Following their 80-69 win on Saturday against the Ryerson Rams at the Athletic Centre, the Varsity Blues men’s basketball team began getting ready for what they’ve been waiting for all season: a chance at the OUA title and, even more, a chance to play for the National Championship. The Blues finished the regular season with a 12-10 record, and hold the third seed in the OUA East. They will host the York Lions on Wednesday in the OUA East quarterfinal.
With four fifth-year players, the Blues hope to have enough experience and leadership to overcome any opponent they face in the playoffs. Shooting guard Rob Paris leads the team with 15.6 points per game, while point guard Nick Magalas is right behind him averaging 15.1 ppg. The other fifth-year players, Nick Snow and Pat Sewell, are averaging 11 and 8.9 ppg, respectively. Drazen Glisic, the Blues’ third-year starting centre, is ripping down eight rebounds per game and averaging over one block per game.
Saturday’s game was the Blues’ graduation night, and the graduating players definitely left a lasting impression on the fans. Player of the game Pat Sewell was outstanding, scoring 19 points and throwing down a couple of monster dunks that got the crowd roaring. Magalas also scored 19 points, and his nine assists gave him 101 assists for the season. Rob Paris hit four three-pointers on his way to 18 points, and Nick Snow was solid in his first game back from suffering a concussion that sidelined him for three games. The Blues shot a sizzling 51.6 per cent from the field and defensively limited OUA leading scorer Boris Bakovic to six of 14 shooting.
“I think this was the first game that myself, Magalas, and Sewell all came in and hit shots.” said Paris. “It wasn’t just one guy, it was many guys. If we can play like that, we can go far, and if we catch a team like Carleton on a night like tonight, we can surprise. This team is peaking at the right time.”
“I’ve got to do everything I can to get them motivated for the game,” added Magalas, “because when they’re pumped up, we win the game.”
Playoff success depends on the contributions from every player who touches the floor and a high level of play and consistency from their starters. “It sounds cliché, but if we play as a team, the way we have been in the last three or four games, we can surprise a lot of teams,” said Paris. “Guys are stepping up, like Ben Garvin has, or Andrew Wasik who’s been playing fantastically, and that can be the difference in the playoffs.”
“Getting the games that we have been from our big players all consistently throughout the course of the playoffs is big,” said Magalas. “If we get the games we need from our big players we are a Nationals-bound team.”
Nick Snow is looking at the bright side of the third-place finish, since a top-two seed would give them a bye for the first round of the playoffs. “I felt pretty rusty, but it could be a blessing in disguise to get that extra game in to prepare for the next game in Ottawa, assuming we win on Wednesday.” Magalas agreed with Snow and values the importance of having Snow at the top of his game during their playoff run. “I consider us lucky to have that game; it’ll help him refine things he isn’t as sharp on that he was at the beginning of the season, and it’ll help us tremendously.”
The Blues were 2-0 versus the York Lions this season, and if they can pull out the win on Wednesday, they will be off to play Ottawa next Saturday.
“We’re peaking at the right moment,” said point guard Anthony DeGiorgio, “we were ranked as high as fifth in the country, and if we play to our capabilities, we have a good chance at winning it all.”
