NCAA August headliners: Western hosts teams from the Atlantic 10 and Summit League Conferences

5th yr PG Ryan Barbeau

Article by Mustangs Athletics - Darryl Wheeler

On August 15 and 23, the Western Mustang men’s basketball squad will suit up against NCAA Division I opponents in preparation for a competitive 2011-12 season in the OUA. The Mustangs are looking to build upon their OUA West semi-final appearance from a year ago.

Despite losing veterans Andy Wedemire, Marcus Barnett and Brett Lawrence, the team has a lot of talented freshman and sophomores. The leadership will come from fifth-year veteran Ryan Barbeau, a second team OUA West All-Star in 2009-10. Forward Peter Scholtes was named to the OUA West All-Rookie team in 2010-2011. In addition to the young guns, the Mustangs recruiting class was very strong. Expect the likes of Aaron Shadrach (Toronto, Ont.) to compete for playing time right away.

The match-up versus Oakland University from Michigan will mark the Golden Grizzlies’ second visit to Alumni Hall since 2005. Having won the Summit League Basketball Championship in March, they are fresh off an NCAA tournament appearance where they were narrowly defeated by the Texas Longhorns 85-81. As well, star centre and The Summit League player of the year Keith Benson was drafted 48^th overall by the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. This honorable mention All-American was a dominant force inside the post and the Golden Grizzlies will begin the search for a new recruit on their Canada tour.

When the St. Louis Billikens suit up against the Western Mustangs on August 23, they will certainly be looking to get back on track from their disappointing 12-win, 19-loss season last year. The 2010-11 season saw injuries get in the way of a promising start. The season before, the Billikens went 23-9 qualifying for the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournament. With a coach like Rick Majerus who has brought teams to the promised land on numerous occasions, look for this Billiken squad to make a push in the loaded Atlantic 10 Conference that includes Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH, both perennial NCAA tournament goers. This trip marks the Billikens first trek across the border, one they hope will be a springboard to a successful season.

The Mustang squad will use this two-game summer schedule to get acquainted with the new recruits and prepare for a very competitive winter non-conference pre-season schedule, as well as a competitive OUA league.