Men’s basketball
Starters Nick Magalas, Rob Paris, Pat Sewell, and Nick Snow have all played out their eligibility and last season’s 12–10 Varsity Blues men’s basketball team is a distant memory. After a heartbreaking loss in the OUA East quarterfinal last year to the York Lions, U of T returns with a much younger team and many uncertainties heading into the upcoming season.
Losing four starters is going to take a toll, especially since Nick Magalas and Rob Paris were first and second team OUA all-stars, respectively. This year’s team may struggle to find its identity early on, but is up for the test.
“It’s going to be challenging,” said Coach Mike Katz. “We’re going to probably score less because we’ve lost some prodigious scoring, and we’re going to have to try to manufacture points in other ways. It’s going to be difficult to replace [last year’s] scoring output of the team.”
Forward Drazen Glisic is the only remaining starter, and while he is mostly known for his hustle plays and dirty work, he will be assuming a more offensive role this season.
“Glisic is emerging as a scorer,” said Katz. “He’s a reluctant scorer, though. It’s not something he’s comfortable with. We’re asking him to look to the basket to score more.”
Many players who have had smaller roles in the past will be stepping up and contributing heavily this season.
Fifth-year point guard Anthony DeGiorgio will be responsible for filling in the void left by Magalas, while guard Justin Holmes and forward Andrew Wasik — mainly sparkplugs off the bench last season — will be expected to expand on their previous roles and be consistent night in and night out.
“Our offense takes a whole different perspective now because those four guys are gone. We have to have a more productive bench,” said Glisic.
The team will be relying on forward Ben Garvin and guards Dakota Laurin and Arun Kumar to assert themselves on the court. Of the three, only Garvin averaged double-digit minutes last season, with 12.6 per game.
To fill the holes left by Magalas, Paris, Snow and Sewell, Katz and his staff recruited several new players.
“That’s part of the cycle of programs,” added Katz. “Recruiting is a major priority now.
“I’ve got a great staff that works hard, all of my assistant coaches. I think that’s a real positive for us. Between the recruiting, developing players, and devising game plans, we’re certainly going to hope that we can be competitive.”
Alex Hill, a transfer from Cornell University, is projected to be a starter and a focal point in the offense.
“It’s an opportunity to see if Hill can become the player that’s expected of him, which could be a pretty important guy,” said Katz.
The new lineup will probably go through some growing pains, but Katz expects the team to come together and improve over the course of the season.
“I think it’s a team that’s going to suffer initially,” said Katz. “But that may very well help us down the road. I’m hoping it’s a team that gets better and better through the season.”
What may prove most difficult for this team to overcome is building team chemistry. Being familiar with each other and how each teammate plays will be crucial in how the team performs as a unit.
“It’s an unproven team,” said Katz. “This team has not played together. There are guys who are going to step on the court who have never played a game with each other. That being the case, we’re going to be doing a lot of adjusting.
“This is such a rebuilding year that we’re going to find our identity throughout the season. We seem to have the potential to make shots, and I think we’re going to have to be aggressive defensively, but those are the staples of winning. You’ve got to score and you’ve got to stop people.”
Centre Andrew Wasik believes that though their team will not be as talented, they can still perform at a high level and possibly make it nationals.
“We’re going to be a harder working team because we’re not going to rely on our skill, per se, like in previous years,” said Wasik. “We’re going to have to outwork opponents, buckle down on [defense], and push the ball more into our offense.”
Infused with youth — every player except for DeGiorgio is eligible to return for at least another season — the team is still going to try and compete on a nightly basis and not back down from any opponent.
“The goal is to win,” said Glisic. “We’re not playing for fifth place.”
Women’s basketball
This season’s Varsity Blues women’s basketball team will look almost unrecognizable.
Coach Michele Belanger overhauled the roster after a disappointing 2009-2010 season when the team finished sixth in the OUA East with an 11–11 record and, despite upsetting Queen’s in the East quarter-finals, lost to Carleton in the semi-finals.
This season coach Belanger expects her team to do much better, and is quite optimistic.
“Our aspiration is to win our division, get ourselves at the Nationals, and earn a berth in the final eight,” said Belanger. “We’ve added some great athletic players to our team We’re looking to run better, shoot the ball better and certainly defend better.
“We made some very big changes, and we needed to. Our job is to find the best, and I think we did a pretty good job this year.”
There are only six returning players from last season, and only four of them have more than two years’ experience — fifth-year players Erin McNeely and Nicki Schutz, and fourth-year players Megan Stoncius and Joanna Medri. The other two returning players are second-years Katelyn McConnell and Alicia Van Kampen.
Veteran Nicki Schutz driving the ball as she looks for an opening. DAN EPSTEIN/The Varsity
Last season Schutz was named an OUA first team all-star and CIS second team all-Canadian, finishing the season averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. She amassed a whopping 14 double-doubles.
McNeely ran the point last season, accumulating 10.2 points and 3.1 assists per game. Medri knocked down 24 three-pointers last season, allowing Schutz and McNeely the room they needed to operate by spreading the floor. On the defensive end, Stoncius led the charge with her hustle and determination, and she and Schutz combined to shut the door on opposing offenses looking to score in the paint.
Returning to the team after missing last season is fourth-year guard Sherri Pierce.
“[Sherri’s] speed is outstanding and so is her ability to beat her defender one-on-one,” said Stoncius. “Her intensity on defense really sets the pace for our team. She is the push our team needs.”
While the starting lineup is strong, Belanger felt that she needed to solidify her bench, so as not to rely so heavily on her starters.
“We need to infuse our rookies so that the veterans feel that they don’t have to carry the show,” said Belanger. “We became more athletic on the perimeter, we added more depth in the post, and we added more depth at the point guard position.”
Belanger is preaching defense this season, as it is the area that needs the most improvement.
“Offensively, I have total confidence that they can find a way to score,” said Belanger. “This year we’ve brought on players that can score.”
“Our team identity and style of play this year is all about defense,” added Stoncius. “Practices are dedicated to defense and getting stops.”
Belanger does not feel the need to set a goal in terms of wins and losses, only that the team performs to its potential and works hard during the entire process.
“At the end, I want to be the team that’s left standing with a banner,” said Belanger. “After all is said and done, how you get there doesn’t matter.”
