By Adam Ovenell-Carter

While most people were enjoying their holidays, a fair bit of athletics action that took place over the break. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams were busy over the break, playing five and seven games in December, respectively. But the action on the court wasn’t the only big news of the holiday break.

What else is there, you ask? Well, if you’ve got Clan questions, we’ve got Clanswers, from the stands to the hardwood.

Men’s Basketball

The men played three games between December 10 and the beginning of the new year, but only one was against an NCAA opponent.

The Clan dropped a tough 84–83 loss to the Academy of Art University, but rebounded with an 87–39 drubbing of Kwantlen Polytechic. Unfortunately, the Clan lost the most meaningful game of the three, an 87–83 defeat at the hands of Western Washington on New Year’s Eve.

To make matters worse, a number of key players, including leading GNAC scorer Javari Williams, as well as starting point guard Matt Ravio, have been declared — at least for the time being — ineligible to play. That leaves the Clan with only eight players who can participate for the next  few games.  The Clan’s one-point loss to Western Oregon on Thursday however, was a promising sign as the team battled hard despite being  so shorthanded.

The team is still winless in conference play, but only 5–7 overall.

Women’s Basketball

The women were much busier over the break, playing five games between December 18 and the 31 alone. The first was a 64–48 loss to nationally-ranked Grand Canyon in Phoenix, but the Clan responded strongly.

They lost to Grand Canyon again the next night, but managed to take the powerhouse, often considered the best Division II school, all the way to overtime before stumbling.

After returning home to the cozy confines of SFU’s West Gym, the team easily dispatched the University of Manitoba Bisons 83–61, and followed that win with another against Trinity Western.

Unfortunately, much like their male counterparts, the women dropped the only conference game of the stretch, a 76–55 loss to Western Washington. However, they were able to rebound with a convincing wire-to-wire, 66–53 win over Western Oregon on Thursday.

With the win, SFU improves to 3–1 in conference play and currently sit fourth in the GNAC.

Track and Field

Helen Crofts has been named the University Athlete of the Year by Athletics Canada. The West Vancouver native has garnered countless awards and records this year, despite taking last semester off to extend her years of eligibility.

Along with Jessica Smith, the Clan had a dominant pair of runners throughout 2011,  amd Smith has hinted at the pair racing in the upcoming 2012 Olympics.

Clan Fans

New athletics director Milt Richards has made his first major move in his new job. Very soon, all Clan events will be free to all SFU students. The $2 charge has been dropped, so now you have absolutely no excuse to go out and support your Clan athletes. For more information on free ticketing, see page five in the News section.

By Adam Ovenell-Carter

Here in Canada, people seem to like hockey. It’s been that way forever and it’s hard to find a single reason why that would ever change. Canada, more than any other nation, has taken a serious liking to the World Junior Championships.

Canada is a consistent threat to win any international hockey event it partakes in. That, like the undying love Canadians have for the game, will likely never change. Canadians pay little attention to the World Under-18 championships, but dedicate their winter holidays to the World Juniors, an under-20 event. The hopes of an entire nation are heaped on the shoulders of a few kids barely old enough to be in first year (which, if I may say so, is entirely unfair). But, thankfully this year, Canada failed to make it to the gold medal game.

Yes, you read that right. The World Juniors is a tournament traditionally dominated by four teams: Canada, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. This year marks the first time in a decade Canada has failed to reach the gold medal game. The Americans failed to make it to the medal round at all. And while three of those four teams finished in the top-four again, it still means there will be some new faces atop the leader board, and gives other teams like Finland and the Czech Republic hope moving forward.

When the United States finally dethroned Canada from the top of the medal podium in 2010, hockey pundits said the U.S. saved the World Junior tournament. Canada had won five straight gold medals, and three consecutive silvers before that. The teams over that stretch could easily compete in an NHL game (good luck stopping the 2005 gold medalists) and scores were beginning to get out of hand. Just when it seemed it would be Canada’s tournament forever, their southern neighbours came along, beat them in overtime, and Canada has now gone three straight years without gold.

So after finishing outside the top-two for the first time in 10 years, the tournament is now, going forward, anybody’s for the taking. Those four traditional powerhouses will be top contenders year in and year out, but now no one is invincible, not even Canada. Canadians might not like to admit that, but that’s how it is.

Russia, who beat Canada in the semi-final game, barely squeaked by the Czech Republic in overtime, a team Canada beat handily during the round robin. The Swedes eked out a 3–2 shootout win against Finland to make it to the gold medal game. Finally, parity has made its way back into the World Juniors.

The unbelievable weight of expectation from a hockey-crazed nation will never dissipate, regardless of how Canada performs, for better or for worse. Canadian hockey fans will continue to watch the World Juniors for years to come; there is no doubt about that. They just might have to get used to seeing another team at the top of the podium for a little while.

For the sake of Canadian sanity, let’s hope Canada gets back there soon. But for the sake of the game,  may the best team win.

By Adam Ovenell-Carter

That the Clan took the number one team in the conference down to the very last shot is impressive. That they did it playing without the GNAC’s leading scorer and their top point guard (to name just two) is even more so.

The 74–73 loss at the hands of the Western Oregon University Wolves will sting, but the Clan’s effort must not be underappreciated. For various reasons, the Clan were able to dress only eight players for Thursday’s game, and those on the bench included two of the Clan’s top-three scorers, Javari Williams and Matt Ravio. Nevertheless, the Clan played hard and nearly stole a victory and head coach James Blake gave his team full credit.

“I thought it was an unbelievable effort by my guys,” said Blake. “It was going to take the guys, one through eight, to compete.”
“I’m really proud of the guys, even though it was a loss.”

As the score would indicate, the game itself was tight throughout. The Clan opened the scoring on the game’s first possession, but the teams traded baskets early. It seemed as though every time one team sunk a basket, of any value, the other matched right away. And though the early shootout was entertaining for fans, Blake was certainly no fan of it.

To say a frustrated Blake ‘called out’ a few of his players would be putting it lightly, but whatever the animated coach said to players seemed to work. Immediately following the timeout, sophomore guard Chris Evans drained a three-point basket, and the Clan defense forced a number of Wolves turnovers. Jordan Sergent, who took the brunt of Blake’s frustration, came out firing afterwards.
“He’s just a really nice kid,” said Blake of Sergent, “but sometimes you just have to light a fire under him to get him going, and I think we did that.” He rebounded with seven points along with a couple rebounds and blocks to end the half, after being held off the score sheet prior.

The improved play from Sergent and the rest of the Clan built up a four-point lead for the home team as halftime neared. However, a 6–1 run from the Wolves late put Western Oregon up by one heading into the second frame. Despite trailing, the Clan had been getting contributions from all eight players, exactly what they needed to stay in it.

Unfortunately, the Clan struggled slightly to start the second half. After hitting over 40 per cent of their three-point attempts in the first half, the team struggled to hit few, if any, early. But just when it seemed the Clan would have to find a new tactic, sophomore guard John Bantock hit three straight baskets from beyond the arc, pulling the Clan ahead once again.

The Clan, like the Wolves, were unable to pull away once they established a lead. It wasn’t until nearly 10 minutes had passed in the second half before either team built a lead greater than three points.

Zack Frehlick hit a three to put the Clan up by five midway through the frame, but a 9–3 run from the Wolves only continued the see-saw action that had been taking place all game long. The teams went eye-to-eye through to the final minute. Justin Brown hit two free throws to put the Clan up 73–72 with less than a minute to play. But then came the game’s defining moment, as WOU’s Justin Freelander hit a two-point jumper to put his team up with just nine seconds left on the clock. SFU’s Connor Lewis had a chance to win it on a last-second three-point shot, but the ball hit the rim and the horn sounded, as the game drew to a heartbreaking close.

Though the loss hurts now, and though the team still remains winless in the GNAC, the Clan aren’t going to dwell on the result.
“That was the best game we played this year,” said Bantock. “We’ve got to put [the loss] in the bag and move on.”

His coach reiterated that sentiment. “I like to use the chewing gum theory. You chew on a cheap piece of gum for 15 minutes, and then the flavours gone, then you have to spit that thing out and throw it away, and you’ve got to move on.”

As the team improves though, you can expect the games to look less like Dubble Bubble and more like Trident Layers.

“Again, it was an unbelievable effort,” said Blake. “They chewed the hell out of that piece of gum.”

Game in a Flash

Missing two of their stars, the Clan were in tough against the GNAC-leading Western Oregon Wolves.
Instead of rolling over, however, the Clan traded punches with the Wolves from start to finish. Both teams struggled to build a lead of any significance, and as a result the game stayed tied from start to finish.

The real drama came in the final minute. SFU lead by one with 45 seconds left, but the Wolves responded with a two-pointer to pull ahead with just nine seconds on the clock. Connor Lewis missed a game-winning shot, and the Clan ultimately lost by one point.

Man of the Match

With Javari Williams out, Brown takes over as the Clan’s most dynamic offensive player. He delivered, finishing one assist short of a double-double, and was the team’s primary offensive catalyst. He put the team up by one late with two clutch free throws, but unfortunately the lead didn’t hold.