When a team has won their first two games of the season, it’s difficult to argue that they’ve lost more than they have gained. But after starting point guard Mike Degiorgio left Saturday’s game against Laurier with an injury, the Blues were faced with a major loss to their long term objectives. Degiorgio, the remaining starter from last years team is a dynamic point guard and brings everything one could desire: leadership, court awareness, and basketball IQ. Already without 2006 starters Ben Katz, Mike Williams, Mohammad Safarzadeh, and Dwayne Grant, who have maxed out their elgibility. Degiorgio, also currently in his last season with the Blues, was the one player the team could not afford to lose.
“Mike’s a leader at the point, and we had to struggle [during Saturday’s game] to find leadership and guys who could make plays. I’m concerned because we have to find or develop somebody who can play the point guard psoition,” said Blues head coach Mike Katz.
The Blues might get a taste of life without Degiorgio earlier than expected. as the ankle injury he sustained over the weekend may keep him out of games against Lakehead and McMaster this week. The Blues could have a completely new starting lineup from 2006, as they hit the road against some tough opponents. “Every road game is going to be difficult no matter where it is, so this trip should test our mettle,” said Katz following Saturday’s 73-64 win over Laurier. Without Degiorgio, Blues backcourt partner Rob Paris stepped up big time for the Blues. Paris, who won tournament MVP during the Naismith Cup tournament in exhibition play, scored 22 points on an efficient 10-16 shooting. After the game he was quick to shower praise on his teammates “I thought our big guys played exceptionally well. Nick Snow, Ahmed Nazmi and Andrew Wasik can crash the boards with the best of them. Their rebounding is very important for our team , as many of our Guards rely on their rebounding for easy transition baskets,” he said. Paris benefited from quick outlet passes from Toronto forwards as he leaked out on the break for easy baskets. He also hit two key three pointers late in the game to keep Toronto ahead. His defensive zone coverage was just as important, he was a ball hawk on defence and finsihed the game with two blocks and one steal.
Paris will have to shine again this weekend if Mike Degiorgio does not suit up for the Blues. Degiorgio who had a near-triple-double [12 points, eight rebounds, and 12 assists] against Waterloo in the Friday opener is the catalyst for the Blues offence.
Without the fifth-year point guard handling running the offence on Saturday, the Blues seemed out of sync at times. The Golden Hawks, who trailed 19-5 to begin the game, would capitalize trimming Toronto’s early lead to 19-16. Nick Maglas was thrust into Degiorgio’s role as ball distributor and played admirably. With the score 37-21 in the second quarter, he executed an excellent pick-and-roll that forward Drazen Glisic finished with a lay up. He also had a productive game overall with seven points, five rebounds and five assists. But his new role took him away from his strength of scoring and hitting shots from the perimeter, as he shot an uncharacteristic 3-12 from the field. On Saturday Laurier proved to be a young and inexperienced team. With a11 players in their first and second years, they relied mainly on their length and athleticism to keep the game close. They hounded Toronto with full-court pressure, forcing 18 Blues turnovers, and kept pace in rebounds with their more experienced opponent 36-39. In the end Toronto relied on brains over brawn, using smart play and good ball movement on offense to get easy baskets and open shots. The Blues had 21 assists to only 11 for the Golden Hawks, and shot 50 per cent from the field to 35.1 for their opponents. With the win the Blues are now 2-0 to begin the season. It was Laurier’s first trip to Toronto in 2007, but after their loss this weekend dropped them to 0-3 on the year, they will have a hard time forgetting Paris as well.
