Article on St. Louis Trip to Canada

St. Louis will play the Mustangs Tues. Aug. 23rd 7pm Alumni Hall.

For on-line article Click Here

Baby News

Jack Thomas Tweedie 

Born Monday Aug 15th 

9lbs 5 oz

Congratulations to former Mustang and current assistant coach Matt Tweedie and his wife Jess on the birth of their first child Jack Thomas Tweedie yesterday (that is why Matt wasn't at the game).

NCAA Game #1: Oakland 85 Mustangs 72

Ryan Barbeau 

article by Darryl Wheeler Mustangs Athletics

on-line link Click Here

The Western Mustangs men’s basketball team was defeated 85-72 by the Oakland University Grizzlies at Alumni Hall tonight in their first exhibition action of the season. Oakland, the current Summit League Champion, was looking to rebound from an 86-82 loss at the hands of the Windsor Lancers on Sunday.

The Grizzlies enter the 2011 campaign looking to replace departed all-American and NBA draft pick Keith Benson while Western looks to fill the gap that Andy Wedemire leaves. Wedemire graduated this year, but recently signed a pro contract with the Glasgow Rocks in Scotland. The match-up featured a returning mid-major freshman all-American in Oakland’s Travis Bader. It is also the first action Mustangs recruits Aaron Shadrach and Jermaine Bernard saw on the hardwood as part of the purple and white.

Right off the tip-off the action was fast tempo with many turnovers though, as both teams worked out the kinks. Western took the early lead 6-5, but Oakland quickly jumped to15-6 thanks to three consecutive three-pointers, two of which came courtesy of Dante Williams. Despite the deficit, the speed remained quick and the Mustangs got plenty of looks close to the basket. The Mustangs chipped away at the lead in the first half courtesy of Ryan Barbeau. 

Midway through the first half, Oakland built up their lead to a nine-point advantage. Drew Valentine led the Grizzlies in first-half minutes while Brad Campbell rotated everyone so the freshman and sophomores could gain valuable minutes. Mustang Drew Berardi nailed a three from the corner to spurt a run for Western cutting the Oakland’s lead down to five. The young Western squad seemed at times, in the opening frame, to frustrate the Summit League champions.  

Second-year man Peter Scholtes led the Mustang charge in the first half with aggressive play in the paint, combined with solid shooting. The Mustangs sliced the lead to two points at 32-30 with just over four minutes to go in the first half.

Alumni Hall got loud stemming off a long-range field goal from rookie Ryan Higgins to cut Oakland’s lead to just one point. The Mustangs shot then went from cold to hot as they grabbed their first lead of the game, 39-37, off a Quinn Henderson three-pointer with less than two minutes to go in the half. Henderson came back with a layup with four seconds left, giving the Mustangs a 42-41 lead halftime.

Berardi and Henderson for Western had strong first-half showings while Drew Valentine and Laval Lucas-Perry were effective in moving the ball up the court. The Grizzlies shot 61.9 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from three-point land. Western shot 48.3 percent in the first half and 50 percent from three-point range. Both teams shot multiple times from beyond the arc.

The opening of the second half saw Oakland jump back into the lead thanks to the large inside presence of six-foot, nine-inch centre Corey Petros and the speed of Lucas-Perry, forcing Western to call an early timeout. Oakland led 51-43 five minutes into the second half. The Grizzlies opened up this 10-point lead and maintained it thanks to the combo of Valentine and guard Ryan Bass. Despite opening up with a personal 12-point lead, Scholtes continued his knack for scoring from inside and outside, being one of the primary scorers to lead the Western attack. The second half showed a lot of aggressive play from both sides making the teams earn every basket with no free passes to the rim given.

With just over six minutes remaining in the game, the Grizzlies maintained their 10-point advantage. Western freshman Bernard helped to once again inch closer to the Summit League champions but the size and the speed of Oakland was just too much for the young Mustangs squad to handle. Third-year guard Bader shut the door on Western's hopes draining a three-pointer and putting the exclamation point on the game with a breakaway slam-dunk.

Lucas-Perry led Oakland with 28 points and Bader chipped in with 15. For Western, Sholtes led the Mustangs with 17 points and Henderson chipped in with 16. Both players were very effective finding the three-pointers and their way to the foul line.

Despite the loss, Barbeau exhibited his veteran presence on the court drawing multiple fouls while making it difficult for the Oakland offense gain momentum. The young Mustangs played a strong 40 minutes and will look to change the result next Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m. at Alumni Hall where they host legendary coach Rick Majerus and his St. Louis Billiken squad of the Atlantic 10 conference.

Game Day: NCAA D-1 Oakland U. 7pm Alumni Hall

5th yr PG Ryan Barbeau 

Come see the Mustangs in early season action as they take on NCAA D-1 Oakland Grizzlies.

Tickets available at Door

$8 Adult
$5 Youth

Wedemire Signs Pro Contract

Former Mustang Great Andy Wedemire  

By- Darryl Wheeler Mustangs Athletics 


Online link Click Here 

Former Western Mustang and Sarnia, Ont. native Andrew Wedemire’s next journey in basketball will literally take him across the pond. The six-foot-six power forward will continue his career on the hardwood playing professionally overseas with the Glasgow Rocks in Scotland.

After a few months of rigorous training and mulling over offers, the former five-year standout and all-Canadian with the Mustangs will bring his talent and his physical inside-presence to the United Kingdom.

From day one as a Mustang he was a constant force and an immovable object that other teams had difficulty defending. His final season was capped off with a second all- Canadian selection and another first team OUA All-Star honour. During his career at Western, he was part of two CIS final-eight tournaments, including two national semi- final showings. While at Western, Wedemire was a also a very active member of the local community. 

Article on Oakland's Canadian Trip

This from the Oakland University Athletics Website

http://www.ougrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/080811aaa.html

Oakland Standout Reggie Hamilton 

Aug. 8, 2011

ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Oakland University men's basketball team will begin its foreign tour this Saturday-Monday, Aug. 13-15, in Canada. The Golden Grizzlies will face the University of Windsor and Western Ontario.

"We're excited for the opportunity to have 10 days of practice and play some games that do not mean much, other than evaluating players," said OU head coach Greg Kampe. "That is very important with the youth of our team this year in having five freshmen. Playing games with no pressure of winning and the ability to experiment with things is very appealing and important to the coaching staff."

OU and Windsor will kick-off the foreign tour at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Golden Grizzlies and Lancers will tangle again on Sunday at 4 p.m. The final game of the tour will take place on Monday night against Western Ontario in London at 7 p.m.

Oakland won its second straight Summit League regular season and tournament championships in 2010-11. The Grizzlies fell to No. 4 seed Texas, 85-81, in the NCAA tournament in Tulsa, Okla. at the BOK Center. Oakland finished No. 8 inside the final CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll and a final RPI of 57.

Kampe, a five-time Summit League Coach of the Year, enters his 28th season at the helm. He was a finalist for the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year and Jim Phelan Mid-Major Coach of the Year Awards. He ranks fifth in Division I with 27 seasons at the same school and tied for 24th amongst active D-I coaches with 470 victories (Jim Larranaga, George Mason).

Travis Bader, Reggie Hamilton and Drew Valentine all return to the starting lineup for the Golden Grizzlies. Bader, a shooting guard from Okemos, Mich., was named Mid-Major Freshman All-American by CollegeInsider.com and led The Summit League with 94 3-pointers made, fourth-best in school history. He finished with 10.5 points per game and ranked ninth in the NCAA with a .440 three-point field goal percentage. 

Hamilton, a redshirt senior from Chicago, garnered All-Summit League first team honors last season after averaging 17.6 points per game. He finished second in the league with 187 assists and third in 3-pointers made per game with 2.3. Hamilton scored 20 or more points in all three Summit League tournament games and was named to The Summit League All-Tournament Team.

A native of Lansing, Mich., Valentine posted a career-best four double-doubles during his sophomore season and reached double figures in 15 games. He shot 58 percent from the floor in his final 19 games and finished seventh in the league with a .554 field goal percentage. Valentine also became one of the defensive stoppers for the Grizzlies and led The Summit League with close to two steals per contest in league play.

Blake Cushingberry also returns for the Golden Grizzlies after sitting out last season due to an ACL injury. The redshirt junior from Romeo, Mich. made 19 starts in his career and is a very talented defensive player. Michigan transfer Laval Lucas-Perry joins the team after missing last season due to NCAA transfer rule. A redshirt senior from Flint, Mich., Lucas-Perry is a sharp shooter that made 22 starts in U-M's 32 games in 2009-10.

Due to the foreign tour, the Golden Grizzlies have been able to practice during the month of August. After the trip, they will begin individual work outs in September and team practice will resume in mid-October.

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.