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Depth stressed in men’s basketball team


WESTERN MUSTANGS: The youth and recruiting class are also pluses, coach Brad Campbell says

By Morris Dalla Costa - London Free Press

It's almost five months to the Western Mustang men's basketball season.

But coach Brad Campbell is already giving his players "gentle encouragement" to make sure they do the work they are supposed to in the off-season.

"It's easy with the guys in town," Campbell said. "They come into the office. Jeff Watson is our strength and conditioning coach and they work with him. We test them.

"The guys out of town, you have to take their word for it."

Campbell is keeping a tight reign on his people because he knows how important this season is. The men's team has struggled the past few years, but Campbell says this year's recruiting class is a good one and while the team will be young, fans will notice a difference.

"The biggest impact our recruiting class has is toughness," Campbell said. "We've got some big guards. We filled one of our point guard needs which I felt we needed. We didn't get a true big man. But our overall size is good."

The Mustangs lose Andrew Wedemire, Marcus Barnett and Brett Lawrence from last year's team.

Wedemire's graduation leaves a massive hole to fill in the frontcourt. When he caught the ball near the basket, he was difficult to stop.

"We have to replace those points overall," Campbell said. "There is no one individual who can replace those points . . . it will be by committee."

Campbell says that will be possible for several reasons. Even though this club is young, they have depth.

First-year players Peter Scholtes and Quinn Henderson got a lot of playing time and gained experience in their first year.

The Mustangs got a commitment from top guard recruit Jermaine Bernard of Toronto. At 6-foot-1, he'll help veteran Ryan Barbeau.

"He's a guard who defends well," Campbell said. "He can get after and hound guards and can make life really difficult for opposing point guards. He's also quick and can break people down and is a good passer."

Campbell is also high on London Banting Greg Morrow, saying the 6-foot-3 guard will be a "matchup problem for any team."

Other recruits include Charlie Drouin, a 6-foot-5 forward from Oakville; Ryan Higgins, a 6-foot-4 guard from Fergus; and Larry Blyth, a physical forward from Langley, B.C.

"We're young and I think the young returning players and the recruits from this year will be good building blocks for the future," Campbell said.