The 2007-2008 version of the Calgary Dinos Men’s Basketball team kick off their Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) schedule following the Thanksgiving weekend when they travel to the University of Waterloo to take part in the Naismith Cup. The team will be up against the host Waterloo Warriors, the McMaster Marauders, and the Toronto Varsity Blues.

The Dinos are eager to battle with their bolstered line-up featuring, as many are calling it, one of the top recruiting classes in Canada a long with the core of players who helped the Dinos finish their 2006-2007 regular season campaign strongly. Their returning players include 3 of their top 4 scorers from a season ago. 6′4″ G Cody Darrah enters his fifth year of eligibility, and third year with the Dinos after playing two seasons at the University of Alberta. Cody finished last season averaging 12.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.3 apg while shooting 42% from the 3 pt line and 87% from the FT line and will be a key to spreading the defense with the Dinos potent inside game. Also returning up front is starter and FISU games National Team member 6′9″ Ross Bekkering. Ross’ athleticism and strength improved this off season and and he should be one of the top posts in the conference during the upcoming year. Ross looks to improve on last season’s numbers which saw him post 13.2 ppg, 7.4, rpg, racking up 20 blocks and 23 steals while shooting 50% from the floor and 40% from 3. Ross is one of the best natural rebounders in the country and should be able to improve on his 4th place standing in Canada West from a season ago. The other returning starter is 6′6″ Robbie Sihota who is one of the most underrated players in Canada West. Robbie is a potent scorer from the inside and out and will be looking to improve on his numbers of 12.0 ppg, and 6.9 rpg. Robbie showed his offensive potential against Winnipeg last season scoring 29 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.

The other key returning players for the Dinos who will see action in the rotation are 6′9″ center Joe Schow (7.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg) who missed most of the second half of last season with a high ankle sprain, 6′4″ wing and work horse Jeremy Odland (8.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg), and the 6′8″ meat hook Chris Unsworth (2.5 ppg, 1.7rpg) who showed great promise down the stretch last season and in the playoffs. Also returning is the consistent defender 6′1″ G Joel Bancroft, 6′4″ G Logan Armstrong who medical redshirted last year, and 6′7″ Dustin Reding who will red shirt this season with the club.

The Dinos newcomers are athletic, eager and all come from a winning pedigree. 6′6″ G/F Henry Bekkering joins the team after playing 2 years at Eastern Washington University which competes in the Big Sky Conference. Henry is a super athletic wing player who can get to the rim, post up, and consistently knock down the open jump shot. Henry will be counted on for his leadership, rebounding and scoring this season if the Dinos hope to make a deep post season run. Henry has already shown his ability to do everything as the Dinos beat his old conference champion Weber State in the pre-season. The other new comer who will find his way into the starting line-up is the 6′0″ PG Jeff Price. Jeff has been the Point Guard of an Alberta provincial Champion the last 3 seasons (1 4A Provincial High School, 2 ACAC Titles) and brings this attitude and commitment to the Dinos. Jeff is a great outside shooter, great ball handler, and pesky defender who will run the show for the Dinos this year. Last year, Jeff averaged 17 points, 6 assists per game as he was ACAC Player of the Year, ACAC Male Athlete of the Year, and CCAA All Canadian. The Dinos have also added 6′9″ freshman guard Tyler Fidler to the mix. Tyler joins the Dinos from Western Canada High School in Calgary, and has also seen action with Canada’s Junior National Team. Tyler averaged a triple double in high school last season and is a tremendous outside shooter, ball handler and passer. His ability to stretch the defense and cause mismatches will be a huge asset to the Dinos. Tyler won the city championships with Western last season but was ousted in the Provincial quarter finals despite a 52 point effort. The Dinos line-up will also feature 6′1″ PG Andrew Champagnie out of Ross Shepherd in Edmonton where he led his team to the provincial title in his grade 11 year and to the final in his senior season. Andrew has not played the past two seasons out of high school and with his added experience and quickness should provide depth at the guard spots. 6′2″ Combo guard Brennen Fule will also provide depth at the 1 and 2 spots for the Dinos this season. Brennen won a provincial title in his grade 10 year at Strathmore High School and collected a 57-0 record as the starting shooting guard with the Jr. Dinos. Last, but definitely not least, is newcomer 6′4″ F Josh Lovestone. Josh played last season at SAIT averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds and was also a member of the University College of the Caribou team that won the CCAA National Title in 2005. Josh adds toughness, rebounding and a great outside shooting touch to the Dino line-up.

Practice continues for now as the Dinos gear up for their pre-season schedule which also includes a trip to Montana to play Montana Tech and Carroll College of the NAIA, and a Calgary match-up with Whitworth College of Washington. The Dinos regular season opens up on November 2 and 3 at home versus the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia.

***Note: The Dinos played in the Sandman Invitational in Red Deer this past weekend. Without Henry Bekkering and Andrew Champagnie in the line-up the Dinos played hard, with rugged defense and improved every game winning all 3 match-ups against ACAC competition.

Game 1: Dinos 79 Concordia College 56
Top scorers: Ross Bekkering (18), Tyler Fidler (13), Joe Schow (10)
Top rebounders: Ross Bekkering (11), Joe Schow (9), Tyler Fidler (8)

Game 2: Dinos 75 Red Deer College 43
Top scorers: Ross Bekkering (17), Cody Darrah (14), Robbie Sihota (12)
Top rebounder: Ross Bekkering (10)

Game 3: Dinos 93 MacEwan 51
Top scorer: Tyler Fidler (18), Robbie Sihota (11), Josh Lovestone (11)
Top rebounders: Ross Bekkering (10), Josh Lovestone (8), Tyler Fidler (8)