THE MATCH UP
The Memorial Sea-Hawks are traveling first to Montreal and then Kingston for a busy 10-day stretch where they will play seven different Canadian university teams. The Sea-Hawks will start their trip in Montreal at the Concordia Tournament, playing against the Saskatchewan Huskies, Nipissing Lakers and Concordia Stingers. After a three-day rest, the trip continues to Kingston, ON for the Tindall Invitational Tournament where they will face St. Lawrence Vikings, Queens Gaels, Ottawa Gee-Gees and Regina Cougars.
The Sea-Hawks finished the 2018-2019 season in 6th place of the AUS conference, securing a playoff spot for the third straight year. After losing to Dalhousie in the first round, they are eager to regroup and have a successful 2019-2020 season.
The Sea-Hawks' opponents this week will provide a serious test for the upcoming season. Ottawa, Queens, and Nipissing all compete in the East sector of the strong OUA conference, finishing 3rd, 5th, and 8th respectively. Saskatchewan and Regina compete in Canada West, both enjoying successful seasons last year. The Huskies finished in 8th place while the Cougars were 3 wins ahead, finishing in 4th place. Concordia won the RSEQ conference last year and should be a serious challenge for the Sea-Hawks. St. Lawrence had a down season in the OCAA Collegiate league last year but will be looking to bounce back strong this year. Having to play against teams with different strengths and styles will provide useful experience for the Sea-Hawks as they prepare for the 2019-2020 AUS season.
HAWKS EYE
It is an exciting time to be a Sea-Hawks fan. Most of the players from last season are returning, making for a good dynamic amongst the familiar players. Memorial will once again be led by Nathan Barker who is coming off a career year last season. Barker averaged 21.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in 37.3 minutes per game (all career highs), earning himself First Team All-Star honors in the AUS. Barker understands his role as a leader and explains that "leading by example and getting in and showing the guys what is expected of us to improve as a team, can help us all work together and have success"
Barker will be crucial for the Sea-Hawks' success this season as they look to capitalize on the team chemistry built last year. Another important factor for the Sea-Hawks this season will be the reigning AUS Rookie of the Year, Emmanuel Ring. Ring averaged 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while also being one of the best defenders in the conference. He averaged 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game show his ability to impact the game both offensively and defensively, which was a big reason he was selected in the U Sports All Rookie Team for the 2018-2019 season.
Emmanuel described to our writers that "Team chemistry will have a big role in our chance of playing for the AUS title. As long as we are playing together and everyone buys into the culture, I don't see why we can't compete for the title"
Emanuel will not be the only Ring in the lineup this season. His brother Deng will look to give the Sea-Hawks a push to the top after redshirting for the last two years.
"I've done a lot of self-growing and believe that this pause was necessary for me. I'm looking forward to putting my hard work to the test and have some fun. With myself in the mix this year, I look to become another threat for teams both offensively and defensively to make things easier for everyone else" said Deng Ring.
However, the squad for this season is not made up of only returning players. One of the key additions for the Sea-Hawks this year is Cole Long, a 4th year forward from St. John's, who spent the last three years at Detroit Mercy playing NCAA Division 1 basketball.
Long was quoted as saying, "I'm very excited about our team this year and I believe we have a serious opportunity in the upcoming season. I believe I am able to fit into the team very well and be able to help the team reach their goals"
The leadership of these players will prove to be crucial for the Sea-Hawks who are aiming high this season.
COACHES COMMENTS
Heading into his 12th season as the head coach, Peter Benoite has high expectations for this season.
"We want to build on last season, and we want to try and make ourselves the best team possible. We want to set some high expectations for ourselves and work towards accomplishing them"
He believes that the team's identity this season should be formed on the defensive side of the floor as the teams on top usually play good defense.
"I think we've improved defensively and I'm looking forward to trying to make us a defensive minded team. We've got some athleticism so we can get the ball up the floor quickly and then explore from there"
The combination of tough defense and the ability to get out on the transition will be the key for Benoite's squad, as they look to make noise in the AUS this year.
Written by: Kosta Tiodorovic