Weekend Update: Men’s Basketball

By Lawrence Bailey

Let’s start with the bad news. The Dinos men’s basketball team is a dismal 1-5 thus far with their sole victory coming against a motley crew of University of Calgary alumni.

The good news? The preseason is over.

The Dinos have been forced to go with a much smaller lineup this year after losing inspirational big man Chris Harris to a severe knee injury, steady inside man Wes Jickling to academic pursuits and hard-luck John Woods to an endless barrage of wounded limbs.

The new look hasn’t been pretty thus far.

However, a bright spot for the Dinos has been second-year guard Whit Hornsberger’s near 30 points per game, even though his dismally low rebound and assist numbers lead one to assume he’s been doing little else. John Riad, last season’s scoring sensation, is another reason for optimism. He has come into the year with a more balanced attack, increasing his assist totals while maintaining his rebound numbers and potting about 20 points per game.

After a slough of on again, off again performances over the past few weeks, the Dinos are going have a chance to show their worth Nov. 2-3 at the Jack against a very talented University of Alberta squad. The Golden Bears–8-0 in pre-season play–won both the Hawk Eyes Invitational tournament at Memorial University in Newfoundland and their own tourney, the Edmonton Journal Invitational. There is no question they look like the team to beat in the Canada West Conference.

A strong showing against these fearsome foes from that northern wasteland would go a long way to setting the tone for a rebound season for our Dinos. Here’s to hoping…