The Toronto Raptors vacated the premises and the regular tenants have moved back in. Yet, they do so with a degree of uncertainty.
There are more unknowns than knowns for both the University of Victoria Vikes women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 basketball teams as they embark on their 2017-18 sa国际传媒 West seasons tonight on Ken and Kathy Shields Court in the CARSA gymnasium.
The Vikes women play the University of sa国际传媒-Okanagan Heat at 6 p.m. with the men鈥檚 game at 8 p.m. The teams meet again Saturday in CARSA at 5 and 7 p.m.
Neither UVic team features a fifth-year player, meaning these are both squads that have next season in view, and will be using this season to lay the foundation.
鈥淲e have a very different look,鈥� said UVic women鈥檚 head coach Dani Sinclair, noting the loss of graduated forwards Jenna Bugiardini and Nicole Karstein.
鈥淲e have some new additions and some youth.鈥�
Without the inside game provided by Bugiardini and Karstein, fourth-year outside gunners Amira Giannattasio from Hamilton, Ont., and Kristy Gallagher from Parkland Secondary are going to have to work harder for their looks. But when they get clear views of the hoop, both Giannattasio and Gallagher are capable of breaking games open with their three-point shooting.
As for under the basket, Sinclair said: 鈥淲e have bigger wings, who are going to have to go inside more.鈥�
Chief among them is Ashlyn Day, a five-foot-11 rookie from Kelowna, who had a promising preseason.
鈥淎shlyn is a long, athletic, pure-scoring wing who can also defend,鈥� said Sinclair.
Sinclair said she sees third-year player and Claremont-product Marissa Dheensaw as being a key to the season: 鈥淢arissa is a versatile, two-way player and a natural-born leader for us.鈥�
A wildcard for the inside game after Christmas could be rookie Xenia Knoop out of Shawnigan Lake School, a six-foot-four converted handball player from Germany who is currently recovering from knee surgery. Another injured player who will certainly help later is veteran forward Paige Thomson.
The Vikes were 12-8 last season in sa国际传媒 West and won their opening-round playoff series. They played in the U Sports national tournament as hosts, while UBC-O was 4-16 and missed the playoffs.
Sinclair tabbed the Saskatchewan Huskies, guided by Canadian Olympic team head coach Lisa Thomaidis, and the Regina Cougars as the teams to beat this season in sa国际传媒 West.
Meanwhile, coach Craig Beaucamp鈥檚 Vikes men鈥檚 team promises a heavy Island flavour with an eclectic mix. Six-foot-four, fourth-year player Jordan Charles from Duncan returns after a year off due to injury and has been effective in the preseason. Six-foot-three Mason Loewen is a leaping, rafter-scraping forward out of Claremont Secondary who is returning home after three seasons of NCAA Div. 2 hoops in the U.S.
Six-foot-11 Eric Hegadoren, out of Lambrick Park Secondary, is an intriguing project. His dreams of pitching in pro baseball were scuttled by shoulder surgery and he has turned his attention to taking advantage of his height and athletic ability on the basketball court.
鈥淢ason Loewen is athletic, quick and entertaining, Jordan Charles has been consistent in preseason after one year away, and Eric Hegadoren is raw but is mobile and learning the nuances of the game,鈥� said Beaucamp.
Other Island players include rookie point guard Jaden Touchie out of Oak Bay and returning forwards Graeme Hyde-Lay and Jason Scully from SMUS and Taylor Montgomery-Stinson from Claremont.
鈥淲e have a ton of Island guys and our flavour and focus has become local because that helps engage the community,鈥� said Beaucamp.
Jake Newman is the son of former national champion UVic player Jamie Newman, while Justin Kinnear is another returning forward. Sophomore point guard and import Scott Kellum from Issaquah, Washington, will be looking to build on a standout freshman season in which he averaged 13.2 points per game and was named sa国际传媒 West rookie of the year.
鈥淭his is going to be a fun team to watch,鈥� added Beaucamp.
Collectively, there seems to be enough there to mitigate the loss of graduated American-import forward Grant Sitton, a fine inside-outside threat who has signed a pro contract in Europe.
The Vikes (9-11 last season in conference before a first-round playoff loss against Lethbridge) couldn鈥檛 have asked for a better matchup to start the conference season. The UBC-O program was 2-18 last season and has not made the playoffs since entering sa国际传媒 West in 2011-12.
Beaucamp labelled UBC, Alberta and Calgary as the teams to watch this season in sa国际传媒 West.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of parity after that and it鈥檚 going to be really competitive,鈥� he said.
Nationally, every team must contend with a Carleton Ravens program that has dominated university men鈥檚 basketball with an astonishing 13 Canadian titles over the past 15 years. The Ravens this season are looking for their eighth consecutive U Sports national championship to surpass the record seven straight they currently hold with the UVic Vikes dynasty of the 1980s.
