The Varsity Blues men’s basketball team is determined. After a successful preseason where they went 9-1, the Blues came into their season opener ranked sixth in the CIS. But for them, that still wasn’t good enough.
“We know that this is our year, and we want to get it done this year,” said fifth-year veteran Nick Snow. Snow is one of four fifth-year starters on this season’s team, a team that also has 12 returning players. “Everybody’s on the same page. Our intensity in practices this year is way better than it was last year.”
Nick Magalas, U of T’s starting point guard, shares the same sentiment, that keeping the core intact can yield nothing but positive results. “Confidence is key, in any aspect of life,” he said. “We’ve been in a lot of tough games that have come down to the wire, and earlier in our careers we lost those games. Now, we’re starting to win them.”
“We’re a very close-knit group of guys,” added fifth-year starter Rob Paris. “I don’t know a group of guys who want it more than we do. We’re past the individual awards, we want to make it as a team, and we want this specific team to be solidified as one of the greatest U of T basketball teams in history, and we have the capability of doing that. I’ve been here for five or six years and we haven’t made it to Nationals once. It’s going to happen now, and it’s going to happen with this group of guys because we know what it takes and we want it more than anybody.”
There is one thing Magalas would like to see changed for the regular season from their 9-1 preseason record: “Minus the one,” he said with complete confidence.
After last season’s heartbreaking loss to Ottawa in the OUA East semifinal, the two teams met again in the preseason, and the Blues would get their revenge in an overtime win. “[It] was good because it shows we’re resilient. We came back from a loss last year, a devastating one, and we went right down to the wire and we didn’t give up,” Magalas proudly declared. “We’re going to come out number one or number two in the East,” said Paris, “and we’re going to be ready.”
It turned out that the Blues’ season opener on Nov. 6 to the Laurier Golden Hawks at home would be one more test of their resilience. Another overtime game resulted in victory for the Blues, 92-89, spurred by an inspiring performance on Paris’s part. The shooting guard scored 30 points, including six three-pointers, had five assists, and also came up with a couple of key blocks late in the game. “I set him up, and he knocks them down,” joked Magalas. “It’s like a domino game. He’s got the touch, and if all of us get the ball to let him do what he does best, which is shoot, then we’ll be successful.”
The Blues lost the following night to the Waterloo Warriors, 58-55, but over the two-game weekend, Drazen Glisic scrambled for a combined 25 rebounds, with 13 of them offensive. “That was huge,” exclaimed Snow. “When you get those second chances, not only do you get an extra chance to shoot, but you demoralize the other team because they have to play defence for another 24 seconds.”
Unfortunately, Snow was unable to play in the game against Waterloo due to illness, nor could he play in the Nov. 13 game at McMaster. “He’s one of the best big men in the OUA. He obviously changes the dynamic of the game for the team,” said Paris. “I think when one guy goes we usually pick up the slack for them. We can win without Nick Snow, we can win without Rob Paris, and we can win without Nick Magalas. We’re a team and we’ve embraced this team concept to the fullest.”
McMaster is the fourth-ranked team in the CIS, and Paris understood the significance of this game. “They’re the best team next to Carleton in the OUA. A lot of people are going to count us out for that game, but I think with being the sixth-ranked team in the country, the sky’s the limit for us.
The Blues ended up winning against the Marauders without Nick Snow, 77-67, led by Pat Sewell’s 21 points, six rebounds, and five steals. Despite Snow’s return to the lineup the following night in Thunder Bay and Sewell’s 20 points and eight rebounds, the Blues came up just short, losing 68-67 to the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
The 2-2 Blues are on the road again next weekend, playing Brock on Nov. 20 and Guelph on Nov. 21. The Blues play their next home games on Nov. 27 and 28, versus Windsor and Western, and are hoping for the same fan turnout as in the home opener. “It was great,” said Snow of the fan support. “They were like a sixth man out there. They were loud, they were excited, and I think I overheard that it was our biggest turnout for a home opener.”
Snow, Glisic, and Sewell will continue to dominate the glass and lock down the paint defensively as they have in the first four games this year. Glisic is averaging 9.5 rebounds per game so far, and Sewell is contributing another 8.5 per game. Paris is scoring 17 points per game to start the season, and Magalas is right behind him with 16 points per game.
This season’s Blues team is truly something to be excited about. Paris and Magalas will look to improve on last season’s performances, when they were voted OUA East Second-Team All-Stars, and give the Blues one of the OUA’s most potent perimeter offences and aggressive perimeter defence.
