Saturday, 28th December Vs. CBU Capers 6:30 PM NST
Sunday, 29th December Vs. Dalhousie Tigers 8:30 PM NST
Monday, 30th TBD
THE MATCHUP
The Sea-Hawks will spend their Christmas break in Halifax, participating in the annual Shoveller Tournament hosted by Dalhousie University. This will be the second year in a row that Memorial will attend this tournament after finishing in third place last year. Along with MUN, the tournament will feature 4 fellow AUS teams: CBU Capers, Dalhousie Tigers, Acadia Axemen, and UPEI Panthers. Concordia Stingers from Quebec will also make an appearance in the tournament, providing a possibility for a rematch from this year's Concordia Classic Tournament with the Sea-Hawks. The Stingers will be looking for revenge after losing to Memorial in the finals of the tournament on a last second layup by Nathan Barker. The Sea-Hawks will play the first two games against CBU and Dalhousie which will provide a good introduction to the second half of the season, considering these three teams have high ambitions.
The Tigers started off the 2019-2020 season hot, building on their championship season last year. They won all 6 games that they played in the AUS so far, scoring the most points per game with 90.5, while also providing stellar defense and allowing only 63.8 points per game. They are being led by the duo of Keevan Veinot and Sascha Kappos, with steady contributions from their supporting cast. Veinot is averaging 15.8 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game, orchestrating the Tigers offense with his all-around game. Kappos is providing a stellar defensive presence this year as he is averaging 2.2 blocks per game, while also scoring 12.8 points per game on 56.4 field goal percentage. Alex Carson missed some time to start the season, but has been shooting exceptionally well in recent games, scoring 13 points per game on 41.7 percent shooting from the three-point line. In addition, the guard duo of Jordan Brathwaite and Xavier Ochu is playing very well this season, proving how deep this Tiger's team actually is.
The second team the Sea-Hawks will face at the Shoveller tournament are the Cape Breton University Capers. These two teams already met twice this season in Nova Scotia, with Memorial earning a split on the road. CBU is currently 5th in the AUS with a record of 3 wins and 4 losses and will be looking forward to use the tournament as a confidence boost. Osman Omar is leading the Capers in scoring with 19 points per game, and consistently has to be the focus of opposing defenses as he is a threat to score from anywhere on the court. Paul Watson keeps showing how versatile of a player he is as he is averaging a double-double this season with 11.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. In addition to that, Watson is also averaging 2.1 steals and almost a block per game which comes as no surprise as he is the former AUS Defensive Player of the Year. The one-two punch of Omar and Watson surrounded by a good supporting cast can have an impactful second half of the season, as the turning point just might be the Shoveller tournament.
HAWKS EYE
The Sea-Hawks will look to capitalize on their strong first half of the season and finish off 2019 on a good note with a solid performance at the Shoveller tournament. Currently, they are sitting in the 2nd place in the AUS with 5 wins and 3 losses and will be expected to fight for the first-round bye in the playoffs. The team will use the experience of this tournament to show to the rest of the league that their good start wasn't just luck.
AUS leading scorer Cole Long believes that there is still room to grow: "This tournament is another chance for our team to continue to prove what we can do. We have established that we are a threat, but we have not established how good we can really be". When asked about the expectations for the second half of the season Long had a simple answer: "Our mentality is completely the same as the first half of the season, and that is to win. That is the most important thing for our team".
This tournament helps out the team in different ways. It is a platform for coaches to try out different lineups and tactics while players can showcase their talents and earn more minutes for the second half of the season. A second year forward out of St. John's, NL, Nick Tuff played exceptionally well in the tournament last year, contrary to the minutes he has been getting until the tournament. "These kind of tournaments are perfect for establishing a role in the team", Tuff said. "Playing in an environment where there is less pressure than usual allows the younger guys to play more free and have more confidence in themselves".
Participating in the Shoveller tournament will be very important for the Sea-Hawks as a number of other AUS teams are going to be in Halifax, which will provide good preparation for the second half of the season. Boris Ristanovic, a second year forward from Kragujevac Serbia, believes that this will be a valuable experience for Memorial. "This tournament allows us to experiment with our lineups while playing against the teams we will be facing in the second half of the season", Ristanovic said. "Playing these games will definitely impact our team chemistry in the positive way as we are looking to continue proving ourselves in the league". The Sea-Hawks seem eager to show the league that their success so far isn't a fluke and that they will be aiming high in the AUS this season.
COACHES COMMENTS
Head Coach Peter Benoite looks forward to the tournament as he sees it as a chance for the team to get better for the second half of the season. "Our goal for the tournament is to use it to get ourselves back in game shape and to be ready for the start of the second half", Benoite said. "It also gives us a chance to tweak things and make some adjustments from the first half of the season and help us key in on how we want to play the second half of the season".
He also believes that playing against other AUS teams helps a lot as Memorial will face them in the second half of the season. "Both teams are very competitive so they will force us to be ready to play right out of the gate. Getting that in this tournament should get us mentally and physically ready to battle the rest of the season. We play both teams in the second half as well, so it will be very good tests to see what we can do against them".