Commentary
Two defence-first teams came first in both Ontario divisions, and it was the Lakehead Thunderwolves who shut down the Carleton Ravens to win the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) title last weekend.
I’m hoping you’re familiar with Tyson Hinz, Cole Hobin and the rest of the Ravens, so let’s learn a bit more about this Thunder Bay, Ont. squad that beat Carleton at their own game.
Lakehead may play a tough team game like the Ravens, but it wasn’t too long ago that they were 1-21 in 2006-07, the same record as the lowly Royal Military College Paladins.
The Thunderwolves built themselves up under coach Scott Morrison (winner of the last two OUA West coach of the year awards) to a 17-5 record last year and a berth in nationals, where they lost to UBC and Cape Breton to finish in the bottom tier.
Their core of Jamie Searle, Greg Carter and Yoosrie Salhia stayed intact into this season, as they didn’t graduate any players and only lost a few minor pieces.
They finished with an identical 17-5 record this season, and identical award winners as well — Searle making the first all-star team, Carter being named defensive player of the year and Morrison coach of the year.
The Thunderwolves played consistently during the season and never lost consecutive games, taking the division title over Windsor and then beating Western, the University of Ottawa and Carleton on their way to the fourth seed in Halifax.
Carter is their best player, and he makes his impact on the defensive end. He has very quick feet and hands which let him keep the pressure on his mark all the way up the floor and slide his way around picks and screens with ease.
On offence, Carter takes the ball up and makes the first pass, then often floats around looking for space, taking the odd three-pointer while never putting himself out of position to get back to his end. If Morrison wants to switch things up from the point, putting in Nova Scotia’s own Ben Johnson gives the Lakehead offence a chance to attack the basket from that position.
Speaking of attacking the net, Searle does that with regularity. Lakehead’s leading scorer (13.8 points per game) drives with more tenacity than elusiveness and can get layups to fall under all sorts of pressure.
Other offensive options include second-team all star Venzal Russell, who notched a quadruple-double with Minnesota’s Vermillion Community College in 2009, and Salhia, who can score and defend from the post equally well.
Lakehead has two standout defenders in Carter and Salhia who can take on the opponent’s top threats at those positions, and they’re needed because Lakehead’s offence has some serious flaws.
They’re second-last in the country in free-throw percentage (62.3 per cent) and mediocre at shooting percentage, three-point shooting and offensive rebounding, with their 75.2 points per game only 0.2 per cent above Acadia’s for worst among the final eight teams.
Lakehead will need Salhia to be on top of his game to take on Jacob Doerkson when Lakehead opens against Trinity Western March 11.