Calgary Dinos Travel to Ontario for 3-Game Trip

CALGARY,AB–The Calgary Dinos  left this Wednesday morning for a 3 game non-league tip off to their 2011-12 season in Windsor, Ontario.  With some significant changes in their senior-heavy line-up, the Dinos will be trying to return to the CIS’ elite level after a down year in 2010-11.

On Thursday, Calgary plays the host Windsor Lancers, who were 16-6 in OUA League play last season, before losing to Laurier in an upset in the Quarter-finals.

The Lancers should be contenders in the OUA again this season, with senior leadership from of guards Josh Collins, Enrico Diloreto, and post star, Lien Phillip.

Phillip, who played alongside Calgary’s Boris Bakovic and Matt Letkeman for Canada as the FISU Games Team won a silver medal at the World University Games in China this August. 

He is a rugged post, who averaged 11.8 ppg and 10.5 rpg last season.

At the guard spots, Josh Collins and Enrico Diloreto should be one of the premier back-courts in Ontario. At the point, Collins averaged 9.7 ppg and 5.4 assists a year ago, while shooting guard   Dilreto scored 13.3 ppg and claimed 3.4 rebounds.

The Dinos feature a talented trio on their forward line, with Bakovic, the 5th year man who led CIS scorers in his four year campaign at Ryerson.

The 6’9″, fifth year Calgary product, Tyler Fidler, who led the Dinos with 17 ppg and 10.3 rebounds, and Letkeman, the 6’7″ Canada West Rookie of the Year, whose physical presence will be a key in the paint.

At guard, Calgary will benefit from the return of Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson, the ‘quick as a cat’ point man, who missed the 2010-11 season with a serious ankle injury. 

Jackson can not only push the pace and create for his teammates, but owns a deadly long-range jumper, and has the ability to score at the rim.

Also on the Calgary travelling squad for the weekend will be …. 

• Guards – Keenan Milburn (5th, Royston, BC),  Andrew McGuinness (3rd, N. Vancouver), Josh Owen-Thomas (1st, Australia), Nebojsa Kuljic (2nd, Calgary)
• Forwards – Dustin Reding (5th, Calgary),  Josh Wolfram (2nd, Kamloops, BC), Patrick Walker (2nd, Airdrie, AB), Daan Wiersum (1st, Groningen, The Netherlands)

The Dinos play the University of Western Ontario Mustangs at 7 pm on Friday night, and finish up on Saturday against Transylvania University (Kentucky) at 2 pm.  The Saturday game will be web-cast by the Kentucky school, and available on their web-site.  Details on Friday.

 

Notes …

• Coach Dan Vanhooren has 2 new Assistant Coaches with him this season.  In a 2nd go-round as a Dinos Asst. is Steve Hamaliuk, a local businessman who has helped at the high school level for a number of years, and who guided the Cochrane Cobras to the Alberta 3A Championship title last season. Hamaliuk worked with Coach Gary Howard Dinos teams in the mid-late 1980s.  Jackson Parker a young (22 years old) UC student has been an intern coach with the UC Women’s program for several years, and has jumped over to the Men’s team.  Parker, who played high school ‘ball in Nova Scotia, has been active in Club Basketball in Calgary, as well as coaching the Alberta Team in the Canada Summer games this past summer.

 

• Boris Bakovic will play for Canada again this Fall, as he joins the Pan Am Games Team for training following the UC games in Windsor this weekend.  The 5th year transfer will be a member of the Canadian contingent in Guadalajara, Mexico, and be away from the UC squad for 2 weeks. The Men’s basketball competition in Mexico runs from October 26-30.  Boris will be back for practices leading up to the Dinos’ Canada West League opener in Brandon on November 5.

 

•   In other Canada West pre-season action this weekend … UVic travels to Ottawa for the House-Laughton Tournament  hosted by Carleton   The Vikes will play Guelph, the host Ravens,    and the Bishop’s … UBC plays in the Naismith Tournament at Waterloo, meeting the Warriors, Concordia, and Memorial … Fraser Valley has 3 games, with Langara College, UNBC, and NAIT …  UBC-O plays both UNBC and NAIT … Brandon hosts Lakehead on Fri/Sat …   Regina plays host to both Montana St.-Northern, and Medicine Hat College … the Manitoba Bisons play a single game in Manitoba against Mount Royal (Calgary) … Saskatchewan also play 1 game, with Montana St. Northern … UNBC also makes a stop in Kamloops to play the Wolfpack of Thompson Rivers U. 

 

• Neither Trinity Western nor Lethbridge has any CIS games scheduled until the start of League play on the Nov. 4/5 weekend.