Cathedral PW Champs

Cathedral 2011-12 Purple & White Champions

D'Youville PW Runner-up

D'Youville 2011-12 Purple & White Runner-Up

Governor Simcoe Consolation Champs

Governor Simcoe Consolation Champs

Purple & White Championship Article in London Free Press

Hamilton trounces Panthers

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS': Cathedral Gaels win 71-56 over Brampton

By STEVE GREEN, The London Free Press

The Cathedral Gaels might want to start thinking about coming to London a bit more often.
After all, the campus at Western is practically a home away from home for the perennial Hamilton high school basketball power.
They won the 1994 OFSAA AAA tournament at Alumni Hall and Friday night made it three Purple and White tournament victories in six years with a 71-56 win over the Brampton D'Youville Panthers that wasn't even that close.
And it made Gaels head coach Brian Daly 12-0 at the Purple and White - he was the assistant for his brother Mark when Cathedral won in 2006 and 2007.
"That's hilarious," Daly said with a big smile. "It's a little-known fact, but it's a running joke in the family. Maybe I should retire now."
The Gaels simply dominated in every facet of the game against a team that may have been more athletic, but just didn't compete at either end of the court.
"That was probably our best game of the year," Daly said, who only had nine players at his disposal. "The positive is we played well and we came together as a team and beat an excellent team with relative ease. The thing a lot of people think you can't do against an athletic team is rebound, yet we're taller than them at every position except one. The guys just came to play for a full 32 minutes."
None more so than tournament MVP Steve Dely. He's built like a football player, but he has a deft dribble, can hit the outside shot and is a presence on the boards. He scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the opening two quarters as the Gaels took a 40-23 lead and were never threatened.
"This is a bit unexpected," he said. "They're ranked high in the province, but we just hit our shots early. We just came off a tough loss (to Ancaster Tonnos in league play) and we were really hungry to come here and use this as an opportunity to get back on track."
Both teams are AAAA schools, so a meeting at OFSAA isn't out of the question.
"We're just going to look at this as a positive, but we also know we've got adjustments to make to out outside defence," Dely said. "We know these are going to be the teams we're going to have to beat down the road, so we have to prepare for them being quicker."
Panthers head coach Carlo Zoffranieri was understandably dismayed by his team's effort.
"That's what we're like sometimes," he said. "Sometimes, we just don't show up. Maybe they didn't sleep well last night. Maybe they didn't take today seriously. But it's frustrating and disappointing, because we demand more from them.
"We win some games where we don't play well, but we don't always play teams as good as that one. We're consistent with our lack of focus at times."
Neil Santos, the Gaels' dynamo at point guard, added 17 points for Cathedral. James Agyeman, Abed Emran and Aaron Ariri all had 13 for the Panthers, with Jazz Rai adding 10.
Dely and Santos were joined on the first all-star team by Gerge Johnson of London Catholic Central, which lost 52-41 to Cathedral in the semifinals earlier Friday, Kevin Ramos of D'Youville and Caleb Agada of Burlington Assumption.
Named to the second all-star team were Rai, Dani Elgadi of Waterloo CI, Mike Grantis of St. Catharines Governor Simcoe and Garrison Thomas of Assumption.

PW Champions Neil Santos + Steven Dely - Cathedral

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

Purple & White Finals Set

Championship Final
D'Youville vs. Cathedral 5:30pm Alumni Hall

Consolation Final
WCI vs. Governor Simcoe 3:30pm Alumni Hall

Jazz Rai + Kevin Ramos- D'Youville

D'Youville's Kevin Ramos and Jazz Rai talk about their win over Burlington Assumption in the Purple & White Championship Semis.

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

Day 3 Results

For live updates check coach Campbell on Twitter @Brad_Campbell_3  #purpleandwhite

Other Games
Sarnia Northern  60
London MTS         53
North- Ravenhort 14 pts
MTS- Adam Vandervoort 20pts

Windsor CCH          61
Cardinal Newman     60
CCH- Mylder 17pts
Newman- Gillen  15pts

St. Chris        49
St. Theresa   54
St Chris - Mike Rocca 15pts
St. Theresa - Stubbs 16 pts

Banting     66
Anderson  62
Banting- Field 23pts
Anderson - Huftcroft 35 pts


Consolation Semi

Gov Simcoe      58
Westminister    19
Gov- Mike Grantis 14 pts

North Park       31
WCI                38
WCI- Elgadi - 22pts
NP- Marcus Jones 11pts


Championship Semi

D'Youville      52
Assumption     41

Cathedral             52
London CCH         41
Cath- Saleh  12pts
CCH - George Johnson 15 pts

London Free Press Purple & White Pics

Pics from Cathedral vs Banting game

CLICK HERE

54th Annual Purple & White Draw for Friday Dec. 30th

Championship Semi Finals

Burlington Assumption vs D'Youville      1:30pm Alumni Hall
Cathedral vs. London CCH                       1:30pm Thames Hall


Consolation Semi Finals

North Park vs. WCI                                   12:00pm Alumni Hall
Westminster vs. Gov Simcoe                    12:00pm Thames Hall   


Other Games

Windsor CCH vs. Cardinal Newman        9am Alumni Hall
Sanria Northern vs. MTS                          9am Thames Hall
St. Theresa vs. St. Chris                           10:30am Alumni Hall
Banting vs.  Anderson                              10:30am Thames Hall

 

Audio Interview with London CCH's Curtis D'Hollander

Chat with Curtis D'hollander after his game winning 3pt shot vs St. Theresa to take CCH to the Purple & White Championship Semi Final (CCH 43- St. Theresa 42).

CLICK HERE for AUDIO

Purple & White Round 1 & 2 Results Results

Round 1

Burlington Assumption 52
London Westminster       48
West - E. Franklin 10pts
Assumption - Caleb Aganda 25pts

St. Chris                         62
Brantford North Park      57
St Chris - Mike Rocca 26pts
NP- Marcus jones 16pts

Cardinal Newman          50
Governor Simcoe             37
Gov- Mike Grantis 13pts
Newman- J Goldson 19pts

Windsor CCH                68
Sanria Northern               54
North- R. Soula 15pts
CCH- Mychal Mulder 17pts

St. Theresa                    41
WCI                               39
WCI - Jacob Ranton 19pts
St. Theresa - R. Fox 14pts

London CCH              58
Anderson                      46
CCH- George Johnson 24 pts
Anderson - Jake Hutchcroft 22pts

Cathedral                     51
Banting                         49
Banting- Jason hawke 15pts
Cathedral - Neil Santos 14pts

D'Youville                    65
London MTS                52
DY- Jazz Rai 16pts
MTS- Adam Vandervoort 20pts

Round 2

Championship Side

Assumption 70
Windsor CCH 69
Assumption- Caleb Aganda 24 pts
CCH - Mychal Mulder 27 pts

Cathedral   67
St, Chris    62
Cathedral-  Furas Saleh 16pts
St. Chris - Mike Rocca 26pts

London CCH   43
St. Theresa        42

D'Youville              66
Cardinal Newman    38


Consolations Side

Westmister  58
Northern      54
West- E. Franklin 20pts
Northern - C. Winberg 11pts

North Park    44 OT
Banting         42
North Park - Marcus Jones 15pts
Banting -  J. Field 18pts

Governor Simcoe   63
London MTA         51
Gov- Max Dottin 18pts
MTS- Adam Vandervoort  28pts

WCI          66
Anderson   42
Anderson - Jake Hutchcroft 16 pts
WCI - Jacob Ranton 21 pts

Today's London Free Press Article On Purple & White

For Link CLICK HERE

UWO offers preview

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: Western event has some intriguing matchups

By STEVE GREEN, The London Free Press

Fans of top-level Ontario high school boys' basketball are once again getting a late Christmas present in the form of the Purple and White senior tournament at Western.

The 54th edition, which tips off Thursday at Alumni and Thames halls, brings together six local entries with some of the best from across the province. Carrying the local hopes will be Westminster, Banting, Mother Teresa and Catholic Central from London, as well as the dynamic Sarnia duo of Northern and St. Christopher's.

Among the top out-of-town teams are Whitby Anderson (last year's OFSAA AAA champion, whose roster includes a surefire NCAA Division I recruit in Dyshawn Pierre), Hamilton Cardinal Newman, Windsor Catholic Central, Hamilton Cathedral and Brampton D'Youville (one of the top 10 teams in the province).

"The teams we try to bring in are the creme de la creme of the province," said Western men's assistant coach John Curcio, who is also the Mustangs' chief recruiter. "So the London teams are going to get tested early. It's a good measuring stick and we try to match up the local teams with teams across the province, so they get to find out early where they stand."

Among the more intriguing first-round matchups Thursday are Northern vs. Windsor CCH at 10:30 a.m. at Alumni and Banting vs. Hamilton Cathedral at the same time at Thames. Northern and Windsor CCH will almost certainly cross paths at the SWOSSAA AAA level, while Banting, which made it to the OFSAA AAA tournament last season, will be facing a perennial OFSAA participant in the Gaels.

But the tournament serves another purpose, as it's Western's best chance to recruit.

"We want to bring in the best players in the province to see our campus, see our facilities and get to know our program and our coaches," Curcio said. "More than half of our current roster has played in the Purple and White, which is nice. We talk to a lot of kids across the province throughout the recruiting process, but to spend two days with them and their families and coaches certainly helps in us getting to build a relationship with the kids.

"We try to reserve some spots for local teams with players we're trying to recruit, but we also go across the province looking for the best teams with players who have (university) potential."

And the tournament has seen many now-familiar names play in it, such as former NBAer and former Canadian national coach Leo Rautins, Western greats John Steifelmeyer and Jimmy Grozelle, former Olympian Barry Howson and a pair of 2011 NBA first-round draft picks in Cory Joseph of Pickering (San Antonio Spurs) and Tristan Thompson of Brampton (who played at D'Youville), who were teammates at the University of Texas.

The tournament begins Thursday at 9 a.m., with the championship game set for Friday at 5 p.m. at Alumni Hall.

--- --- ---
Purple and White
When: Thursday and Friday
Where: Alumni and Thames halls, UWO
Schedule: Thursday — First round — At Alumni: Westminster vs. Burlington Assumption, 9 a.m.; Northern vs. Windsor CCH, 10:30 a.m.; St. Catharines Governor Simcoe vs. Hamilton Cardinal Newman, noon; Mother Teresa vs. Brampton D’Youville, 1:30 p.m.; At Thames: Brantford North Park vs. St. Christopher’s, 9 a.m.; Hamilton Cathedral vs. Banting, 10:30 a.m.; Midland St. Theresa vs. Waterloo CI, noon; London CCH vs. Whitby Anderson, 1:30 p.m.; Championship quarterfinals, 3 and 6 p.m. at Alumni and Thames; Consolation quarterfinals, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Alumni and Thames; Friday — Consolation semifinals, noon at Alumni and Thames; Championship semifinals, 1:30 p.m. at Alumni and Thames; Consolation final, 3:30 p.m. at Alumni; Championship final, 5 p.m. at Alumni.
Admission: $3 for single game, $5 for a one-day pass, $8 for two-day pass; available at the door.

54th Annual Purple & White Pre-view

The London Free Press' Steve Green and Mustangs' assistant coach John Curcio preview the 54th annual Purple & White Senior Boys High School Basketball Tournamnet Dec. 29-30.

CLICK HERE for link to podcast.

Quinn Henderson Selected Daemen College Tournament All-Star

Quinn Henderson averaged 15 ppg and 5rpg during the two game Daemen Classic Tournament and was rewarded with his selection to the all- tournament team.

All-Classic Team

Mark Coppola Daemen
Jim Regan Daemen
Quinn Henderson Western Ontario
Kevin Dawson  St. Francis
Dennis Norford  Fisher.

Mustangs fall 54-53 to Host Daemen College

Mustangs Athletics

AMHERST, N.Y. – A layup by Daemen College’s Mark Coppola with 34 seconds left in the game proved to be the winner Thursday night, as the host Wildcats edged the visiting Western Mustangs, 54-53, in an exhibition game at Lumsden Gymnasium in Amherst, NY.

In their second game of the Daemen College Holiday Classic, the Mustangs fell just short in their comeback bid on Thursday after being outscored by eight in the first half. The Western men shot 54.5% (12-for-22) in the second period, and a Greg Morrow dunk gave the Mustangs a slim two-point lead (53-51) with 58 seconds left on the clock, but the Wildcats’ Troy Nowak made a free throw with 34 seconds to go and Coppola put the home team ahead following a steal and a layup. The Mustangs had two chances on the other end, but were unable to convert either and dropped their second straight in the Holiday Classic.

For the second day in a row, Quinn Henderson led the Mustangs in scoring with 16 points and six rebounds. The second-year guard was 5-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-7 from three-point range. Jermaine Bernard had 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, while Peter Scholtes had nine points and added a team-high four assists and four steals.

Jim Regan was the top scorer for the Wildcats, going 7-for-11 from the floor for 15 points. Dom Mazzocchi had a game-high nine rebounds.

Mustangs again played without Ryan Barbeau, Charlie Drouin and Adam Jespersen all due to injuries.

The Mustangs (3-5) will return to OUA action following the Christmas break with a pair of road games against Lakehead (7-1) on Friday, Jan. 6 and Saturday, Jan. 7 before returning home to play the Guelph Gryphons (5-3) on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 8:00 p.m. at Alumni Hall. For tickets, click here. That game will also be available via Live Stream at: http://www.ssncanada.ca/game/2976

Mustangs fall to St. Francis in Daemen College Tournament

Mustangs Athletics

AMHERST, N.Y. -- The Western Mustangs were outshot down the stretch Wednesday afternoon and lost their opening game of the Daemen College Holiday Classic, 66-54, to the University of St. Francis Cougars (NAIA) at Lumsden Gymnasium in Amherst, NY.

Trailing by two points at the half, the Mustangs shot just 35.7% (10-for-28) in the second period, while the Cougars went 13-for-25 (52.0%) to surge ahead and secure the 12-point victory in the exhibition contest.

Q Owens led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-21 shooting. Kevin Dawson had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Cougars, while Scott Kohne produced a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Western's Quinn Henderson (Dundas, Ont.), a second-year guard, led the Mustangs with 14 points and eight rebounds. Rookie Jermaine Bernard (Toronto, Ont.) had 13 points and a pair of steals, while Peter Scholtes (London, Ont.) finished with 11 points and four assists in the low-scoring affair. Western's leading scorer, Ryan Barbeau (Belleville, Ont.), did not play in Wednesday's game.

In a close first half, the Mustangs took a lead for the first time, 24-22, with 2:35 left on the clock. But a pair of jumpers by Kohne and Owens sent the Cougars into halftime with a 26-24 advantage. The game remained close for the first eight minutes into the second half, and Nick Berardi (Barrie, Ont.), a first-year forward, pulled the Mustangs even at 36-36 with 12:19 left. But St. Francis began to pull away at that point, starting with an Owens three-pointer. Just over three minutes later, Western was down 12.

Mustangs played without Ryan Barbeau, Charlie Drouin and Adam Jespersen all due to injury.

The Mustangs are back in action tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 22, for another exhibition contest -- this time against the host Daemen College Wildcats at 6 p.m. at Lumsden Gymnasium.

Mustang Assistant Coach John Curcio Talks London High School Basketball #2

In this week's installment Steve Green of the London Free Press and Mustang assistant coach John Curcio talk about this week's marquis match-up Banting vs MTS and more.

CLICK HERE for podcast

Happy Holidays!!

Mustang Assistant Coach John Curcio Talks London High School Basketball

Current Mustang Assistant Coach John Curcio and the London Free Press' Steve Green Talk about London's top High School Basketball match-up this week.

CLICK HERE for audio podcast.

Coach Campbell & Ryan Barbeau Visit London Ramblers U12 Practice

Thanks to the Ramblers U12 Boys who let Coach Campbell and Ryan Barbeau do some instruction during Monday night's practice. Good Luck this season!

54th Annual Purple & White Draw Released Dec. 29-30

Pre-views and more info to come......

Ryan Barbeau - Captain's Blog #2

5th year PG Ryan Barbeau gives us his 2nd Captain's Blog installment.......

   

Tis The Season!

            Hello all! I just wanted to bring you up to date on basically the first half of the season, our progression and what the second half looks like for your Mustangs! As you have probably read about, we are currently 3-5 and sit at the bottom of the OUA west standings, but the light is certainly not as dim as it seems, as that record could easily read as its reciprocal. Some poor late game execution and lack of toughness down the stretch is all that keeps us from being in the middle of the pack.

            After the trip to Ottawa, where we played very poorly and came away with two losses, we knew that it was time to make a change and we needed to become tougher and more disciplined with the stuff that we were trying to accomplish, both offensively and defensively. Playing at the University of Toronto the following Friday night was a very tough task for our young team, as Toronto is one of the better teams in the East and a very veteran group. I thought that we battled extremely hard all game and with Pete providing an offensive spark for us we were able to be in a one possession game with the clock winding down and had it not been for yours truly missing a crucial three pointer we may have been able to get the game into overtime. That loss definitely hurt but we had to regroup to face a very athletic Ryerson team the very next night. Once again, the fourth quarter hurt us and we were unable to come up with enough defensive stops to secure the win, and ended up losing that game as well. I think what we learned from that weekend was that we are very capable of competing and giving ourselves a chance to win the game, we just need to be more disciplined and learn to execute better in the fourth quarters. Being 1-5, we knew we needed two wins the following weekend against Queens and RMC. Quinn Henderson (16 points) provided us with an offensive spark against Queens and our three point shooting allowed us to come away with the win, in front of 1200 screaming grade 6 kids from all over London. It was a pretty cool environment to play in and definitely one of the highlights of the season so far! The next day we played RMC and were able to come away with the win behind a double double from freshman Jermaine Bernard (15 points, 10 assists). Safe to say it was nice to end the first half of the season on a winning note and hopefully we can carry this momentum into January.

            I truly do not think that our team is very far away from becoming one of the better teams in the OUA West. Getting Adam back, hopefully in January is going to add toughness and a rebounding aspect that we have been lacking thus far this season. I can see that the rookies on the team are starting to feel their way into the system and becoming more comfortable with what we are trying to do, and I also think that because guys are starting to know their roles it is going to make January and February much more successful!

            Just want to end up wishing the entire Mustangs Family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Western Gazette Article on Friday's Game vs Queen's

For link Click Here

Mustangs end losing skid in dominating way

December 6, 2011
By Christian Campbell Western Gazette

Looks like the sixth time was the charm on Friday night as the Western Mustangs finally snapped their five game losing streak by defeating the Queen’s Gaels 85-64.

Alumni Hall was filled with a raucous crowd of elementary school children that cheered every Mustangs basket and booed every Gaels score, and Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell believes the support fuelled his team.

“We had a little bit more energy out there. We just seem to play a little harder and have a little bit more energy at home. The big crowd helped us today,” he said.

The Mustangs came out of the gate quickly, opening up a 9-2 advantage in the first three minutes of the game.

However, the Gaels responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Matt Baker and Mackenzie Simpson, cutting the Mustang’s early lead to one.

The two teams then began to battle for the advantage.

The Mustangs connected on multiple three-pointers, however they were unable to pull away because the Gaels’ swarming interior defence forced the Mustangs to commit several turnovers, which led to points on the other end for Queen’s.

By the end of the first quarter, the Mustangs had a five-point advantage with a score of 21-16.

In the second frame, the Gaels looked to slow the Mustangs’ offence down with a full-court press that transitioned into a 2-3 zone. However the Mustangs countered with crisp passing and deadeye three-point shooting.

On the game the Mustangs shot a scorching 51 percent from beyond the arc, hitting 17 three-pointers in total.

Leading the way was starting point guard Ryan Barbeau, who in the quarter played the role of zone buster by connecting on three of his game-high six three-pointers.

“Barbeau is a great three-point shooter—Higgins as well. And in their home gym they were shooting the ball a lot better than they have in their last few games. Unfortunately, defensively we gave them too many open looks and they knocked them all down,” Chris Aim, Queen’s assistant coach, said.

With their defence unable to stem the tide, the Gaels looked for help from their offence to keep pace with the high scoring Mustangs.

However, Western used an aggressive man-to-man defensive scheme to prevent the Gaels from getting any open looks at the basket, and Queen’s subsequently went cold from the field.

They were unable to find a rhythm offensively and the Mustangs doubled Queen’s score in the quarter, outscoring them 26-13.

At halftime the score was 47-29 for the Mustangs.

Looking to avoid the second half letdown that has typified their games as of late, the Mustangs came out playing a full-court press in the third.

This forced the Gaels into multiple turnovers as they struggled to get the ball up the court against the speedy Mustangs defenders. The steals led to fast breaks for the Mustangs and allowed them to continue to extend their lead.

Leading the way once again was Ryan Barbeau, who finished the game with three steals.

“Our defensive energy in the first three quarters was outstanding. Our pressure really helped us today,” he said.

The third quarter also marked a significant milestone in Barbeau’s career. At the midway point of the third quarter, he scored his 1,000th career point as a Western Mustang.

Unsurprisingly, the point came off of a fast-break lay-up.

“I knew about the milestone heading into the game. I can’t say that I wasn’t thinking about it, I was a little bit, but my main focus today was just getting a win,” Barbeau said.

Barbeau finished the game with 32 points and six assists.

At the end of the third, the Mustangs had once again doubled the Gaels’ output, outscoring them 24-12, pushing their lead to 71-42.

However, the Gaels showed heart in the final quarter. They crashed the offensive boards, played physical defence and began to connect on three-pointers, refusing to give up on the game. The Gaels outscored the Mustangs 23-14 in the final quarter.

“We have to play 40 minutes of consistent basketball. We’ve been getting better as the year has gone on, playing well for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, but we haven’t yet been able to put together a full game,” Aim said.

However, when the final buzzer sounded, the Mustangs had still pulled out a rather lopsided 85-64 victory.

Mustangs 94 RMC 53

Mustangs #8 Quinn Henderson, #5 Jermaine Bernard and #12 Greg Morrow vs RMC

Article from London Free Press By Steve Green

On-line CLICK HERE

A second one-sided win over a Kingston school in as many days has the Western men's basketball team in a lot better shape heading into the Christmas break.

Saturday's 94-53 win over the Royal Military College Paladins, coming on the heels of an 85-64 drubbing of Queen's, improved the Mustangs to 3-5 in the OUA West Division and kept them well in the playoff hunt.

As expected against a team that fell to 0-8 in the OUA East, the Mustangs dominated in all facets. They outshot the Paladins 59.4% to 35.2%, out-rebounded them 47-19 and had 19 steals to the visitors' seven.

Peter Scholtes led six Mustangs in double figures with a game-high 20 points as well as seven rebounds. Jermaine Bernard added 15 points, Greg Morrow had 13 and Ryan Higgins and Quinn Henderson 12 apiece for the Mustangs, who blew the game open early with a 31-7 first quarter.

Nicholas Fowler, James Byun and Connor Duke all had 13 points for the Paladins.

Barbeau hits 1,000th career point in rout of Queen's, 85-64

On-line CLICK HERE

By Brad Congelio Mustangs Athletics

The shooting clinic was open.

The University of Western Ontario Mustangs (2-5) shot a blistering 51-percent from beyond the arc on its way to an 85-64 victory over visiting Queen’s University, snapping a five-game skid. The Mustangs were led by Ryan Barbeau, who continued to cap a stellar career with a 32-point performance, one of which was the 1,000^th of his career.

With just under three minutes elapsed in the game, it seemed that a Mustang rout was on as they sprinted out to a 9-2 lead thanks to two foul shots by Peter Scholtes. Queen’s University quickly cut the Mustang momentum with back-to-back 3-pointers from Matt Baker and Mackenzie Simpson. Simpson’s trey at the 4:18 mark pulled Queen’s to within one – but that is as close as it would get for the rest of the game.

Western Ontario would bust the game wide open early in the second period off of a Charlie Drouin layup which put the spread in double-digits, 28-18. The Mustangs continued their 3-point clinic en route to shooting over 50-percent from 3-point land in the second quarter. UWO took a 47-29 lead into the locker room.

The game became, arguably, out of reach mid-way through the third stanza when a Queen’s turnover led to a coast-to-coast Mustang fast break that led to an easy layup by Nathan DiLoreto, one that would point the point spread in favour of Western by 31.

Barbeau’s 32, including going 6-for-10 from deep, led the Mustangs. Additionally, Quinn Henderson and Scholtes contributed 16 and 11, respectively. Barbeau also marked three steals on the afternoon.

The Western Mustangs will be in action again on December 3^rd when they welcome RMC into Alumni Hall for a 3p.m. tipoff.       

Together We Stand Up Game Day Program

Ryan Barbeau Interview with CJBK 1290am Radio London

To listen to Nov. 30th interview CLICK HERE

Packed Gym and Special Start Time This Friday vs Queen's

for Link CLICK HERE

Mustangs to host Queen's, RMC this weekend

Story from Mustangs Athletics

LONDON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs men’s basketball team returns home this weekend for a pair of OUA regular season games. On Friday, they'll take on the Queen's Gaels at a special time (12:15 p.m.) as part of an event with the Thames Valley District School Board and its Safe Schools initiative. On Saturday, the men will take on the RMC Paladins at 3:00 p.m. For tickets to either game, click here.

Western Mustangs (1-5, 1-1 home) vs. Queen's Gaels (0-6, 0-2 away)

Friday, Dec. 2: 12:15 p.m.
Alumni Hall
Tickets
Watch game via Live Stream at: http://www.ssncanada.ca/game/2956

**
Special Event: The Western Mustangs have teamed up with the Thames Valley District School Board for a unique event in support of the Safe Schools ‘UPSTANDER’ campaign, which seeks to prevent bullying and violence and to create a safe and caring learning environment at schools.

Over 1,200 Grade 6 students will be welcomed Friday morning by Western athletics staff and student-athletes to Alumni Hall for the launch of the new film “S.O.S”, which seeks to help students recognize the harmful effects of bullying and to help inspire students to become 'upstanders' and strengthen their community. Following the film, the students will get the chance to watch the Mustangs take on the Queen’s Gaels in men’s basketball action at 12:15 p.m.
**

The Mustangs (1-5) are off to a slow start to the 2011-12 season and have lost five straight heading into this weekend. Last time out, the Mustangs lost 87-76 to the Ryerson Rams. Ryan Barbeau enters Friday's game averaging 19.8 points per game through six contests, second-best in the OUA. The fifth-year senior is just 26 points shy of 1,000 for his Western Mustangs career ... Queen's has struggled so far this season, losing each of their first six games. The Gaels are coming off a 69-60 loss to Brock, in which Nikola Misljencevic had a team-high 16 points.

Team Stat Leaders

	Western	Queen's
Points (PPG)	Ryan Barbeau 19.8	Nikola Misljencevic 14.2
Rebounds (RPG)	Peter Scholtes 4.0	Mackenzie Simpson 5.0
Assists	Ryan Barbeau 25	Matt Baker 10
Steals	Peter Scholtes 13	Alex Weatherill 10
Blocks	Peter Scholtes 2	John Lenz/Mackenzie Simpson 1

Western Mustangs (1-5, 1-1 home) vs. RMC Paladins (0-6, 0-2 away)

Saturday, Dec. 3: 3:00 p.m.
Alumni Hall
Tickets
Watch game via Live Stream at: http://www.ssncanada.ca/game/2958

RMC (0-6) is coming off a 98-51 loss to McMaster last Saturday. The Paladins' leading scorer, Connor Duke, had nearly half the team's points (25) in that contest, and his 16.2 ppg ranks 13th in the OUA. Idris Said-Madjid is not far behind at 15th (15.8 ppg).

Team Stat Leaders

	Western	RMC
Points (PPG)	Ryan Barbeau 19.8	Connor Duke 16.2
Rebounds (RPG)	Peter Scholtes 4.0	Liam Wright 6.0
Assists	Ryan Barbeau 25	Connor Duke 19
Steals	Peter Scholtes 13	Idris Said-Madjid/Liam Wright 3
Blocks	Peter Scholtes 2	Connor Duke 5

Ryan Barbeau Western Goodlife Male Ahtlete of the Week

On-line CLICK HERE

Barbeau, Dillon named Goodlife Fitness Athletes of the Week

Story by Bethany Wood - Mustangs Athleteics

Mustangs Ryan Barbeau and Katie Dillon are this week's Athletes of the Week presented by Goodlife Fitness for their outstanding performances this weekend.

Barbeau, a point guard on the men's basketball team, had a 51-point weekend after scoring 30 points on Friday against the Toronto Varsity Blues and 21 points on Saturday versus the Ryerson Rams. He sits at an average 19.83 points per game - second in the OUA standings.

Additionally, the fifth-year veteran is a mere 26 points shy of reaching a 1000 career points milestone. He'll aim to surpass this in the Mustangs' upcoming home games next weekend against Queen's and RMC.

Katie Dillon had a four point weekend for the Mustangs women's hockey team for their win over Ryerson Rams on Saturday and loss to Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday. On Saturday, Dillon repeated the two-goal scoring game she had the previous weekend against Waterloo, and followed up with a goal and assist on Sunday.

Dillon now has eleven goals this season with 17 total points so far, and looks to best that mark in the New Year when the Mustangs host the Laurier Golden Hawks.

Congratulations to both athletes for their exceptional commitment, leadership, and results!

Mustangs Suffer Rough Road Weekend

Mustangs suffered large defeats to both Carleton U and Ottawa U on Friday and Saturday night.

Carleton 96 Mustangs 43

Ottawa 84 Mustangs 57

Next up for the Mustangs is U of T and Ryerson this weekend in Toronto

Game Day: @ #1 Carleton 8pm

Game can be seen on SSN Canada live at 8pm  CLICK HERE

Western Gazette Article on Game vs Laurentian On Saturday

Click Here for Link

Laurentian fights back to drop Mustangs

November 16, 2011
By Ryan Stern

Manny Pasquale hit a step back three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left that stunned the Mustangs squad and crowd alike. In a back and forth game, it was the Laurentian Voyageurs that came out on top, storming back to defeat the Western Mustangs 87-86.

“There was 16 seconds left, we had a play drawn up and it didn’t work,” Shawn Swords, Laurentian’s head coach, said. “It was in the hands of Manny and he’s a great player and he made a play.”

The Mustangs stormed out of the gate to take a 22-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. The ease with which this lead was attained made it look like Western would gallop to an easy victory.

The Mustangs lead swelled to as much as 17 points midway through the second quarter before momentum began to change hands. As the Voyageurs started to turn the tables, the Mustangs saw their lead vanish to a mere four points as the first half drew to a close.

Laurentian came out with a similar intensity in the third quarter and managed to wrestle the lead away from the Mustangs by quarters end, after a barrage of transition three-pointers off the hot hand of Pasquale. After three quarters, Laurentian led 60-58, setting up the photo finish in the fourth quarter.

The game continued as a seesaw battle for much of the fourth quarter as it appeared that neither team was capable of missing. Laurentian led by one point in the final 30 seconds, when Ryan Barbeau, who came alive in the fourth quarter, sunk a critical lay-up while being fouled . After hitting the free throw, Barbeau put the Mustangs up 86-84 with just 16 seconds left in a game that seemed destined for a Mustang victory or overtime. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Pasquale had different plans, as his three-pointer in the next possession sealed the Mustangs fate.

“It was the sequence of events before the shot that hurt us,” Brad Campbell, Mustangs head coach, said. “An outstanding player made a good shot and they came through. But all in all a bad defensive fourth quarter was what hurt us.”

After the game, several of the Mustangs were at a loss for words, but also understood that there is no point in getting hung up on a loss this early in the season.

“It happens—for us it is being able to bounce back,” Ryan Higgins, a Mustang guard, said after the loss. “Basketball is a game of bounces, and it can’t work every time. We put ourselves in a good situation early and just couldn’t close. We’ll be ready next game.”

Barbeau led all Mustangs with 27 points, while Pasquale led all scorers with a game-high 29 points. The loss drops the Mustangs to 1-1 on the season as they prepare for an important early season matchup against the Carleton Ravens next Friday.

Mustangs Weekend in Review

Mustangs lose heartbreaker to Laurentian

1st yr guard Jermaine Bernard

For Link CLICK HERE

Story by Ray Kim - Mustangs Athletics

LONDON, Ont – Coming off a hard-fought win over York on Friday night, the Mustangs looked a bit tired on Saturday night as they fell 88-87 in a closely-contested affair to the Laurentian Voyageurs at Alumni Hall.

The Mustangs led by 10 points after the first quarter, thanks to a three-pointer from rookie guard Jermaine Bernard and six points from 6-foot-5 forward Peter Scholtes.

But Western struggled stopping Laurentian’s third-year guard Manny Pasquale. Pasquale used his penetration to create havoc on the court. Rookie guard Alex Ratte, meanwhile, added nine points in the quarter. Each team battled throughout the second quarter, and the Mustangs held a slim four-point lead, 45-41, at the half.

The third quarter saw the Voyageurs battle to take a 60-58 lead, as the Mustangs could not stop Laurentian’s fast-paced style of play.

In the final quarter, Ryan Barbeau’s performance helped the Mustangs regain the lead. His 3-point conversion with 16 seconds left gave the Mustangs an 86-84 lead until Pasquale made a clutch three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to make it an 87-86 finish.

The Mustangs will travel to Ottawa to take on Carleton on Friday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m.

Laurentian 87 Mustangs 86

Mustangs lose on buzzer beater to Voyageurs.

Ryan Barbeau 29pts 9asst 5rbs
Peter Scholtes 18pts 3rbs
Ryan Higgins 15pts

More to come....

London Community News Article on Friday's Game vs York

Quinn Henderson goes up strong vs York

Click Here for Link

Mustangs win opener


Photos by Mike Maloney/London Community News
The University of Western Ontario (UWO) Mustangs men’s basketball started their 2011-12 regular season campaign on the right foot at Alumni Hall on Friday night (Nov. 11), defeating the York University Lions 78-60.
With Ryan Higgins and Ryan Barbeau setting the pace for Western, shooting for 24 and 22 points respectively on the game, UWO controlled much of the play through much of the first half, building up a solid 49-23 lead.
Western stumbled a bit through the third quarter, allowing York to claw back within eight points headed into the final frame but that is as close as they would get. Stepping up the pace in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs out hustled the Lions, adding 19 more points to their tally while allowing only nine to seal the victory.
The Western men take to the Alumni Hall hardcourt again on Saturday night (Nov. 12) when they play host to Laurentian before heading off on the road next weekend with games against Carleton on Friday (Nov. 18) and Ottawa on Saturday (Nov. 19).

Mustangs 78 York 60

Mustangs 78 York 60. Ryan Higgins 24pts 3stls, Ryan Barbeau 22pts 4ast 5rbs, Jermaine Bernard 11pts, 2ast 6rbs
More to come...

Mustangs Open OUA League Play Tonight 8pm vs York

Catch the Mustangs as they take on York tonight at 8pm at Alumni Hall. You can also catch the game Live on-line at SSN Canada for link CLICK HERE

Mustangs Pre-view in London Free Press

Click Here for link

Young horses ready to gallop

UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL: Mustangs men

By MORRIS DALLA COSTA, THE LONDON FREE PRESS

The standard for being called young now belongs to the Western Mustangs men's basketball team.

"I've never had a team this young, never," said coach Brad Campbell. "We were looking at some young teams around the country but we are the youngest average-age team in the country."

No argument there. The Mustangs have eight first-year and three second-year players on the roster. Their most experienced player is fifth-year guard Ryan Barbeau, followed by third-year man Adam Jespersen. But in terms of experience, Jespersen has missed a lot of time through injury, sitting out most of last year with hand and wrist woes.

This season hasn't started any better for the 6-foot-8 forward. He is waiting an assessment on a knee injury. It isn't expected to be serious but it will take him out of action for at least two weeks.

Missing Jespersen not only hurts in terms of experience but also size. He's the Mustangs' tallest player.

Garrett Olexiuk, who would have been a fifth-year player and one of the team's best, wasn't able to come back from knee injuries he sustained last year.

"He was hoping he could do something if he took the summer off," Campbell said. "He held out some hope but in September he made the decision to call it quits."

The jump from high school basketball to university ball is enormous. Even with talented young players, it is going to take a while to adjust to the play.

"I think our young kids are phenomenal in terms of work ethic, enthusiasm and some ability to play at the CIS level," Campbell said. "Some things need to be cleaned up and instead of being one dimensional you need another dimension and some of that is going to come with work and experience.

"We like this group and when it matures it's going to be very good. Right now, we are in a situation where we are beating ourselves a little too much."

Traditionally, the Mustangs have been a team that generates a great deal of their offence down low in the key. But this year's version of the Mustangs doesn't have much size, although they are a little bigger than they would be normally at the guard position.

Campbell is especially happy with three members of his recruiting class, six-foot guard Jermaine Bernard out of Toronto and 6-foot-4 guard Ryan Higgins from Fergus and 6-foot-3 forward Greg Morrow from Banting. Morrow, however, is suffering from a sore back.

The good news is his second-year returners got a lot of playing time last year, led by Quinn Henderson, Nathan DiLoreto and Peter Scholtes.

The bad news is that the young players will get a lot of playing time.

"There's going to be some rough times," Campbell said. It's also going to change the way he coaches. "It entirely changes. Each season, every new team has its own challenges and way you have to coach. We're taking it very slow. In a normal year, we'd have a lot more offensive systems and options, defensively as well. There's just been an incredible amount of teaching. Teaching is going to go on a lot longer than normal."

The Mustangs open their regular season Friday at 8 p.m. against York Lions at Alumni Hall.

Captain's Blog #1

Mustang's 5th yr Captain Ryan Barbeau

Hello All,

I would like to take this time to formally welcome everyone to another year in Mustangs basketball, a fresh new era of competition and another year to get better and try to make it back to the national stage. As this is my 5^th and final year with the Mustangs my expectations for myself and also for the team are extremely high and I would love to end my tenure here with nothing less than a trip back to Nationals. The team this year is much different then past teams, we have many new faces and over half of the team is comprised of rookies, which definitely makes us one of the youngest teams in the country. Newcomers include: Ryan Higgins, Nick Berardi, Dave Inkumsah, Tony Spiridis, Gregory Morrow, Chuck Drouin, Larry Blyth and Jermaine Bernard. Each rookie will be given the opportunity to contribute to this teams success and as daunting a task as that may be for a first year player, it is something we are going to need. With the losses of veteran players such as Andy Wedemire, Brett Lawerence and Marcus Barnett, we are going to need everyone to contribute in different ways. Whether that is shooting the 3, being a tough rebounder, setting screens or scoring, each guy is going to need to do what they an to help this team be successful. As is usually the case within this program, we have all become very close friends in a very short time. We all enjoy hanging out with one another and as you can probably guess, have experienced some awesome times “hanging” out on the Ceeps dance floor/stage.

We have struggled as of late, losing 7 of our first 9 games, but we have been competitive in nearly all of them, as was seen with our loss to Calgary, a game we debatably should have won, against one of the better teams in the country.  I think that as we become more cohesive as a unit and guys start to understand what exactly their roles are and how they can individually help make this team better, then we will begin to show improvement and become extremely competitive once the season begins. We open up our regular season this weekend at home against York (Friday night @ 8pm) and Laurentian (saturday night @ 8pm) . This should be a great first test for us and hopefully we can be focused defensively and come out with two big W’s.

If you haven’t already, "Friend" Western Mens Basketball on facebook Click Here and become a part of the team.

Your Captain,

            Ryan Barbeau

Nazareth 75 Mustangs 64

Jermiane Bernard 13pts 6rbs
Ryan Barbeau 13pts

more to come...

OUA Mustangs Season Pre-view

5th yr PG Ryan Barbeau 

Click Here for link

WESTERN MUSTANGS MEN

Youth is the story for the Western Mustangs, as Coach Brad Campbell has brought in a large group of recruits making Western one of the league’s youngest teams.

Last year the Mustangs won a road playoff game at McMaster before losing to eventual OUA champion Lakehead in the semi-finals. However, Western has lost considerable talent to graduation, including all-star Andrew Wedemire (Sarnia, Ont.), whose consistent production will be hard to replace.

Fortunately, the most experienced Mustang is fifth-year point guard Ryan Barbeau (Belleville, Ont.), who will be looked at as the team’s leader. A former OUA all-star, Barbeau (14.4-PPG) is the final link to Western’s last team to qualify for the CIS championship in 2009.  “We are going to go as far as Ryan takes us,” said Coach Campbell. “He’s an all-star calibre player who has been through it all and he makes other players better.” Barbeau will serve as a team captain as he wraps his varsity career.

A pair of sophomores will need to step up their contributions if Western is going to remain competitive. Forward Peter Scholtes started as a freshman and was named to the OUA West all-rookie team. The London native has been named a team captain in just his second year. Swingman Quinn Henderson (Dundas, Ont.) also played starter’s minutes and showed he has a deft shooting touch from long range.  “It is an absolute must that we get more production from Peter and Quinn,” said Campbell. “On our team they are no longer young guys; they have to be veterans and leaders.”

Sophomore guard Nathan Diloreto (London, Ont.) also saw some action in his first year and will get more opportunities this season.

Some good news for Western is the return to health of post player Adam Jespersen (London, Ont.). Much heralded as a transfer from the NCAA ranks, Jespersen suffered a serious wrist injury that cut his season short and was slow to heal. At 6-8 and very skilled, a healthy Jespersen is a major addition to the Mustang line-up. “Having Adam back is essential to our success,” says the coach. “He brings size, veteran leadership, and he knows how to play.”

Coach Campbell went hard on the recruiting trail, as the Mustangs look to build future depth. Several of the rookies will get significant playing time, with guards Ryan Higgins (Fergus, Ont.), Jermaine Bernard (Toronto), and Greg Morrow (London, Ont.) expected to push for minutes. “Those three players will serve as a good cornerstone for the program,” said Campbell. “They will make an impact for us right now, but I think they can be special players in our league later on.”

Mustang fans can likely expect some growing pains as the freshmen adjust to playing at the CIS level.  

Despite being one of the youngest teams in CIS, Coach Campbell isn’t conceding anything, adding “A really good season for us would be a top-four finish in the league, but our minimum goal is to make the playoffs. In the OUA West, anyone can beat anyone on any given night.”

Mustangs Travel To Rochester N.Y. For Two Games This Weekend

The Mustangs will travel to Rochester N.Y. this weekend for two games vs a pair of NCAA DIII teams - Nazereth College and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Game times have recently been changed note times:

Fri. Nov. 4th @ Nazereth 8pm
Sat. Nov. 5th @ RIT 12:30pm

Western Gazette Article vs Algoma

2nd yr Forward Peter Scoltes vs Algoma

Click Here for link

Mustangs rebound against Thunderbirds

November 1, 2011
By David Wright

There were no treats, just tricks on Sunday afternoon as the Mustangs men’s basketball team hosted the Algoma Thunderbirds at Alumni Hall.

Coming off a big 83-51 loss last Tuesday to the Wittenberg Tigers, the Mustangs rebounded in a big way by outscoring the Thunderbirds 65-54 in what was the Mustangs’ last preseason home game.

Securing a win on Sunday was crucial, as the Mustangs desperately needed momentum as they head into league play on November 11.

“We’ve been in a slump, so we definitely needed to get this win. I think we came out in the first half and played great. The team played with intensity and did a great job today,” Ryan Barbeau, Mustangs captain, said.

Although there were a lot of positives to take away from the contest, turnovers seemed to be a major issue in this game as the Thunderbirds capitalized on many of the turnovers the Mustangs gave up. Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell was clearly frustrated about this.

“Turnovers are an issue for us—decision making and also just a lack of execution. Sometimes we go off and do things on our own when we have to stick to what has been asked. And that leads to a lot of frustration, not only for the coaching staff but I think also for some of the veteran players too who understand what’s being asked of them,” Campbell explained.

Turnovers and executing on their possessions is also a problem that the Thunderbirds need to address.

“Limiting our turnovers, taking care of the ball and executing a little bit better […] but the main thing is limiting our turnovers,” Thomas Cory, Thunderbirds’ head coach, said.

Playing in his fifth season, Barbeau is the most experienced player on the Mustangs squad. He showed his mettle on Sunday by leading the way with a game high 16 points while first-year guard Jermaine Bernard impressed by scoring 11 points, including a couple of field goals beyond the arc. The rest of the points were evenly distributed between the young Mustangs squad.

With only two players beyond their second year, one can only wonder how this inexperience will affect the Mustangs’ performance throughout the season.

“We’re obviously very young. Our average age is under 20 years old. But we can’t really use that as an excuse as we continue to move forward. We have an experience problem and we’re going to have to learn on the fly,” Campbell said.

“A lot of these guys are going to have some baptism by fire to learn that way […] there’s been some lessons learned and we can be a little bit more ready come league play,” Campbell said.

Cory, however, had nothing but praise for the young Western squad.

“Western is a well-coached team and they execute very well,” Cory said.

“We competed with a good university team,” he continued

Happy with the results of Sunday’s game, the Mustangs will hope to move forward, improving and becoming stronger as a team. When they host the York Lions on November 11, every shot, every point, and every game will count.

Mustangs 65 Algoma 54

Ryan Barbeau 22pts 3 rbs
Quinn Henderson 10pts

More to come...

Former London OUA/CIS Official Don Cline Remembered

Don Cline, centre, shows a picture of himself refereeing a Western basketball game to Robert Collins, left, the former PUC director of community and recreation services, and longtime Free Press sportswriter Bob Gage in this January 2002 photo. (QMI Agency file photo)

For link to article CLICK HERE

A love affair with family and basketball

REMEMBERED: Don Cline

By MORRIS DALLA COSTA, THE LONDON FREE PRESS

In the upcoming days, there will be a mountain of tributes from around the world for London's Don Cline.

His sudden death Sunday at age 64 has left not only the basketball community stunned, but those who knew the personable referee off the court.

His public epitaph will be one that denotes his status as one of the best and most respected amateur basketball officials in the world.

A more personal epitaph will be one that he would have found more important, a man focused on family and a devoted husband and father.

Bill Smith, a man who played when Cline refereed, officiated with Cline and was a scorekeeper when Cline worked games, nailed the man with the same certainty Cline whistled a foul.

"On and off the court, he was always a gentleman and a gentle man," Smith said Tuesday.

Those few words defined a man who had reached the pinnacle of success in his sport and in his life.

Cline died of an apparent heart attack.

"It was totally unexpected," said Jocelyn, Cline's wife of 39 years. "It happened so suddenly with no health issues.

"We're just on autopilot right now, one foot in front of the other. It's been heartening to see and hear, the calls, all the nice things people have said about Don. It will hard later on but it helps now."

Cline leaves two daughters, Emily, 27, and Becky, 29. Becky is on her way back from France where she works at the Juno Beach Centre.

"He was such a terrific father to the girls," Jocelyn said. "He participated in their lives. A relative in England said his girls were his prized possession (and) I included myself in that, and Don's dog Heidi in that."

Cline retired from officiating in 2002 with an eye-popping international and national resume.

He worked two Olympic Games (1984 in LA and 1996 in Atlanta), three Olympic qualifiers, three Pan American Games, two men's world championships, three women's world championships, 22 Canadian men's university championships, plus countless London and Ontario high school championships.

"He never ever, no matter what the circumstances, lost his cool. No matter how close the game, how aggressive teams were playing back and forth, he never lost his cool," Smith said.

Through all the years of adrenaline-pumped games, Cline never lost the respect of the players he officiated.

"As a player, you are never going to agree with all his calls. It's just natural," said John Stiefelmeyer, a former Western Mustang and MVP of the 1991 CIS championship team. "He was the guy if you knew he was reffing your game, you knew you were going to get a very fair referee. He was the type of individual who would always, after the game, if you wanted to talk to him, he would talk to you.

"He would always come to our practices before the season started and explain any rule changes. Sometimes the referee was just the referee but there was a face to Don. Forget the referee piece, you could always talk to him."

Stiefelmeyer recalled an OUA championship game against Guelph that Cline worked. It was a close game and Stiefelmeyer fouled out on a call by Cline.

"The game was on TV and I went and watched the foul," he said. "I knew I didn't foul him. We eventually won but after I said to him 'Don, there's no way I touched him.' He said 'John, from my view I had to call it' and he went through the whole explanation and by the end, you still didn't agree but you respected him because he would talk to you."

Keeping a potentially volatile situation calm was one of his strong suits.

"He was one of my mentors," said Ted Gibb, who at 63 still referees and assigns high school and college games. "Don was an interesting guy. He took professionalism to an extreme. Don knew everyone. When we did games together he would go over and shake hands and introduce me to the coaches and call them all by name. When the two captains came out at the start of the game, he'd call them by name.

"But once the game started it was 'coach' and 'No. 14' and occasionally, if he really felt he needed to say something to the coach or players to keep something under control, he would very quietly address them by name. He'd say 'Paul, I need you to get yourself under control. Let's get back to basketball.'

"And invariably, the game calmed down."

Larry Rooks has been a friend of Cline's for many years. They played basketball together at Beck Collegiate and after university, worked together in the PUC recreation department.

"He was very quiet," Rooks said. "But he loved his two girls. He took pride in what he did and he never tooted his own horn. He had reached the pinnacle of officiating, not only in Canada but worldwide, and you would never know it."

Rooks nominated Cline for London's Sports Hall of Fame several years ago and readily admits he's "miffed" Cline has not been inducted.

"He should have been in when he was alive," Rooks said.

An oversight that should be rectified with the next vote.

And just one of several tributes suitable for a gentleman and a gentle man.