Guillame Boucard and Carleton Rookies Shine in Tournament Opener over Bishop’s

Top Performers

Carleton:

Kevin Churchill – Pts: 23 (7-9FG, 9-10FT), Reb: 8, Ast: 2, Stl: 3, Min: 26

Bishop’s:

Tim Hunter – Pts: 12, Reb: 4, Ast: 1, Blk: 3, 3FG: 3-6, Min: 24

OTTAWA,ON-In their first game at home this season against a CIS opponent, the Carleton University Ravens blew out the Bishop’s University Gaiters 103-61 led by Kevin Churchill.

From the tip, the Ravens played controlled basketball and jumped out to an 8-0 lead. Carleton was efficient and effective and obviously well prepared, and built a commanding 17-4 lead. With the intensity that the Ravens approach every game with (even this pre-season tilt) it is not hard to see why they are a national dynasty.

But being a dynasty means replenishing the talent as students graduate and players move on. Phil Scrubb talks like a leader of the team even though he is in just his second season in a Ravens uniform, and says “tournaments like this are a chance for the young guys to learn and improve. They’ve still got to learn some of the defensive sets, some of the offensive stuff, but there’s a lot of talent here.”

Perhaps the most explosive example of new talent came when Ravens rookie Guillame Boucard took the ball on the breakaway and jammed it past a chasing Bishop’s player. The crowd was ecstatic, and the announcer was wildly spewing french phrases. It’s an exciting rebirth to the Carleton dynasty.

It isn’t all about the high-flying, crowd pleasing action for Boucard who says, “It’s about the fundamentals, making no mistakes, especially on defense and be in the position we know we’re supposed to be and just be loud.”

Bishop’s forward Tim Hunter, the Gaiters top performer, nailed consecutive three pointers before Carleton’s Phil Scrubb answered with one of his own. Before long Hunter had another long-distance shot drop, but finished the night 3-6 from deep with all of his treys coming in the second quarter.

Bishop’s had a tough time staying competitive with the unrelenting Ravens squad who kept their collective foot on the gas with all different lineups. After a Thomas Scrubb steal led to a Phil Scrubb lay-in, the score was 43-19 and Bishop’s was forced to take a timeout. Even when Bishop’s got a chance at a sure basket off of a Carleton turnover, Bishop’s player Filose Ngeleka blew the wide-open dunk, a microcosm of this game.

Meanwhile the Ravens were getting everybody involved, both rookies and starters and built a halftime lead of 55-21.

Rookie recruit Justin Shaver and Scrubb worked well down low together, rookies Ryan Augustine and Gavin Resch saw floor time, and ten Carleton players logged double-digit minutes. Guillame Boucard says “It’s working great for the team to have the new guys. They are very accepting and we [the new guys] learn alot, especially me, I came from nowhere, so it’s a great experience. I’m not used to all this.”

The rookies got a chance to play even more minutes after last years’ CIS athlete of the year Tyson Hinz went down holding his ankle on a strong drive to the hoop. Hinz lifted himself off the floor unassisted and walked back to the bench but did not return. It did not look like Hinz will miss any time.

The second half started gritty as teams exchange fouls for much of the third quarter. Kevin Churchill benefitted from these extra trips to the free-throw line, scoring nine points from the charity stripe. Chants of defense on the Carleton bench and in the crowd show why this team is always hungry even in the preseason, lessons that the young players on the team take to heart.

After Willy Manigat and Elliot Thompson hit three-pointers to give the Ravens a fifty point lead, 95-45, the rookies again were given the floor to show what the next four or five years of the Carleton basketball dynasty would like like.

And they did not disappoint.

Bishop’s will play Guelph October 15, at 6pm in the Raven’s Nest, while Carleton moves on to play Victoria at 8pm in a matchup of the two winning teams from the first day of tournament action at the 2011 House-Laughton tournament.