OUA Mustangs Season Pre-view

5th yr PG Ryan Barbeau 

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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.”