FRONT ROW (L-R): Kevin Jolly, Jumol Mullings, Alex Arthur, Jeremy McAvoy, Juleous Grant, Sam Williams, Simon Farine, Stephen Lopez, Nick Flynn, Hayden Galbraith, Peter Leighton, Jess Nichols (Trainer)
BACK ROW (L-R): Sebastien Joseph (Assistant Coach), Dave Nutbrown (Associate Coach), Nathan Smith, Sandy Veit, Tim Coote, Joe Schow, Jason Wang, Robert Nortmann, Chris Hunt, Will Yengue, Thom Gillespie (Assistant Coach), John Campbell (Head Coach)
The 2010-11 season began with high hopes as the Tigers returned a talented group of players and added two new coaches and several athletes that would have an immediate impact as well as others that will build a foundation for the future. After a challenging training camp and selection process, the Tigers had six non-conference games to prepare for a difficult AUS season.
Regular season highlights
Dalhousie would finish the exhibition season with a 4-2 record with wins against Bishop’s, Guelph, Lakehead and Laurentian and three-point losses to Ottawa and Laurier. The AUS conference season began with the retirement of former Tiger great John Cassidy’s jersey as Acadia visited Dalplex. In front of a packed house of supporters and alumni, Dal opened the season with a win. The Tigers would finish the first half of conference play with a 4-1 record, defeating UPEI, StFX and UNB and losing to SMU.
The 20th Annual Shoveller Tournament featured a great line-up of teams again this year. An opening round win over Queen’s set up a semifinal game with Acadia. The Tigers would dispatch the Axemen and face CIS sixth ranked StFX. The X-men won the tournament title in their only victory over the Tigers during the season.
The second half of the season featured a decisive win over CBU, a series sweep of StFX, UPEI, MUN and UNB as well as key wins over SMU and ACA. The Tigers showcased their league leading defense throughout the season routinely holding teams well below their scoring averages. Simon Farine finished second in league scoring while Joe Schow averaged close to a double-double with over 14 points and 9.5 rebounds each game.
Battling for the AUS championship title
Finishing the season with an AUS record of 14-6 and 44 points, the Tigers earned the second seed for the AUS championship in Halifax. A first round bye allowed Dal an extra day of rest prior to a semifinal match-up with the X-men. The Tigers beat StFX 79-68 on their way to the final. Acadia upset CBU in the other semifinal to earn their spot in the championship game. Leading from start to finish, the black and gold jumped out to an early lead using their trademark defense to hold Acadia to 48 points en route to a victory in the championship game. The Tigers were on their way to their second trip in three years to the CIS Final 8 championship. For his efforts, Simon Farine was named the tournament MVP.
Farine was also named an AUS first team all-star and a CIS second team all-Canadian while Joe Schow picked up second team AUS all-star honours. Farine also became the second leading scorer for his career at Dalhousie in only four seasons. Peter Leighton finished second in career three-point field goals in AUS history.
CIS championship highlights
At the CIS Final 8 championship, the number six seeded Tigers faced number three seed and last year’s defending champion Saskatchewan Huskies. The team fought hard to stay with the Huskies, but they eventually pulled away to defeat Dal 91-79. Joe Schow led the Tigers with 24 points and 13 rebounds. The loss put the black and gold out of medal contention and into the consolation semifinal round to face the Concordia Stingers. Farine led the Tigers to a 76-65 win over the seventh seed Stingers with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Joe Schow was named player of the game. The win put Dal into the consolation final against Lakehead. The fourth quarter of the fifth place game was back and forth as the Tigers battled the Thunderwolves for the win, but Dal could not get the advantage they needed. Lakehead took an 84-80 victory over the black and gold to put the Tigers in a sixth place finish. For his outstanding play and sportsmanship over the weekend, Farine received the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award.
Looking forward to next season
The team returns a talented group of players for next season. A dedicated offseason program will allow the team to be able to take the next step in 2011-12, as we hope to bring another AUS banner to Dalhousie along with a CIS banner!
Thanks to all the fans, departmental staff and support staff who supported the team throughout the season. The Tigers would like to wish graduating seniors Simon Farine, Sandy Veit, Jason Wang, Joseph Schow and Peter Leighton all the best in their future endeavours.