Jan. 24
By Wayne Thomas

B.C. Schools In Southern Alberta

The Fraser Valley Cascades (8-10) and the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack (2-16) are in Southern Alberta this weekend to play the Calgary Dinos and the Lethbridge Pronghorns, with the Cascades being first up for the Dinos on Friday at 8:00 pm. The Fraser Valley squad is in a tug of war with Simon Fraser for the 3rd spot in the Pacific Division, and Coach Barnaby Craddock is looking for the Cascades to improve their 1-7 road record.

At home the Blue and Green are 7-3, and a much tougher out, but their lone away win has been at Trinity Western, and they are one game behind the Clan with five games remaining in the regular season, although they have clinched a playoff spot in the top four. Doug Plumb, a 2nd year , 6′3″ guard, who was added to the lineup after Christmas, leads UCFV with a scoring average of 17.5 ppg. Joel Haviland, a 6′8″ forward checks in with 12.5 ppg and 5.5 rebounds, and he is helped up front by 5th year post man Kyle Graves, 6′9″. Tristan Smith, a 6′ rookie point guard from California, scores 10.5
pts. and dishes out 3.3 assists per game, and Anthony Lao, a 6′4″ athletic, 5th year, wing man has returned from an injury to lead the Cascades in rebounds at 6.5 per game. All players on the Fraser Valley Roster but Smith are from B.C., with the majority from the Fraser Valley area.

The home-standing Dinos (13-3) have virtually wrapped up the top spot in the Central Division of Canada West, and are now trying to build for the playoffs, which begin in late February. Coach Dan Vanhooren will have overall team improvement as a primary goal, as he prepares the team to win the clutch games down the stretch, with the ultimate aim being a Canada West title, and a spot at the CIS Nationals in Ottawa in mid-March.

The brothers Bekkering, Henry and Ross, have been the driving force for the big front line of the Dinos, and they are crucial to the success of the team in big games. Henry leads the scoring at 18.8 per game, while Ross is the top rebounder in Canada West at 11.4 per game, and their playing time is at 29 min. per game and 25 minutes respectively. Jeff Price leads the team with 31.5 min. per game, and is also the steals (1.7), assists(4.8), and free throw (89%) leader. Along with Robbie Sihota, who averages 12.5 pts. ,and is capable of hot streak scoring, and the versatile 5th year guard Cody Darrah, they get the lion’s share of court time. There are , however, other big contributors for this Calgary club, including freshman guard Tyler
Fidler, a 6′8″ ball handling and scoring guard, and two work-horse veterans, Jeremy Odland and Josh Lovestone.

The 5th year Odland has been coming off the bench at the wing spot, and, although his minutes are limited ( 10.5), Jeremy makes an impact when he is in the game. His patented drive to the hoop, complete with sound effects, his corner jumper, and his defensive effort have provided a much needed boost at crucial times. Lovestone, a 3rd year transfer from SAIT, who also had a stop at Cariboo College (now Thompson Rivers University), hails from Salmon Arm. B.C., and along with Chris Unsworth, 6′7″, 2nd year, from Maple Creek, SK, is one of only two non-Albertans on the UC roster. Josh is the high energy guy off the bench in the post position, and he will crash and bang with guys 3 or 4 inches taller than himself, and he will out-hustle most of
his opponents.

Calgary wants to come out strong in the first quarter to break the pattern of slow starts they have suffered in a few games recently, and they will try and minimize the opportunities for any offensive runs by the Cascades. With 6 league games remaining, the Dinos will want to play each one to get better and sharper for the approaching post season.

Not wanting to sound like a broken record (skipping cd?) , but why oh why do we have Concordia ? Surely 3rd best in their own league would suggest they don’t belong in this group ahead of Windsor, UVic, Alberta or St. FX, just to name a few.

Tilleman is in town ! Not that Tilleman, but his grade 11 son Dan, a 6′4″ guard, who plays for Desert Vista HS in Phoenix, AZ . Danny is up here taking a look at the Dinos in action, and visiting with the coaches and players for the weekend. The Tillemans still have family in Calgary, and Danny is ‘a
top prospect’ according to Head Coach Dan Vanhooren. This weekend’s expected dip in the mercury will test the young man’s will to relocate
North of the border.