The Peak

Men's Basketball: Clan itching to get ball rolling on new season

By Simon Wilson

Without a true star player, the 2009- 2010 Clan basketball season may come down to grinding out victories in the truest sense of the expression. The team lost two key players this offseason as Greg Wallis graduated after a fantastic CIS career and Frank Bradley was forced off the team due to academic reasons. Wallis was the team’s top scorer, managing 17.9 points per game, which was good enough for eighth in Canada West and 24th in the nation, while Frank Bradley was named the Canada West defensive player of the year.

Head coach, Scott Clark, who is entering an impressive 15th season as coach for Simon Fraser, is optimistic that the remaining players and new additions will pick up the slack.

“We don’t have just one player that we’ll look to get the ball to,” he explained. “Our roster is well balanced with many interchangeable parts. Each guy brings something different to the game.”

Clark also noted that this year’s version of the Clan has significant veteran leadership. “Our roster over the last four years has been pretty stable and the guys know what it will take to win. They’re a tough group.”

Matt Kuzminski and Sean Burke are both fifth-year guards who return as starters from last year’s team. Burke has developed into one of the best setup men in Canada as he finished last season’s campaign with 4.9 assists per game, which puts him in the top 10 in all of the CIS. Burke will be looking to make greater scoring contributions this season as well. Kevin Shaw, also a fifth-year, appears primed to take on a large role this season. After being used only selectively last season, Shaw leads all Clan players with 31.5 minutes per game in the preseason. Eric Burrell, a third-year forward, rounds out the veteran starting core entering a year older and more experienced.

Increased contributions from Jordan Nostedt and Greg Gillies will also be counted on this season. Transfer student Chris Kok headlines the class of new players who expect to make an impact. Kevin Pribilsky is one of the younger players to also keep an eye on this season. The second-year guard brings a lot of energy to the floor and has the ability to get hot from beyond the arch.

If the pre-season is any indication, the Clan will be an exciting team to watch this season. In a 91-82 victory over Laval, the Clan took full advantage of several Laval turnovers by running the floor and showing good finish. Scott Clark stayed true to his word and the Clan were aggressive in the paint, out-muscling and out-willing their opponent. Through the first three games of the preseason the Clan are 2-1. The only blemish was a comefrom- behind victory by Windsor. If there is one criticism from the exhibition games it is that the Clan will need to develop a better killer instinct and finish their opponents off when they have the chance.

The veteran core and strong play early in the season is one reason to be optimistic for SFU supporters, but also an improved record over the last three seasons is something that can be built upon. The team reached a low point in 2005-06, winning just five out of 20 Canada West games and eight out of 30 overall. Over the next three seasons they compiled records of 11-12, 12-11, and 14-9 in Canada West play. Despite the improved regular season record, the Clan still haven’t been able to get over the postseason hump. The team has not won a playoff game since 2005 and hasn’t won a playoff round since 2002.

When asked what the team must do to take their game to the next level, Clark thinks that the team is already there and is ready to compete with the best teams in the conference. When asked what sort of expectations he has about the coming season he simply said: “to win the next game” although he did hint that he thought that this group had “the ability to be special.” Clark’s one-game-at-a-time philosophy might be the best course of action in a division that features the UBC Thunderbirds. The Clan’s main rival knocked out SFU in the first round of the playoffs and proceeded to play its way into the national championship game before coming up short to Carleton.

The Clan will tip off the regular season in Victoria on Halloween night at 7:00 p.m. The team will play its first five league games on the road before welcoming Lethbridge on November 27.