pointers in seven attempts.
Point man Mike DiGiorgio led the Blues with nine assists in 39 minutes. DiGiorgio also had three steals and veteran Mike Williams put on his best Dennis Rodman impression, leading the Blues with eight rebounds.
Rookie Nick Snow put on a great showing in his first regular season contest as a Blue. He posted 12 points in 13 minutes of floor time, making all of his free-throws and blocking a shot.
The Blues had a lot of momentum going into the Western game Saturday night after Friday’s win, and they used it to their advantage against the Mustangs.
Safarzadeh and Sergautis were staples on the offence once again, scoring 15 points apiece, but fans also witnessed different players step up with solid performances.
Guard Dwayne Grant was a monster on both sides of the ball, scoring 11 points and adding three helpers.
The Mustangs stayed competitive in this contest, as they cut down the Blues 32-26 halftime lead to a narrow three-point margin, but the Blues held strong on the defensive side of the ball, and kept control of the game with clutch defence and scoring.
DiGiorgio and Williams were bears on defense. DiGiorgio had three steals and four assists on the night, and Mike Williams grabbed ten rebounds and had two incredible shot-blocks.
“We played an incredible game tonight,” proclaimed men’s head coach Mike Katz after Saturday’s game. “Even though the second half was very scrappy, we were able to come out as the winners.”
Katz, a four-time coach of the year with Humber College, sees a lot of great things in store for this team: “We want to get to the playoffs, and maybe even host a playoff, but until then, we just need to put wins together. We basically wanted to go 2-0 this weekend and we did it.”
The win against the Mustangs was the first over that squad in 16 years. The Blues last beat the Mustangs in the 1989 CIS Championships.
