By Emma Cutfield and Sean Nyilassy
I have memories of aching muscles, burning from being pushed to limits that I clearly had to dig deep down to find. Memories of sweat beading off numerous body parts, and legs that felt like they could be served up in a bowl with little bits of fruit as decoration flooded back as I watched the Dinos men’s basketball team’s afternoon practice. To say the least, I admire the effort these players brought to the table.
The team has seen some pre-season action, staying even with three wins and three losses. After a tournament at home Oct. 15-17 that the Dinos nearly won, they moved on to our neighbours to the east.
The Dinos traveled east to Regina Oct. 21-23 for the All Day Cougar Classic. In their first game Thu., Oct. 21, our boys took on the University of Regina Cougars in their own den.
As if they were on a mission that so many young men take on, the Dinos spent all night prowling on the Cougars. Proving they are ready for Canada West competition, the Dinos mauled the U of R 99-69.
Game two took place Fri., Oct. 22 against the Athletes in Action team–a compilation of Christian graduates from both Canada and the US. The Dinos rose to the challenge and kept the former CIS and NCAA athletes on their toes all game. Unfortunately for the Dinos, the power the Athletes in Action received from above was too much. The result was a close 71-78 loss.
The latest action occurred Sat., Oct. 23 versus the Carleton University Ravens and brought a 61-84 loss. On the Dinos side, the court was dominated by Chris Wright, who brought in 12 points.
If they are to obtain a winning record, the Dinos will have to have a few more players step up. Although the pre-season indicates that the Dinos are just a mediocre team, the coaches have other plans.
“We’re struggling,” commented the team’s Assistant Coach on pre-season play. “We were disappointed with our performance on the weekend, but optimistic that we can turn it around.”
Having won last year’s Canada West playoffs, our boys have high standards to attain this year.
With their regular season beginning Nov. 5 against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, our boys will need to “turn it around” quickly. They get one more weekend of games to fool around in the pre-season. After that, any disappointments will be recorded in the books.
The Dinos travel to Lethbridge on Thu., Oct. 28 to match wits with the Rocky Mountain College Battlin’ Bears. As the cheesy team name suggests, this is an American college and should prove challenging for our Dinos.
The pre-season wraps up with a game Sun., Oct. 31 against the Whitworth College Pirates, another American collegiate. The game takes place in Calgary at Mount Royal College at 3 p.m. So drag your lazy ass out of bed and get dressed up early to go support the Dinos. Just don’t dress like a pirate ye scallywag!