In a hard fought game with high intensity, the Jr. Dinos lost to the Wildabeasts in Airdrie Elite East Spring League action 69-57. Both teams played with high emotion and desire, and there were many a time during the game when bodies were sprawled across the hard wood diving for loose balls. However, at the end of the game, it was the Jr. Dinos inability to shoot the ball, and turnovers that were the difference in the game.

The Wildabeasts featured Dominyc Coward, the U of C Dinos #1 recruit for the 2008-2009 season out of Bert Church in Airdrie, Dallon Martin (Lethbridge Community College) and Zack McKee (Grant MacEwan) also both out of Bert Church, as well as Gabe Goree and Ibrahim Mohammed, both graduates of St. Mary’s University in Halifax. Gabe was a two time conference player of the year and 2 time first team All-Canadian while at SMU.

The Jr. Dinos seemed a little out of sync from the beginning of the game, and put themselves in an early hole that they were unable to climb their way out of. The team shot a terrible 8-40 from the floor in the first half, and combined that with 14 turnovers. The half time score was 32-20. A tied 37-37 second half shows the ability of the squad, but their slow start was an obstacle they could not overcome. Add that to the inside presence of Coward, Mohammed and Goree, and the Jr. Dinos could not cut the lead to fewer than 4 in the second half.

The Jr. Dinos were unable to make the consistent right decisions leading to the obsurdbly high number of turnovers. It was too much to overcome in the long haul. Kudos to Ryan Baker, Sean McCormick and Dallin Bachynski who battled against the much bigger opponent all night.

The Jr. Dinos will take the floor again next Tuesday against another Calgary Club team, the Red Jackets. Game time is 8:30 pm at Bert Church.

The Jr. Dinos started off their Spring League schedule once again at Bert Church in Airdrie in the Elite East League. After only 3 practices, the Dinos played the Falcons, a collection of former Foothills Composite Falcons High School players. Playing hard and determined, the Dinos used a run with just over 10 minutes to play to propel them to a 80-61 victory.

The Jr. Dinos were led by 2nd year U-17 starter and team co-Captain Sean McCormick of the 3A Provincial Champion Chestermere High School. Sean led the Dinos with 24 points including 3 three pointers and a foray of takes to the rim. Sean also contributed 7 rebounds to the cause. The other double digit scorer was 2nd year U-17 player Ryan Baker of Sir Winston Churchill with 10. The even scoring also saw Eric Bakker, Brett Pekar, and Kyle Wilson with 9 points a piece, while Brett Palmer did a great job of controlling the tempo in the Dinos transition and 1/2 court game. Dallin Bachynski was a monster on the glass ripping down 13 rebounds.

The Jr. Dinos next game is next Thursday April 24 against the Wildabeasts, a team featuring current Dinos recruit and Jr. Dino graduate Dominyc Coward, and a host of former Bert Church Chargers.

4 - Jordan Prince - 5′8″ PG, Bert Church, Airdrie
5 - Brett Palmer - 5′7″ PG, Sir Winston Churchill, Calgary
6 - Kevin Davies - 5′9″ PG, EP Scarlett, Calgary
7 - Jordan Stevens - 6′0″ G, Centennial, Calgary
8 - Kyle Wilson - 6′6″ G, Chestermere High School, Chestermere
9 - Brett Pekar - 6′5″ G, St. Mary’s, Calgary
10 - Johnny Wenzel - 6′5″ F, Bert Church, Airdrie
11 - Eric Bakker - 6′4″ G/F, Centennial, Calgary
12 - Sean McCormick - 6′5″ F, Chestermere High School, Chestermere
13 - Trevor Debolt - 6′3″ G, Sir Winston Churchill, Calgary
14 - Ryan Baker - 6′5″ F, Sir Winston Churchill, Calgary
15 - Dallin Bachynski - 6′9″ F, Sir Winston Churchill, Calgary

Coach - Matt Skinn (4th year), U of C Dinos
Coach - Craig Anderson (1st year), U of C Dinos

The following are the try-out times for the Jr. Dinos for the 2008 Season. The Jr. Dinos are running a U-13, U-15, and U-17 team this summer.

The Try-out cost for each team will be $60, and each player MUST bring money to the first try-out in either Cash or Cheque (Cheques can be made out to Junior Dinos Basketball Club).

U-13 and U-15 Try-outs:

Tuesday April 1, 5-6:30pm, RED GYM, University of Calgary
Monday April 7, 5-6:30pm, WEST JACK SIMPSON GYM, University of Calgary
Friday April 11, 5-7pm, EAST & WEST JACK SIMPSON GYM, University of Calgary

U-17 Try-outs:

Wednesday April 2, 4-6:30pm, WEST JACK SIMPSON GYM, University of Calgary
Monday April 7, 3:30-5pm, WEST JACK SIMPSON GYM, University of Calgary
Friday April 11, 5-7pm, CENTER JACK SIMPSON GYM, University of Calgary

TO REGISTER for the try-outs, please Contact Jr. Dinos GM Matt Skinn at mjskinn@ucalgary.ca or at 403 220 3453 (email preferred). Please forward your sons name, age, team trying out for, high school, height and contact information.

The Spring/Summer Club Basketball Season is about to get started!

Following the High School Basketball Season, the Jr. Dinos Boys Basketball Club will once again run this summer based out of the U of C. This year we are changing up the program in a few ways to once again offer the best club basketball experience in Alberta!

This year, the Club will be featuring 3 teams: an Under-13 team, an Under-15 team, and an Under-17 team to compete from April-July in spring leagues and tournaments within Western Canada. Each of the three teams will boast competition within a Spring League in Calgary or the surrounding areas (the U-17 team will once again compete in the Airdrie Elite East Spring League featuring competition against University and College Competition), as well as several tournaments in Alberta, Saskatchewan, as well as as possibilities in the U.S. and Full Organized practices at the University of Calgary.

The Junior Dinos program has been featured in the Calgary Herald as well on Global News Locally for its success in recent years. The Under 17 Jr. Dinos boasts a 82-2 record over the past 3 seasons against Under 17 competition including wins over the Alberta and Saskatchewan Juvenile Provincial teams.

A new feature to the program this year is an agreement with Strive Fitness in Calgary. Strive is the city leader in Fitness and Personal training and has trained numerous professional and amateur athletes, as well as the University of Calgary Dinos Men’s Basketball Team which is currently ranked in the top 5 in the Country, and boast one of if not the most powerful, strong and athletic line-ups in Canada due in large part to off-season conditioning with Strive. Not only will Strive provide guidance with training, the staff will also attend some practices, take each athlete through a basketball specific training program, as well as help each athlete with logging their workouts, guidance with nutrition while providing current and leading edge techniques to get the most out of each athlete. This is an exciting new development that has had enormous success with the U of C team, and should carry on with the Jr. Dinos Club!

Along with membership to the Jr. Dinos Basketball Club, each athlete will get official Jr. Dinos Gear, and be subject to the best coaching in the city, as well as discount opportunities to specific Dinos Camps and Clinics. The Jr. Dinos club features coaching assistance from the University of Calgary Men’s Basketball Staff, as well as former Dinos players.

Tentatively, the Jr. Dinos will begin Tryouts on the March 28th Weekend through the first week of April at the U of C with Official Try-out times to be announced ASAP.

To register for the Jr. Dinos Tryouts, send your son’s name, age, grade, date of birth, high school/junior high school name, height, email and telephone number to U of C Dinos Head Assistant Coach and Jr. Dinos GM and Head Coach Matt Skinn at mjskinn@ucalgary.ca, or phone the University of Calgary Men’s Basketball Office at 403 220 3453 with any questions or registration information.

Good Luck to everyone during the rest of your high school seasons, and see you on the court!

2008 Boys Basketball Christmas Clinic

The University of Calgary Dinos Men’s Basketball Team and the Jr. Dinos Basketball Club are once again pleased to host the 2008 Holiday Winter Clinic and Skills Camp. This year, the camp will feature Coaches from the Dinos and Jr. Dinos programs, as well as current and former players from the University of Calgary Men’s Program.

The focus of the camp is to give all participants the chance to develop and continue their basketball skill progression during the 2-week Holiday Break, while continuing to have fun with the game of basketball. The camp is open to players of all skill levels with a pre-dominant focus on conditioning and skill development.

Camp Details:

Dates: January 2nd and 3rd 2008
Times: 10am-3pm each day
Location: Red Gym at the University of Calgary
Ages: Boys, Ages 12-17
Cost: $75.00

To register, please email University of Calgary Dinos Men’s Head Assistant Coach, and Jr. Dinos General Manager and Head Coach Matt Skinn at mjskinn@ucalgary.ca. The email should include the players Name, Age, High School, Phone Number, Email, and Address. You can also register by phone, at 403 220 3453, or reach Matt Skinn at any time with any inqiuries. Payments can be made by cheque or cash. All cheques can be made payable to the Jr. Dinos Basketball Club, and all payments should be brought to the first day of Camp on January 2nd, 2008.

Each player is reminded to bring a water bottle, and any snacks or lunch that may be needed during the sessions as most of the University facilities will be closed for the Holiday Season. Also, each player MUST BRING THEIR OWN BASKETBALL to the camp. Camp Registration will start at 9:15am on January 2nd, 2008 prior to the first Camp Session. All registration fees will be accepted during camp registration prior to the first day of camps.

See you all there!

Matt Skinn
Asst. Coach, University of Calgary Dinos
GM/Head Coach, Jr. Dinos Basketball Club
mjskinn@ucalgary.ca
403 220 3453
www.dinosbasketball.com
www.dinosbasketball.com/juniordinos

(As prepared by Mike Debolt)
Sheep River Shootout - Okotoks

June 1 and 2, 2007

The Jr. Dinos put on a defensive clinic to wrap up another U-17 tournament title. Defensively they only allowed an average of 53 points per game while on the offensive end they were able to average just over 98 points per game. The key was hard work and communication!

Game 1 vs CYDC: Jr. Dinos 120 CYDC 31

Not only did this game feature some great defensive work but it showed how well balanced a line-up the Jr. Dinos have with 6 players in double figures - Paul Ohlinger 13, Ian Tomaszewski 11, Eric Bakker 11, Brett Pekar 21, Derrick Waldner 11 and Dom Coward 19. Additionally 5 players had 5 or more rebounds - Kendell Boese 5, Trevor Debolt 7, Brett Pekar 8 Derrick 6 and Dom 9. A Great all around team effort!

Game 2 vs Grads Baker: Jr Dinos 80 Grads 70

This was probably the toughest test for the Jr. Dinos so far in their age group. This may have been the two best U-17 teams in the province going at it. This was a great game with the lead changing hands throughout the first half until the Jr. Dinos broke it open in the third quarter by out-scoring the Grads 24 - 2. Again a great defensive effort. Offensively the day belonged to Dom Coward with 32 points and 21 rebounds (12 offensive boards alone). Kendell Boese added 16 and Eric Bakker had a stellar game with 15 points and 8 steals. Sean McCormick kept up his fine play with 9 boards while Derrick Waldner also added 9. Overall the team as a whole collected 60 rebounds - amazing work on the boards! Nice win while only going 1 for 20 from the 3 pt. arc.

Game 3 vs Selects Ivor: Jr. Dinos 96 Selects 59

This game also had a couple of great defensive highlights for the team - the Jr. Dinos only allowed 8 points in the first quarter and 7 in the third quarter. Offensively the day was Kendell Boese’s with 29 points including 6 threes and some amazing open court plays, followed by Sean McCormick with 16 and Dom Coward with 14. Dom also hauled in 13 rebounds while Sean added 7 boards. The remaining 28 rebounds were almost shared equally by the rest of the team. Awesome tournament win, keep up the hard work!

Now on to Edmonton the July 1 weekend!

The University of Calgary Jr. Dinos improved their undefeated streak in U-17 tournaments since 2005 by capturing the Calgary Selects Victoria Day Classic. The Dinos faced the Jr. Pronghorns, the Calgary Selects U-17’s, the Red Deer Rebels, the NSD Stars U-16 team, and the Calgary Selects-Panthers in the Finals.

Dom Coward was named tournament MVP while Eric Bakker, and Ian Tomaszewski were named to the Tournament All-Star team.

***In other news, the Jr. Dinos had their best finish ever in the Airdrie Elite East Spring League. Entering the playoffs as the 4 seed after playing the toughest schedule in the league (the Jr. Dinos were the only team to play 3 of the top 4 teams in the league twice), the Jr. Dinos faced off against Bread and Butter which is comprised of former and current SAIT Trojan players.

With only 9 players on the bench including two red-shirts, the Dinos were able to come away with the 83-59 convincing win. The key to the game was the Dinos stellar defense which held Bread and Butter in check for most of the game, including a 2-3 zone defense which is rarely used by the team.

This set up a match-up against the varsity Dinos in the semi-finals. Again with only 9 players, the Jr. Dinos fought admirably coming up short 72-60. Again, the Jr. Dinos were able to hold their opponents in check for most of the game, and worked hard to almost come up with the upset. A great performance, and a great result in a very tough league!

Congratulations to all 3 of the Jr. Dinos teams who competed in the NSD-Stars Season Opener Tournament in Calgary and Okotoks this past weekend.

U-15 Results:

Consolation Champions - Coaches Brendan Groat and Ian Ferguson

U-16 Results:

2nd Place, U-17 Division 2 - Coaches Randy Peron and Natasha Nagy

U-17 Results

Tournament Champions, U-17 Division 1 - 107-44 over the Calgary Selects in the Tournament Final - Coaches Matt Skinn and Kol Armstrong

All Jr. Dinos teams will be in action on the May long weekend. Stay tuned for www.dinosbasketball.com/juniordinos for all of your Club Updates!

Continuing their busy week of basketball play, the Jr. Dinos took the floor on Thursday May 3 against the Calgary Selects U-19 team. The Selects suited up many of the top grade 12 players from Calgary and the surrounding areas including Bert Church Stars Zack Mckee and Dallon Martin, Notre Dame star Jordan Hope, City Finalists and John Diefenbaker stars Fuad Osman and Brighton Gbrizia, UVIC signee Pierce Anderson, and Springbank scorer Addison Gough. A tough test for the young Dinos, their nerves would be their biggest enemy at the beginning of the game.

After only a few minutes, the Dinos trailed early to the Selects 10-4. The Dinos were getting great looks but could not capitalize against the older Selects. Dallon Martin was also on fire for the Jr. Dinos opponents dropping 18 big points in the first half and putting the selects up by a 46-38 margin (Coming in to the game, the Jr. Dinos had the fewest points against in the Airdrie Spring League giving up a slight 60 points per game).

The second half was a different story. The Jr. Dinos came out firing and got back to the defensive game plan that has made this early season so successful. Catalyzed by a quick Sean McCormick, an energized Kendell Boese, and a few early made shots, the Jr. Dinos cut the lead to 48-47 after just 2 minutes of action of the second half. From there, the Dinos defense took control of the game. The Selects scored only 26 in the second half while the Dinos finally starting hitting their shots to complete the 88-72 victory.

The Jr. Dinos were once again led by the strong inside play of Dom Coward who poured in 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting while grabbing a monstrous 15 rebounds and adding 3 big blocked shots. Other double digit scorers included Ian Tomaszewski with 16, Taylor Norum with 12, and Eric Bakker with 11. Solid performance by the Jr. Dinos two point guards, Trevor Debolt and Matt Urbanowski solidified the Dino attack, while Kendell Boese, Paul Ohlinger and Derrick Waldner played great defense all night.

The Dinos take to the floor again this weekend in the Stars Season Opener Basketball Tournament. All Jr. Dinos games will be played at Holy Trinity Academy in Okotoks. Game time on Friday is at 7:00pm vs. Cranbrook TQN.