Monday, February 28, 2011

Soon to be Mustang Greg Morrow leads London Banting into "AAA" OFSAA

Greg takes it to hoop


From the London Free Press on-line link Click Here


STRATFORD — The Banting Broncos scored eight unanswered points in the opening two minutes of the second half to pull away from the Stratford St. Michael Warriors for a 53-47 victory in the WOSSAA AAA senior boys’ basketball final at St. Mike’s on Monday.
The Broncos qualify for OFSAA in Niagara Falls, March 7-9.
“Basketball’s a game of runs and we had a big run in the third quarter,” Banting coach Umar Chaudhry said. “They responded and we were just able to hold on at the end. They fought right to the end of the game. I’m really proud of my guys; they’ve been working hard all year. It’s exciting.”
The Broncos trailed 14-7 but went on a 17-7 run to finish the first half, including three baskets by Jason Hawke.
Stefan Morrow hit two big baskets during the early third-quarter run, but it was Gregory Morrow who really took control as he finished with 20 points, including 8-for-10 from the foul line.
“We knew if we were going to get to OFSAA a lot of it was going to be him,” Chaudhry said of Morrow. “He’s a great basketball player. I’ve coached him since Grade 9 and I’m just excited to see what he does at OFSAA and at Western.”

Mustangs end season with a playoff loss to Lakehead 63-49

more to come....

Friday, February 25, 2011

A Channel Piece On All Mustang Teams In Playoffs Including Men's Basketball

London Free Press Article on Mustangs in Playoffs

for link Click Here

By Morris Dalla Costa - London Free Press

The Western Mustangs men’s basketball team has proven at least one thing . . . you never know what happens until you play the game.

The Mustangs have suffered through a tough season and not many people expected the season to go beyond their quarterfinal matchup away from home to McMaster Marauders.

Surprise, surprise! The Mustangs got 22 points from Ryan Barbeau and 21 from Andrew Wedemire to defeat the Marauders 78-67 and earn a shot at the No. 1-seed in Ontario West the Lakehead Thunderwolves Saturday in Thunder Bay.

“Our best players played like our best players,” Mustangs coach Brad Campbell said.

The winner Saturday will move to the OUA Final Four Tournament.

While the Mustangs are big underdogs, there are some things going in their favour.

The Thunderwolves haven’t played since a doubleheader in London a week ago, which they split with the Mustangs.

“That’s the odd thing. You don’t usually play the same team three times in a row. The only team they have on their mind is us,” Campbell said. “We’ve played a game since then.”

The Mustangs will also benefit from an unexpected big win. “First and foremost any playoff win is a big win,” Campbell said. “You continue to grow in confidence.”

The Thunderwolves finished first in the West. Campbell says they did it by playing a team game.

“They have good depth and get contributions from a lot of players,” he said. “They play well defensively. It isn’t like they have a dominant player. They just have a lot of good players.”
The Mustangs fly to Thunder Bay Friday.

It isn’t the first time the Mustangs have staged a run from a low seed. In 2007-08 the Mustangs finished 12-10 in the regular season and from the No. 4 seed, went all the way to the national championship tournament semifinal.



Thursday, February 24, 2011

Mustangs Get Big Playoff Win vs McMaster 78-67

Andy Wedemire challenges a shot late in the game last night
Report by Andrew Simpson - Mustangs Athletics

HAMILTON, Ont. - The Western Mustangs beat the McMaster Marauders on their home court 78-67 in the OUA West quarter-final on Wednesday night in Hamilton, Ont.

Ryan Barbeau had 22 points in the win, adding five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Andy Wedemire was a force in the paint getting the Marauders in foul trouble and scoring 21 points, with seven rebounds and five assists.

The Mustangs got out to a fast start, taking a double digit lead into the second quarter at 24-14. The Marauders fought back holding Western to just 12 second quarter points to cut the lead to 36-31 for the Mustangs.
Western came out strong in the third quarter extending the lead to 58-47 heading into the final frame. McMaster would close the gap and make it a tight game with a few minutes remaining but a number of big Mustangs buckets kept Western in front and they extended the lead back to double digits when McMaster was forced to foul in the final minute.

The Mustangs will await the winner of Guelph vs. Laurier to determine if they will have to travel to Thunder Bay to face Lakehead or to Windsor.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Game Day Playoff Edition: @ McMaster 7pm

By Andrew Simpson - Mustangs Athletics 

The Western Mustangs will head to Hamilton, Ont. to take on the McMaster Marauders in OUA West quarter-final action. Tip-off at Burridge gymnasium will be at 7 p.m.
The Mustangs and McMaster both finished the regular season with an 11-11 record. McMaster had the tiebreaker as they won both contests this season 95-80 on Jan. 8 and 69-55 on Feb. 9. 
The Mustangs offence is led by Andy Wedemire with 18.6 points and 7.8 rebounds and Ryan Barbeau with 15.2 points, 4.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds. 
McMaster has received balanced scoring after starter Scott Brittain went down with an injury. Kenen Etale and Cam Michaud both average over 14 points per game, with Scott Laws at 11 and Victor Raso at 10 points per game. 

Incoming Mustangs recruit Greg Morrow leads his Banting team to the TVRAA "AAA" Championship

Greg dunks vs CCH 
Article from London Free Press - Steve Green

On Line Click Here

Banting’s performance in winning its first senior boys’ basketball championship in 34 years wasn’t so much a clinic Tuesday night as it was a vivisection.
Operating with a methodical ruthlessness, the Broncos took apart a very good Catholic Central team, beating the Crusaders 74-44 in the TVRAA AAA final at Oakridge.
Leading the way was Greg Morrow, who included a couple of dunks and a pair of threes among his game-high 26 points. And he spent a great deal of the second half on the bench after picking up his fourth foul early in the third quarter.
“For a lot of us, this is our last year, one last chance to get to WOSSAA and hopefully OFSAA,” Morrow said. “I’ve never even been to WOSSAA before.”
He’ll do so Friday in Stratford, where the Broncos should be favourites to get to the OFSAA tournament March 7-9 in Niagara Falls.
“Our team’s really into it,” he said. “We know we can do something great here.”
Morrow was like a man among boys in this game, but he also showed his impetuous side by taking some unnecessary fouls.
“It was really frustrating,” he said of sitting, “but at the same time I know I have to be more disciplined out there.”
The rest of the Broncos rose to the occasion with Morrow on the bench. Guard Jordan Field added 19 points, Will Gonser had a couple of key threes in the second half and Jason Hawke and Stefan Morrow also chipped in with solid efforts.
“Every person on this team is just as important,” Greg Morrow said. “They all contribute. Even the bench, they kept us energized in this game and they’ve worked us hard in practice all year so we could be ready for this game.”
It was an emotional head coach Umar Chaudhry who cut the final strand on the net at one end in the postgame celebration.
“I only slept four hours last night. I was nervous, the guys were nervous, but we had a game plan and the boys executed it to perfection. I couldn’t be prouder. I’ve coached a lot of these guys since they were in Grade 9 and to see them grow from young boys to young men has been really special.
from Page d1
“There’s no doubt Greg’s our inspirational leader and he has progressed from being a very good basketball player to a great basketball player, one of the best to ever come out of Banting. But this team is very balanced and they looked at adversity tonight with Greg on the bench and they responded.”
Chaudhry is a former Bronco himself, so the title took on a little more meaning.
“This is such a great moment for the school,” he said. “We’ve had good teams before, but we’ve never been able to take it to this level. This team is going to be remembered.”
The Broncos were able to get open looks on almost every possession and they made a great deal of them. The Crusaders, who got 18 points from George Johnson and 13 from Kevin Griffiths, saw a lot of shots bounce the wrong way.
Crusaders head coach Charles Fordjour said his team was simply outplayed.
“They’re a very good basketball team. What can you do?” he said. “Our shots weren’t falling, but that was more a testament to their defence. They were solid all year, a solid man-to-man, and they proved they were the best team in our (classification).
“Our half-court execution wasn’t there and that was because they did a good job of putting pressure on our ball-handlers. But this was the first time we’ve been in a final since 1995 and we’ll definitely be back.
“This is just the beginning.”

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Oakville's Charlie Drouin Commits to Mustangs





Report By Robert Hilson - Mustangs Athletics

London, ON - The Univeristy of Western Ontario men's basketball team is proud to announce the commitment of 6’6 forward, Charlie Drouin (Oakville, ON).

Drouin, considered one of the top high school forwards in Canada is enrolled at Oakville Next Level
Prep program program. He was a standout at Oakville St. Thomas Aquinas in 2008-2009 where he led
the school to an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) AA championship in
2009 and a bronze medal in 2010. In 2009, he scored a game-high 20 points in their dramatic 55-53 overtime win for the gold medal.

At the club level, Drouin is a member of the Burlington Panthers.

Drouin commented that "I chose Western because I like the school. I like the people and the facilities
are top notch. Western's basketball program is a high quality program and the coaches made me feel
very welcome on my two visits. I appreciate how Western treats student-athletes and I believe they will
assist in my development both academically and athletically. I am tremendously excited to begin my
career at Western and help them complete for championships."

Mustang head coach, Brad Campbell indicated that "We are very excited Charlie has committed to
our program. He is a versatile forward and a strong competitor. Charlie is a winner and does the
little things that it takes to win basketball games. Charlie has a bright future in the purple and white".

The University of Western Ontario men's basketball team will travel to Hamilton tomorrow to
compete in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarter-finals. The Mustangs will face McMaster
University at the Burridge Gymnasium at 7:00 PM.
- MUSTANGS -

Western Gazette article on Mustang's win vs Lakehead Sat night

On line Click Here

February 22, 2011
By Greg Colgan

On a night when Western honoured its graduating men’s basketball players, the team repaid the favour by defeating the top team in the Ontario University Athletics  West division.
Corey Stanford GAZETTE
Led by fifth-year forward Andrew Wedemire, the Mustangs cruised into the playoffs with a 73–59 victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves Saturday night at Alumni Hall.
“Wedemire had an outstanding game. He’s led us as he’s done for the last two years and that’s why he was an All-Canadian last year,” Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell said.
In his last game at Alumni Hall, Wedemire dominated the floor with 24 points while adding 15 rebounds in 36 minutes. Guard Marcus Barnett, also in his last home game, would put up 13 points in addition to eight rebounds.
“This win’s a good momentum shift for us going into the playoffs,” Wedemire said.
It is not exactly a secret around the OUA, if you stop Wedemire, you’ll stop the Mustangs.
That was exactly what the Thunderwolves game plan coming in, one that head coach Scott Morrison admitted his team failed to accomplish.
“We didn’t execute the game plan that we wanted to against Wedemire tonight. He really did a number on us and we really got hurt inside tonight,” he said.
Western began the game fast, attacking the basket hard leading to a 7–2 run in the first five minutes. However, the Thunderwolves would claw their way back into the game and take the lead 16–14 at the end of the quarter.
Lakehead continued to look strong in the second quarter until Campbell called a timeout before things got out of hand. After the timeout a more confident Mustangs squad would seize the lead and go into the half up 35–30.
“I told them we need to play with confidence and execute the game plan; sometimes we’re our
own worst enemy in that regard,” Campbell said. “Once we start to execute and play with confidence we’re in good shape.”
It was the same message Campbell repeated to his squad during the half, one they listened to.
“Lately we’ve been shooting ourselves in the foot by turning it over far too much and giving them extra possessions. We slowed our game down and began to play much better,” Wedemire said.
“We knew we couldn’t allow their over-aggressiveness to hurt us, if we played our game we could frustrate them and take advantage,” Mustangs guard Brett Lawrence added.
With Western dictating the play in the second half, the Thunderwolves – the best defensive team in the West – fell further behind and were unable to stop the Mustangs offence.
Lakehead tried to rally, but despite several chances to get back in the game, they were never able to string any points together shooting only 32.1 per cent from the field to Western’s 42.9 per cent.
“Our defence is all we rely on and we weren’t able to score or stop [Western], tonight also shows what happens when we don’t shoot well,” Morrison said of his team’s performance.
Although Lakehead have had their spot in the playoffs reserved for some time, Morrison declined to make excuses for his team’s performance and stated it’s a lesson his players could learn from.
“We had a lack of motivation today and championship teams come to play every night. Until we start to do that we can’t be serious of contending. I’m disappointed in our effort tonight and it’s a wake up call.”
As the final seconds ticked off the clock all eyes were on the three graduating seniors as Barnett, Lawrence and Wedemire left the game to ovations from a grateful crowd.
Any success they will have in the playoffs will come from the leadership, talent and skill those players offer.
“It’s essential that your veterans are your best players,” Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell said. “In the playoffs you’re only going to go as far as your veterans can take you, and our veterans were outstanding today.”
Follow the Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Playoffs Begin: Wed. Feb. 23rd @ McMaster 7pm

Mustangs begin the playoffs @ McMaster on Wed. Feb. 23rd. Game time is 7pm. 

More to come on game.......

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Pictures from Senior Night Sat. Feb 19th

Brett, Marcus & Andy
Mustangs with Seniors
Brett & Family 
Andy, Family & Coach Campbell
Marcus & Coach Campbell
Seniors & Families

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Wedemire, Barnett, Lawrence honoured on Senior night in win over Lakehead

Left to Right: Brett Lawrence, Marcus Barnett, Andrew Wedemire
Report by Andrew Simpson - Mustangs Athletics


LONDON, Ont. - The Mustangs honoured their seniors with a 73-59 win over the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday night at Alumni Hall.


Andy Wedemire, Brett Lawrence and Marcus Barnett were honoured as the graduating seniors for the Mustangs. Wedemire had a monster game for Western with 24 points and 15 rebounds, Lawrence had four points and one steal and Barnett had 13 points and eight rebounds.

The Mustangs finish the regular season with a 11-11 record tied for fourth place in the OUA West with McMaster. McMaster holds the tiebreaker and the Mustangs will have to head on the road for their quarter final playoff game.

Game Day: Lakehead 8pm Alumni Hall Senior Night


Friday, February 18, 2011

Mustangs lose 85-75 in a tight game against Lakehead Thunderwolves

Nathan DiLoreto drives to the basket last night
Report- Adele Gato


LONDON, Ont. - In a back-and-forth offensive and defensive game, the Western Mustangs lost 85-75 to the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Feb.18 at Alumni Hall. 

Brett Lawrence opened up Mustang scoring just over two minutes into the game. Soon after Ryab Barbeau’s defensive pressure forced a Lakehead turnover that he turned into a scoring opportunity. Andrew Wedemire and Nathan DiLoreto led Western’s scoring with six points each, including DiLoreto’s three-pointer.  

For the majority of the first quarter, the Thunderwolves led, as top scorers Yoosrie Salhia and Ben Johnson each had four points. Late in the quarter, Peter Scholtes drained a three giving the Mustangs their first lead of the game. DiLoreto helped extend the Mustangs lead, netting a lay-up amidst the foul, and then capitalizing on foul shot. At the end of the first Western led 22-14. 

Marcus Barnett exploded offensively, in the second quarter, with ten points as he went two-for-two at the three-point line and four-for-four inside the key. Lakehead’s Greg Carter reclaimed the Thunderwolves lead after his foul line success late in the quarter, bringing the score to 35-36. Carter then extending the Lakehead lead with a well-executed jumper. Moments later, Barnett’s long three, assisted by Dillion Hamilton, tied the game again. Barnett’s turned his strong offensive rebound into a scoring opportunity, allowing the Mustangs to reclaim the lead. Western held onto the lead, 42-38, at half. 

The third half saw the Mustangs put offensive and defensive pressure on the Thunderwolves in an attempt to maintain their lead. Lawrence led the offensive pressure with six points, whileQuinn Henderson and Scholtes each contributed five. Despite Western’s 17 third quarter points, Lakehead outscored them with 24 points, taking the lead as a result of Russel Venzal’s six points. Heading into the last quarter the Thunderwolves had a tight 62-59 lead. 

The fourth quarter was a back and forth effort as the Mustangs attempted to regain the lead. Turnovers on Western gave Lakehead scoring opportunities. Henderson drained his second three of the game, closing in on the Thunderwolves 75-71 lead. Scholtes’ six fourth quarter points, 18 in total, was not enough as Lakehead defeated Western in the last minutes of the quarter, 85-75. 

The Mustangs will have a chance to avenge their loss on Feb.19 at 8p.m. at Alumni Hall, as they rematch against the Thunderwolves in their last regular season game. 

London News Talk 1290 CJBK - Banting's Greg Morrow Commits to Mustangs

For article Click Here

6'3 Forward Greg Morrow

Playoff implications as Mustangs host first-place Lakehead

Report by Andrew Simpson - Mustangs Athletics

LONDON, Ont. - The Western Mustangs head into the final weekend of the regular season with a doubleheader against the top team in the OUA West. The Mustangs will host the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Alumni Hall.

The Mustangs will honour their seniors on Saturday night as Andy Wedemire, Marcus Barnett and Brett Lawrence are set to graduate.
The Mustangs, currently at 10-10, sit a half game back of McMaster at 11-10 for fourth place in the OUA. McMaster dropped a close game 77-73 with Windsor on Feb. 16. A fourth place finish for the Mustangs would mean they would host the quarter-final playoff matchup.
Western will have to win while up against the stingiest defence in the OUA West. Lakehead has been giving up just 66 points per game this season, while the Mustangs average only 74.8 points per game.
Wedemire, who's 18.3 points per game put him at third in the OUA, and Ryan Barbeau will be turned to for some offence this weekend. Barbeau has averaged 15.4 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 87.1% from the free throw line, third in the OUA.
The Mustangs will make the playoffs but this weekend will determine which seed they finish in and whether or not they will get a home playoff game.

Game Day: Lakehead 8pm Alumni Hall

Game will be live on Mustangs TV Click Here

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Mustangs Clinch 5th in OUA West playoffs

Marcus Barnett
With loses by both Brock and Waterloo last night the Mustangs have clinched 5th spot in the OUA West playoff picture and have guarnteed a playoff game next Wed. Feb.23 . Mustangs can still finish 4th with two victories over 1st place Lakehead at home this weekend and a McMaster loss to Waterloo on Saturday. Mustangs games this weekend are at 8pm on both Friday and Saturday nights vs. Lakehead. Saturday night's game will be Senior Night as the Mustangs will honour graduating seniors Marcus Barnett, Brett Lawerence and Andy Wedemire.

If the playoofs began today:

1st Lakehead - rd 1 bye
2nd Windsor - rd 1 bye
6 Guelph  @ 3 Laurier
5 Western @ 4 McMaster

Brock can still get 6th spot with a win and a Guelph loss on Sat.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Former Mustang Great Matt Curtis hits buzzer beater in Pro League game

Matt Curtis playing for German Pro Team TV Werne nails a long 3rd Quarter buzzer beater in a game this past Saturday vs Munster (TV Werne won 84-68)

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Western Gazette article on Mustang's win vs Waterloo

Barbeau knocks down a jumper vs Waterloo 


by Arden Zwelling - Western Gazette

For Western Gazette page Click Here


There are a thousand theories and philosophies on how to win a basketball game.
But of all of them, by far the easiest method is to simply score, score and score some more like the Western Mustangs did Saturday afternoon when they topped the Waterloo Warriors 94-80 in London.
“We have had to earn every victory that we can get. It’s just been one of those seasons,” Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell said. “But this is probably the first game all year that we just outscored somebody. It’s nice to know we at least got one like that.”
The Mustangs rode the hot hand of Ryan Barbeau to victory as the point guard put up 27 points on 7 of 19 shooting. Meanwhile, Mustang leading scorer Andrew Wedemire, playing limited minutes after getting into foul trouble early on, contributed 18 and a team-high seven rebounds.
With Wedemire on the bench, the team turned to Barbeau to do the majority of the heavy lifting.
“I felt like I had to carry the weight a little bit today,” Barbeau, who played38 minutes, said after the game. “There are days where you have to do that and there are other days where I don’t even have to score. You just do what you have to do.”
Barbeau was coming off of a forgettable performance in the Mustangs loss Wednesday night against McMaster, a game that saw the fourth-year guard miss every shot in 31 minutes of game time.
“I was pretty embarrassed with the way I played Wednesday night so I felt like today I had to come out and be aggressive and knock down some shots,” Barbeau said. “Thankfully they went in today.”
The game was almost a mirror image of the last time these two teams met in January when Waterloo got out to a 23-7 lead in the first quarter and rode that to a 93-72 victory.
This time around, Waterloo again took the reins early, jumping out to an 18-4 lead before the game was even five minutes old.
But an early time out by head coach Brad Campbell helped the Mustangs turn the tide as they rallied to end the quarter on a 12-2 run, pulling themselves back into the game.
After starting the second half down six, the Mustangs began shooting the lights out, scoring 31 points in the third on 9 of 15 shooting, including 13 points from Barbeau who also fought his way to the free throw line eight times in the quarter.
The Warriors tried to rally with 23 points in the fourth quarter but the Mustangs never stopped shooting and drawing fouls, putting the game on ice by hitting 14 of their 15 free throws in the fourth.
“We had a terrible start but we started to settle down as the game went on. We didn’t get rattled,” Campbell said. “We’ve had situations like that this year where things haven’t gone well to start games. It’s important to stay with the game plan and keep the work level up.”
The Mustangs victory has a massive effect on the team’s playoff destiny as now one more Mustangs win will seal a berth in the postseason.
Of course, the Mustangs may not even have to win again to qualify for the playoffs, as single losses by the Warriors and Guelph Gryphons between now and the end of the season would also put the Mustangs into the playoffs.
It’s a comfortable feeling, considering the team has a double-header against the division-leading Lakehead Thunderwolves next weekend to round out their season.
“We’ve put ourselves in a very good position. We’re in really good shape right now,” Campbell said. “But I still don’t think we’ve played our best basketball. […] If we can put some of our better stretches together, we can be very dangerous in the playoffs.”

Mustangs 94 Waterloo 80

Report by Adele Gato - Mustangs Athletics


LONDON, Ont. – Ryan Barbeau had 27 points and five assists, leading the Western Mustangs to a 94-80 win over the Waterloo Warriors at the annual Jam the Gym event on Feb.12 at Alumni Hall. 

The Waterloo Warriors came out strong offensively with Cam Mcintyre’s 11 points leading the Warrior offense. Mustang’s offense reigned strong rallying back from an early 22-8 deficit with ten consecutive points, inching closer the Warrior 24-18 lead. Barbeau had six points in the first as he went two-for-two at the free-throw line. 

Early into the second quarter, Marcus Barnett drained two back-to-back threes. Minutes later Barnett added another three point swoosh. The Mustang three-point dominance continued asDillon Hamilton contributed one and Nathan DiLoreto had his second of the game. Western and Waterloo each scored 19 points in the quarter as the Warriors held onto the 43-37 lead. 

In the third quarter, Andrew Wedemire, who went three-for-three at the free-throw line, tied the game, while Barbeau’s long three gave the Mustangs the lead for the first time in game. Barbeau’s 13 points led the third quarter offense. Wedemire’s ten points added to the Mustangs 68-57 lead heading into the last quarter. 

The final quarter saw the Mustangs battle to keep the lead. Heavy defensive pressure led by Wedemire and Barnett’s rebounds allowed Western to maintain the lead. Barbeau added another seven points, including a long three halfway through the fourth. The Mustangs ended the game with  a 94-80 victory. 

“Being a fourth year and a captain I saw today as a must win and I wanted to get my teammates involved,” said Barbeau on leading the team offensively. “I had to set the tempo of the game to win it.”

The Mustangs now have a winning record as they improve to 11-10 on the season. Up next for Western is a double-header against Lakehead Thunderbirds on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 at Alumni Hall both at 8 p.m.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Mustangs Backcourt Club Announce 2011 Hall of Honour Inductees


On Saturday February 5th in a post game reception at Jim Bob Ray's, Head Coach Brad Campbell announced this year's 2011 Mustangs Backcourt Club Hall of Honour Inductees. This year's inductees will be former Head Coach Doug Hayes & 1990-91 National Championship Team. The official induction will take place April 9th at 5pm at the annual Mustangs Backcourt Club Awards Dinner.

Inductees:





Coach: Doug Hayes 
- Former Men's Basketball Head Coach from 1974-1991
- Junior Varsity Men's Head Coach 1969-70, 1970-71
- OUAA West Coach of the Year 1976
- Two Wilson Cup Championships 1987-88, 1988-89
- Two time OUA West Conference Regular Season Champions
- Guided Mustangs to 4 Trips to National Championships (86,87,88,89)
- Regular Season Conference Record – 94 Wins 95 Losses
- Playoff record 21 Wins 13 losses 
- Record at Nationals 4 wins 5 Loses
- CIAU Bronze Medalists 1985-86
- CIAU National Championship Tournament Consolation Champions  1986-87






Team: 1990-91 National Champions
Overall record: 33 wins and 2 losses
Won the OUAA West Conference Championship
Won the Ontario/Quebec Championship (Wilson Cup)
Won CIAU National Championship (over Guelph 78-67)
Won 5 Pre-conference Tournaments
Toronto, Carleton, McGill, Queen’s, Purple and White (Western)

Team Members
Head Coach Craig Boydel
Assistant Coach Jim Allen
Manager Marli Cline
Manager Cindy Mar
Trainer Terri Todd
Academic Advisor Carl Grindstaff
Player John Stiefelmeyer
Player Dave Ormerod
Player Peter Vandebovankamp
Player Brian Does
Player Micheal Lynch
Player Ryan Smith
Player Mike Partridge
Player Brendan Noonan
Player Glenn Eastland
Player Mike Yuhasz
Player Steve King
Player Aaron Czaja
Player James Green

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Mustangs 55 McMaster 69

Marcus Barnett



HAMILTON, Ont. - The Western Mustangs fell to the McMaster Marauders 69-55 on Wednesday, Feb. 9 in Hamilton, Ont. falling behind in a third quarter that featured a power outage at Burridge Gym.



Andy Wedmire led the Mustangs offence with 19 points and nine rebounds. Marcus Barnett added 16 points on 4-for-8 shooting from behind the arc. 

The Mustangs slip to 9-10 on the year as McMaster improves up to 9-10 on the season. 

Western started slow, getting outscored 15-9 in the first quarter. They clawed their way back into the game behind Wedemire's post play and Barnett's hot shooting hand to cut McMaster's lead to 33-30 at half.

The third quarter featured a power outage in Burridge Gym halfway through the quarter and McMaster showed no ill effects outscoring the Mustangs 25-13 to take a 58-43 lead into the final frame. Neither team could muster much offence as Western scored just 11 points in the fourth to fall 69-55. 

The Mustangs will look to get back to .500 as they host the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday, Feb. 12 in the annual Jam the Gym promotion. Tip off at Alumni Hall will be at 3 p.m. following the women's game at 1 p.m.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Local Talent Greg Morrow Commits to Mustangs

Banting S.S. Star Greg Morrow
Report by Robert Hilson - Mustangs Athletics

For Western Media Release Click Here
 
London, ON - The Western Mustangs men’s basketball team is pleased to announce London Banting Secondary School star Greg Morrow has committed to the program. The 6’3" athletic forward is expected to make an immediate impact for the Mustangs next season.

“I am very happy about my recent commitment to Western basketball. I have built a good relationship with the coaches and they have been recruiting me for a long time. I feel Western’s basketball and academic programs are the best fit for me to excel as a student athlete” said Morrow.

Mustangs Head Coach Brad Campbell is also happy about Morrow’s choice of schools. “We are very excited about Greg’s decision to join our program. Greg is an exceptional athlete who will be able to contribute right away. He is versatile both offensively and defensively and possesses great instincts. He has the tools to be an outstanding player throughout his career in the Purple & White” Coach Campbell also commented that "we are very pleased to continue to receive commitments from the top student-athletes from London and area".

Morrow was a member of the 2010 London Orion Junior men's team that captured fourth place at the Ontaro Basketball Division 1 championship last spring.

His sister Claire is a member of the University of Western Ontario's women's volleyball team.

Morrow's current goals include leading the #5 locally ranked Banting secondary school to the Western Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association (WOSSA) championship and a berth at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship later this month.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Wedemire Western GoodLife Fitness Athlete of the Week


Report by - Mustangs Athletics

view on-line Clik Here

Andy Wedemire led the Mustangs to two wins this past week over Brock and Guelph in men's basketball. In the 70-69 win on Thursday Wedemire had 22 points, including a perfect 12-12 from the foul line, and added 8 rebounds and three assists. In the 74-60 victory against Brock he poured in 27 points with 12 rebounds and 1 assist and steal.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Western Gazette article on Mustang's win vs Guelph Saturday

Wedemire vs Guelph 

Western Gazette Report by Arden Zwelling


They double-teamed him, they fouled him and they played him so aggressively he went crashing to the floor on more than one occasion.
But Saturday afternoon there would be no stopping Andrew Wedemire — wonky ankle or not.
“That’s expected from Guelph. It’s always a clutch and grab, grind it out type of game,” Wedemire said after his Mustangs sent the Gryphons packing with a commanding 74-60 win, improving Western’s playoff chances while pushing Guelph’s to the brink at the same time.
Despite playing with a nagging ankle injury, the fifth-year forward led the Mustangs with 27 hard-earned points and 12 rebounds in 33 physical minutes of play. He went to the free throw line 12 times as the Gryphons continually fouled the 6’6 All-Canadian under the basket.
Wedemire is being counted on to play a big role now that Garret Olexiuk and Adam Jespersen — the Mustangs two next best big men — are out of the lineup with injuries.
Averaging 22 points and eight rebounds over his past five games, Wedemire is certainly rising to the occasion.
“It’s something that’s asked of me and it’s something that I’ll try and do for this team,” Wedemire said of the added pressure. “The team is looking for leadership and that’s what we (the team’s veteran players) are trying to provide late in the season because we know how tough it gets at the end of the year.”
Joining Wedemire in providing that leadership was fifth-year guard Brett Lawrence, who had 12 points on five of six shooting off the bench, and fourth-year point guard Ryan Bar beau, whose 11 points were underscored by the litany of intangibles he provided that don’t show up on stat sheets.
“Ryan did an outstanding job today of controlling the tempo, and running the game and managing it,” Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell said. “That’s exactly what we need from him. Although he didn’t overwhelm you with stats today, he did a fantastic job from the point.”
For the Mustangs, it was their third win in their last four games and lifts them to a .500 record and a tie with McMaster for fourth in the crowded Ontario University Athletics West division standings.
That makes Wednesday’s game against the Marauders in Hamilton all the more important as the Mustangs try to control their own destiny in the playoffs.
A loss to the Marauders Wednesday would put the Mustangs in an uncertain situation as two of their final three games come against the first place Lakehead Thunderwolves.
“We just need outright wins. We want to avoid being tied with anyone,” Wedemire said. “We’ll be happy as long as we don’t have to sit there on the last day and see if we make it in by point spread or not. You don’t want to do that.”
Playing defence like they did Saturday afternoon will certainly help the Mustangs earn the three wins they will likely need to reach that goal.
Western held Guelph to 35 per cent shooting from the field, and just 18 points in the first half, contesting every Gryphons shot opportunity and pushing the tempo early.
“I think we definitely set the tone,” Campbell said of his team’s defence. “That was out biggest point to start the game. We had to come out and set the pace and let Guelph know in the first five minutes of the game that nothing was going to be easy.”
The Gryphons tried in vain to mount a comeback in the latter 20 minutes as fourth-year guard Michael Petrella poured in 30 of his team-leading 32 points in the second half alone.
But Wedemire had a big second half of his own, scoring 20 points and getting to the free throw line 11 times.
Quinn Henderson was also key, hitting two clutch three pointers in the second half and grabbing a pair of crucial offensive rebounds late in the fourth quarter to extend Mustang possessions and stifle any semblance of a Gryphons comeback.
With the help of Henderson, the Mustangs would end up out-rebounding the Gryphons 34-27 in the game, only the second time in their last seven games that the Mustangs have out-rebounded an opponent. The last time it happened was in early January against these same Gryphons.
“One of our biggest points every game is to win the battle of the board,” Campbell said. “If you can do that, you have a great chance to win.”

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Mustangs 74 Guelph 60

Report by Adele Gatto - Mustangs Athletics

LONDON, Ont. - The defensive and offensive excellence of Andrew Wedemire helped the Mustangs defeat the Guelph Gryphons 74-60. Wedemire ended the game with 27 points and 12 rebounds.

It was a strong offensive and defensive start for the Mustangs, as Western took the early 18-12 lead. Wedermire’s four rebounds led the Mustang defense, while Brett Lawrence contributed three. Wedemire also led the early offensive drive with six points including a monstrous dunk set-up by Ryan Barbeau, who contributed four points to the first quarter.

Defense continued to reign strong for Western throughout the second quarter, as they captured another seven defensive rebounds and held Guelph to an additional six points. Offensively, Lawrence contributed six more points to the Mustang lead, while Wedemire showed his strength as he battled through heavy Gryphon defense to capitalize on key scoring opportunities. Marcus Barnett threw two-for-two at the free-throw line and aided the Mustang defensive with two steals in the second. Western had a 36-18 lead at half.

After the half, Guelph came out with a quick seven points to inch closer to the Mustang lead while maintaining control of the ball for the majority of the first half of the quarter. Wedemire was effective at the foul line as he shot four-for-four in the third. Barbeau played tight defense enabling two steals and forcing pressure on the Gryphons, but Guelph continued to tighten Western’s lead as the Gryphons outscored the Mustangs 19-12. The Mustangs held onto the 48-37 lead as they headed into the final quarter.

Quinn Henderson got on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter, draining a long three ball and did the same with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Despite the ongoing offensive excellence by Gryphon Michael Petrella, who ended the game with 32 points, a series of fouls and steals against the Gryphons allowed Wedemire, Barbeau, and the Mustangs to continually extend their lead. Guelph’s defense could not contain Wedemire as he had 11 in the fourth, 27 in total, as Western defeated the Gryphons.

“When we play Guelph it is always a touch and grab, grind it out game, but we expected that,” said Wedemire on the win against Guelph. “We’re starting to come together and live up to our reputation.”

The Mustangs will travel to Hamilton on Feb.9 to take on the McMaster Marauders

Game Day: Guelph 3pm Alumni Hall

Today's game features a special tribute at half time to the 1991 Mustangs National Championship Team memebers

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Mustangs 70 Brock 69

Report by Andrew Simpson - Mustangs Athletics


LONDON, Ont. - The Western Mustangs held on to beat the Brock Badgers 70-69 at Alumni Hall on Thursday night. 
With the win the Mustangs improve to 8-9 on the season as the Badgers fall to 8-9 as well.
Andrew Wedemire led the Mustangs with 22 points, including a perfect 12-12 from the foul line, eight rebounds and three assists. Ryan Barbeau had 18 points on 3-of-4 from three-point range while picking up seven rebounds.
Peter Scholtes and Marcus Barnett were the other Mustangs getting to double figures in scoring adding 12 and 10 points respectively. 
The Mustangs got off to a strong start playing tight defence on the Badgers and forcing them to just 3-of-14 shooting for the first quarter. Western held an 18-8 advantage on Wedemire's seven points, including five from the charity strike.
The second quarter went the exact opposite way for the Mustangs. The Badgers tightened up their defensive pressure and foul trouble for Barbeau kept him on the bench for half the quarter. Brock outscored the Mustangs 18-10 in the quarter and the Mustangs went into half with a slim two point lead.
Western and Brock battled back and forth in the third quarter as the teams both got into more of an offensive rhythm. Brock outscored the Mustangs 24-22 in the quarter and the teams were knotted at 50 apiece to enter the final frame.
The fourth quarter came down to the final possession as the Mustangs clung to a lead in the final minute. With the score 67-64 Barbeau went 1-for-2 from the line and Brock's Andrew Kraus drove the lane for a quick two to make it 68-66 Mustangs with 14.9 seconds left.
Brock was forced to foul and Barbeau went back to line and hit both of them to make it a two-possession game at 70-66 with 13.5 seconds remaining.
Kraus hit a three with 6 seconds left to make it 70-69 and Barbeau was sent to the line again and missed both. The ensuing rebound took a few seconds for Brock to corral and they could only manage a half-court shot at the buzzer that fell short.