By Jack Longo
Men’s basketball head coach Rick Plato has set what he deems “lofty, but realistic goals” for this year’s team.
“Our goal is to simply finish first in the AUS regular season, win the AUS championship, advance to the national tournament, which will be played here in Halifax, and win our first national title,” says Plato. “It is a process every single day, and if we can improve every day, and build on that improvement, by March we should be where I expect us to be.”
The Tigers have won six of the previous seven AUS championships during Plato’s tenure, including last season which also saw them perform well at the U SPORTS championship.
Last season’s squad didn’t have a straight-forward path to the position they found themselves in at the end of the year. In the AUS championship semifinal, Dalhousie had to rally back from a 16-point deficit with just a minute to go in the third quarter to defeat the Memorial Sea-Hawks 87-85. The final also featured a late comeback from the resilient Tigers who were down by 15 to UPEI at halftime. Dalhousie dominated the second half and won 84-78 to earn the AUS championship banner.
That toughness and bouncebackability served the Tigers well at the U SPORTS Final 8 Championship as well. The team fell 90-80 to the No. 3 Queen’s University Gaels in their quarter-finals matchup, but followed that up with two straight wins - first over the OUA Champion Brock, then the Canada West Champion University of Victoria Vikes - to claim fifth place.
“I guess, in a collective way, you can say we have enjoyed some success, but, that is in the past, and really, there are few current players who have been major contributors to those accomplishments,” says Plato. “Having said that, there are enough individuals who were a part of that achievement, and it is their responsibility to impart those cultural tenets to the younger players. The macro concept of accountability must trickle down to every single team member on their own micro level.”
Notable missing pieces from those successful teams include Alex Carson and Keevan Veinot. Carson was named a U SPORTS second team All-Canadian, AUS first team all-star and AUS championship all-star, while Veinot was also an AUS first team all-star in addition to being named an AUS championship all-star and the MVP.
Returning for another year with the Tigers, are Sam Maillet who was named the AUS defensive player of the year, AUS second team all-star Shamar Burrows and Nginyu Ngala who was named to the AUS all-rookie team.
“Our captains (this season) are Sam Maillet, Nginyu Ngala and Shamar Burrows,” says Plato. “For the majority of the pre-season, only Shamar has been healthy from that group. So as our only fifth-year senior, the burden on him has been a challenge, but with Sam and Nginyu almost ready to return to play, I am optimistic that we have the veteran leadership to provide the guidance and direction that are absolutely necessary for us to be successful.”
“I really think that both Nginyu and Malcolm Christie are ready to blossom into AUS all-stars,” adds Plato. “Nginyu is replacing graduating point guard Keevan (Veinot), and Malcolm will be expected to assume the scoring role left behind by Alex Carson. In both cases, these are huge roles to assume, but both are more than capable. But it will take time, growing pains and patience.”
Plato lays out how he determines what, aside from winning, would make this a successful season for the young team.
“Simply to get better every day. Each team member must understand that there is no substitute for hard work. I truly believe that if you are not improving, you are getting worse. There is no such thing as staying the same. We have our team culture expectations, our defensive and offensive musts, and it is incumbent on every team member to focus on these with the intention of being consistent in the execution of these expectations. If not, we will never progress past page one of the book and never finish the book. To do the ‘little things’ correctly every day is an absolute. But, like fine wine, it takes time, especially for a young team like ours.”
The Tigers schedule includes 20 regular season games, eight of which are four-point games. The season begins Friday, October 28th when they travel to the University of New Brunswick Reds and wraps up with a four-point game against Cape Breton on February 18th at Dalplex.
“From the adversity we’ve faced in pre-season, many young players have been given opportunities that they normally would not get. In many cases, the youngsters have met the challenge, and although there have been many hiccups along the way, I am confident that these opportunities in the early season will help us down the road. The key word for this team is patience.”