Men’s b-ball weekend of losses

By Tom Zielinski

The University of Calgary men’s basketball team recorded yet another two losses last weekend, while visiting the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. The Dinos dropped Friday’s game by a score of 76-52 and lost Saturday’s contest 70-55.

"I thought we were prepared," said coach Cory Russel. "We played respectable basketball for about 35 minutes each night."

Each game, however, consists of 40 minutes playing time and when the Dinos couldn’t play good ball during those five other minutes, ubc dominated.

What exactly went wrong for the Dinos? Turnovers and careless play.

"We just handed them the ball," said Russell.

During one contest, the men found themselves down 17-0 at the start of the game and committed an astounding 10 turnovers in their first 12 possessions. Saturday didn’t prove much better; they turned the ball over 21 times.

When taking a look at individual Dinos players, some positive aspects come to mind, like rookie John Riad. He led the Dinos to their first regular season win in Victoria a few weeks ago with 24 points and last Saturday he scored a game-high 19.

"He’s going to be a very good player. He’s getting better every week," stated Russell, who won’t be surprised if the rookie works his way into the starting lineup by the end of the season.

Another player to keep your eyes on is Andy Stordeur.

"He’s somebody we can count on," said Russell, who is impressed with Stordeur’s consistent play.

But with only one win in six games, the Dinos are in desperate need of some wins.

"We have real good unity and chemistry," explained Russel. "The guys really work hard."

While the Dinos play solid defensive, Russell thinks the offense needs a little work.

The Dinos will play next weekend in Saskatchewan, where they hope to record a win or two.