Nazareth 91 Western 88 in OT

The Mustangs took on Nazareth College last night and brought them into overtime to a close loss of 91-88. Western led 39-34 at half but "really struggled defensively in the second half" Coach Campbell. Andy Wedemire led the Mustangs with 34 points, making 13 of the 19 shots from the floor; "he was unstobbable"

Game at a Glance:
Andy Wedemire 34pts
Ryan Barbeau 15 pts 7 asst
Garrett Olexiuk 13 pts

Player Profile

Player #2 in our weekly player profile is 1st yr guard Zack Angus.  

Zachary Angus

#4 

Player Position: Guard 

Academic program: BMOS

Year in Program: First

Year on Team: First

Personal goal for this season: To improve on my defence

Team goal for this season: Play well together and win

Hometown: Burlington ON

High School & Coach: St Mary's (Hamilton On), Mr. Girolametto

Club Team: Blessed Sacrement

Proudest Basketball Moment: Winning Junior OBA's in 2008 

Biggest Role Model: My Dad - Larry

Career Ambition: To be rich

Family Members: Larry, Vicki, Heather, Lauren, Jessica, Skye

Where do you see yourself in 10 years: Living in Waterdown

Favourites

NBA team/Player: Toronto Raptors

Sport Other Than Basketball: Football

Meal: Steak

Subject in School: Math

Lucky Number: 4

Movie: Anchorman
Musical Group/ Artist: Drake

Favourite quote/ saying: “go big or go home”

Brief quote on the experience of being a student & playing basketball at Western –"Fun along with alot of work and balancing between school and basketball"

Brad Smith Experience: Part 2

It has been a little bit of a rough month of October for the Crusaders and I. We were struggling to get 10 healthy bodies not only in practice but in games , so it has been a challenge to compete to our teams fullest potential. That being said, guys have been feeling better and recently we played the Durham Wildcats in what was our first 'league' game with our whole team dressed . They had beaten all the other division 2 teams they faced by and average of about 30 points and also a division 1 team, so we knew we would have a tough task. We played them tough, won the first and the third quarter, but couldn't come out with a win in the end losing by 7 points. I was fouled out with 3 minutes left with our team having the lead. It was very disappointing, because I felt like the team and I had one of our best games defensively. I ended up finishing the game with 28 points and 12 boards. The outlook is good though, we have a bunch of winnable games ahead, and guys are getting healthier which will help to get us some quality practices. On the other side of things, we travelled to Plymouth for an away game a couple weeks ago, and we drove by Stonehenge (which is one of the oldest man made structures), I was fortunate enough to stop and get some pictures. It was pretty incredible to see something in person that was said to be created between 3000BC and 1600BC. Read about the 'Stangs tough weekend, hopefully they can rebound from the losses and use those games to help get where they need to be. That is all for now, will check in again soon, cheers!
Brad Smith.

Olexiuk Selected Laval Tournament All-Star

Garrett Olexiuk after an outstanding weekend was selected as an All-Star at the Laval University tournament. Olexiuk put up solid numbers vs the Mustangs three opponents Calgary, Laval and Dalhousie. 

Garrett's Stats 

vs. Calgary - 21 pts 5rbs

vs. Laval - 15pts 7 rbs

vs. Dalhousie -  11pts 8 rbs  

Western 58 Dalhousie 80

Our Mustangs were defeated 80-58 to Dalhousie this weekend.
"We struggled this weekend. But we know what we need to work on. We look forward to starting league play in two week. " - Coach Campbell


Game at a Glance:
Andrew Wedemire 19
Garrett Olexiuk 11

Up Next:
Oct. 30 Mustangs Travel to Rochester: Western vs. Nazareth College
Oct 31. Western vs. RIT
Next Home game:
November 6- Alumni Hall: Western vs. Laurentian 8 pm

Western 83 Laval 91

Mustangs also took on Laval this weekend and lost 91-83 due to, "too many defensive lapses in the game" Coach Brad Campbell.

Game at a Glance:
Garrett 15pt 7 rbs
Brett Lawrence 19pts
Jason Milliquet 17 pts
Andy Wedemire 19 pts

Western 57 Calgary 74

During this past weekends tournament the Mustangs fell short losing 74-57 to Calgary. The Mustangs kept the score very close in the first half to 36-33 but, "struggled in the 2nd half offensively. Too many tunrovers and laspses in execution. Calgary is an outstading team and this game was a great learning experince for us. " Coach Bradley Campbell.



Game at a Glance:

Garrett 21pts 5rbs

David H 13 pts 3 rbs

Marcus 10 pts 6 rbs

Mustangs Prepare For Laval Tourney Oct. 23-25

The Mustangs prepare this week for what could be one of the top CIS tournaments in the country this season. Laval University hosts the University of Calgary, Dalhousie University and the Mustangs in a four team round robin format. Laval, Calgary and Dalhousie are all considered to be top CIS teams in 2009-2010. "This weekend we will be able to tell a lot about our team and were we stand with the best in the CIS right now. We are looking forward to the challenge this weekend" said Coach Campbell after practice Tuesday. "Each team is talented and unique and will test us in different ways. Also playing three teams of this calibre in three days is very much like playing at the National Championships".

Mustangs Tournament Schedule:

Fri Oct 23 4pm vs. Calgary

Sat Oct 24 8pm vs. Laval

Sun Oct 25 11am vs. Dalhousie

Player Profile- Jason Milliquet

Each Week this blog will profile one of this year's Mustangs. Week 1 profiles Mustangs captain and 5th year guard Jason Milliquet

#9 

Name:Jason Milliquet

Player Position:Shooting Guard

Academic program Geography
Year in Program 4
Year on Team 5
Personal goal for this season: National Championships
Team goal for this season: National Championships

Hometown: Sarnia
High School & Coach: St Clair/ Pete Kaija
Club Team: Lambton Lasers
Biggest Role Model: Combination of a lot of people with a lot of wisdom
Career Ambition: Golf course architect
Family Members: Father-DJ, Mother-Diane, Brother-Scott and Sister-Mandy
Where do you see yourself in 10 years: On a golf course

Favourites
NBA team/Player: Kevin Garnett
Sport Other Than Basketball: Golf
Meal: Lasagna, garlic bread, garden salad, strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert
Subject in School: anything with Dr. Stooke
Lucky Number: 1,234,765
Movie: Sin City

Musical Group/ Artist: Rise Against
Favourite quote/ saying: The day you stop improving is the day you start getting worse

Brief quote on the experience of being a student & playing basketball at Western - It's a great experience through maturing with others while playing a game I love

Western 97 Eureka 72

The Mustangs were victorious today with a win vs the Eureka Red Devils (NCAA DII) from Illinois 97-72.   The Mustangs who led 56-38 at the half controlled the inside and got 10 total three pointers from Jason Milliquet (6 3's) and Marcus Barnett (4 3's).  "I thought we had a good overall team effort. Our defense had several lapses, but overall it was aggressive and effective" said Coach Campbell. 

Mustangs travel next to the Laval University tournament in Quebec City next weekend where they will take on the University of Calgary, Dalhousie University and the host Laval.    

Game at a glance:

Andy Wedemire 25 pts - picture above

Jason Milliquet 23 pts (6 3's)

Marcus Barnett 17 pts 

Western 96 Ryerson 61

The Mustangs got another early season win, defeating Ryerson University 96-61 this Wednesday evening at Alumni Hall. The Mustangs came out strong in the 1st quarter taking a 24-8 lead, on the strength of their team defense. At the half the Mustangs led 44-22. Andy Wedemire dominated the inside scoring 18 pts and grabbing 15 rbs.

"Overall we played well and executed our game plan, defensively I thought we did a good as well. " Coach Bradley Campbell

Game at a Glance

Andy Wedemire 18pts 15 rbs

Garrett Olexiuk 15pts 8rbs

Ryan Barbeau 13pts 10 ast

Jason Milliquet 17pts (5, 3's) - picture above

Up Next: October 17, 2pm Thames Hall, Mustangs vs. Eureka College

Radio Western CHRW Announces Basketball Broadcast Schedule

FM 94.9 CHRW announces its 30th season of Mustang Basketball:

http://www.westernmustangs.ca/news/2009/10/1/GEN_1001090011.aspx

It's a boy!

Congratualtions to Alum Kurt Weiland '04 and his wife Tanya who welcomed their first child Austin Michael, a baby boy at 6:36am this morning.

Mustangs Defeat St. Clair College 106-50

Thursday night October 8th the Mustangs took on St. Clair College from Windsor and came way with 106-50 final score victory. Andy Wedemire led a balanced Mustangs attack with 23 points and dominated inside.

'I thought we did a good job running the floor and getting out in transition. We were also able to get quality touches for our bigs inside. Defensively after the first quarter we were able to shut down their dribble penetration and limit their open looks." Coach Brad Campbell.

Game at a Glance
Andy Wedemire 23 pts 9 rbs
Dave Harder 16 pts 6 rbs
Marcus Barnett 12 pts 5 rbs
Zack Angus 11 pts 4 rbs 4 ast
Garrett Olexiuk 11 pts


Up next: Mustangs vs. Ryerson University, October 14 7pm @
Alumni Hall

Captain's Blog: Part 1

Mustang Co-Captain, Garrett Olexiuk gives us an update on the progress and future of the team;

Finally September is over! The "September Grind" as we call it is without a doubt the toughest part of the season both mentally and physically. The combination of conditioning, six practices a week, and two sessions in the weight room quickly takes its toll. However, it is essential as our size, speed, and strength are all tools we must utilize this season in order to achieve success. On a lesser note, unfortunately the injury bug has circulated through the team sidelining many players over the course of the month. Andy Wedemire had a late jump on the season suffering from a fractured wrist, in addition to Josh Windsor with a tweaked ankle sprain. With this being said, we are thankful the grind is over and there are multiple game approaching in the near future. Last Friday we managed to grind out a win against a talented Alumni squad composed of some of the former Mustang greats such as Matt Curtis, Jim Grozelle, and Chris Brown. Going into the half down two we managed to generate solid offence in the 3rd running the floor and moving the ball well. With only a two point lead late in the fourth quarter a big three by Jason Milliquet bumped the lead to five and we managed to hold on for an eight point victory. Coming off the win Friday night and enjoying two days of rest over homecoming weekend we came to practice Monday night energized and ready to build upon our recent success. Having three solid practices this week, our squad is up against St. Clair College tonight. It will be a good test for us as team to compete and beat up on someone other than our teammates. Following this, we will enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend off and rest up for an exciting October where will face some of the top teams in the country. That is all for now. All the best.

Garrett Olexiuk

It's a Girl!!

Congratulations to former Mustang player and assistant coach Peter Schimdt ('94) and his wife Melanie who yesterday welcomed daughter Maija into the world. This makes it now three children (Ben & Josh) for Pete and Mel and counting......

The Brad Smith Expereince Part I

From time to time former Mustang great Brad Smith, has agreed to send us an up-date on how he is doing overseas and describe his adventure of playing professional basketball for the Kent Crusaders. Below is his first installment:

Last Saturday we played our first game of the season. We played the Westminster Warriors who were just promoted last season from EBL division 3 up to division 2 for winning the division title. Apparently they are also one of the favourites for winning division 2. They were very guard heavy so it worked out well for me to get inside and score. We won 92-83 and I finished with 23 points, pretty good start to the season for Crusaders and I. This weekend we play Edmonton and I have been told they are a solid club as well. It should be a tough game because 5 of our players have been very sick this week, and two of which have been diagnosed with the swine flu, one of them being our starting point guard! From what I hear, the swine flu is not as bad here in England, but it still scares me that two of my teammates have it. We are only going to have 7 or 8 guys for the game so it will be interesting. Other than that, I am having a great time here. Everyone seems to like my game, and I am told there are not a lot of "big men" in England basketball, so they tell me that I am a luxury to have, especially my coach (as you can read in our first match report). My roommates are two great guys and our house is in a prime location. The town of Canterbury is very nice, there is so much history here. I am looking forward to seeing the score and game report of the alumni game, I wish I could be there to go to work on the old team, hopefully BC can handle the tough match-ups this year. Anyways, I'll check in every now and then with more updates and pictures, and good luck to the 'Stangs this season.

Brad Smith.

First game match report: http://www.kentcrusaders.co.uk/general-basketball/crusaders-start-campaign-with-win

Mustangs Defeat Alumni 65-57

In a back and forth contest the Mustangs were able to scratch out a 65-57 victory over a talented Alumni team. Garrett Olexiuk and Andy Wedemire led the way for the Mustangs, scoring in transition and controlling the inside. The Mustangs also had several good looks throughout the game from 3pt range but were unable to convert.

The Alumni went into halftime with the lead 32-30. To start the second half the Mustangs came out running and took the lead with several transition scores. The game had some drama late as a 3pt by Adam Peaker cut the lead to 2 with 2:22 to go in game. On the next Mustang's possession Jason Milliquet answered back with a 3pt of his own to push the Mustangs lead back to 5 with under 2 mins to go. The Mustangs would play ball control the rest of the way and hang on for victory.

Each year during this game an MVP from the Alumni side is selected. This year the Alumni MVP was recent grad (doesn't get more recent than that) Matt Curtis. Matt accepted his "award" at the post game reception at the Grad Club in Middlesex College.

The 2009-2010 Mustangs would like to thank all the Alumni and program supporters who came to the game and post game reception.

Game at a glance

Mustangs

Garrett Olexiuk 20 pts 12 rbs

Andy Wedemire 14pts 8 rbs

Ryan Barbeau 10 pts

Alumni

Matt Curtis 14 pts

Alumni Team Roster

Jim Grozelle

Matt Curtis

Adam Peaker

Alex Brzozowicz

James Yoon

Jeff Giovanatti

Jon Dingle

Greg Ross

Al Paron

Adam Ruickbie

Nigel Rawlins

Colin LaForme

Chris Brown

Sagar Desai

Chris Cavender To Enter the W Club Hall Of Fame

Congratulations to former Mustang great Chris Cavender (1982-87) who will enter the W- Club Hall of Fame tonight Friday Oct 2nd. Cavender who hails from London and attended Clarke Road SS, was a standout forward for the Purple & White helping them to reach the CIAU National Semi-finals in 1986. Chris was a three time team captain and a two time OUA West First Team All-Star in 1985-86 & 1986-87.

Article from the Western News http://communications.uwo.ca/com/western_news/stories/%e2%80%98w%e2%80%99_club_hall_of_fame_inductees_-_2009_20091001444912/

‘W’ Club Hall of Fame Inductees - 2009
by Karmen Dowling
Thursday, October 1, 2009

Chris Cavender feels his time at Western allowed him to see the world beyond his limited perspective and encouraged him to be a risk-taker.

The 6-foot 4-inch forward was captain of the Mustang team for three years and one of his most memorable events was the team winning the regional tournament to make it to the final four in Canada. Cavender notes the camaraderie on the team is his biggest takeaway.

“We had so much fun together every time we traveled,” he says. Cavender has been a teacher and coach in the Thames Valley District School Board since his graduation; apart from the 11 years he spent teaching and coaching overseas.

Today, Cavender is Vice-Principal at Woodstock Collegiate Institute, a role he took on in February 2009. While he is not able to coach at the high school level due to his new position, Cavender continues to coach his children in basketball and soccer. He recently completed his masters degree at Western’s Faculty of Education and hopes to become a principal one day.

He says the biggest source of pride in his life now is his family - wife Nancy and children Hayden and Callia.