THE MATCHUP
Sea-Hawks have managed to get two huge wins against the UPEI Panthers last weekend and qualify for the 2020 AUS Championships. The first game Memorial will play in the Scotiabank Centre will be against the Saint Mary’s Huskies in what might prove to be a rematch of the 2018 playoffs when the Sea-Hawks came out with the win. These two teams have met only twice this season, with the Huskies winning both in crucial 4-point games.
SMU has finished the season on a very good note, winning 6 out of their last 7 games and earning the 4th spot in the standings. They finished with a record of 8 wins and 12 losses, the same record as Memorial, notching important 4-point games throughout the season and therefore prevailing in the standings. The reason for their hot finish was their dynamic duo of Johneil Johnson and Qyemah Gibson. Johnson has been in very good form recently, averaging 16.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on the season, while also showing excellent instincts on defense which results in 1.6 steals per game. Gibson is showing major improvements in his 2nd year, showcasing great athleticism. He has been averaging 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds, while providing excellent rim protection with 1.4 blocks per game. The Husky that has been their wildcard all season is a 3rd year forward, Sebastian Grey. He has been very solid this season in his first season with the Huskies, averaging 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and doing the little things necessary for his team to win. The Sea-Hawks will have to try to limit the scoring from Johnson and Gibson and try to outwork a highly motivated SMU team, in order to prolong their stay in Halifax. They will have to focus on the fundamentals to try to limit the impact of the athleticism that the Huskies rely on, and treat every possession as crucial.
HAWKS EYE
The Sea-Hawks are coming into the tournament fresh off of two big wins last weekend against UPEI. They finished 5th in the AUS this season securing a 4th consecutive appearance in the final tournament, recording 8 wins and 12 losses. The two wins against UPEI launched Memorial up in the standings, overtaking Cape Breton and Acadia. The big story from the weekend is that Deng Ring and Nathan Barker are back on the court. Barker, a First-Team All Star last year, returned from an ankle injury last weekend and didn’t too much time to shake off the rust, winning Subway Player of the Game in the Saturday’s game. He came back at the right time for the Sea-Hawks, as they will need all hand on deck in order to go far in the tournament.
“It felt great to be able to get back out there with the guys”, Barker said. “It couldn’t have come at a better time as we now have the opportunity to play for the championship”
Memorial will definitely need Cole Long to continue his production on the big stages and provide a good inside outside presence. The AUS scoring champion for this season is one of the most complete players in the conference, but now have multiple weapons they can throw at their opponents.
“There’s definitely going to be a lot more pressure to score during the playoffs”, Long said. “But coming off these 2 wins with such spread out scoring across our roster, I think it will be important to keep everyone involved in order to succeed”.
The playoffs are very different from regular season basketball, as there is more preparation for specific teams and the intensity is high. The good thing for the Sea-Hawks is they have multiple players who have experienced the big stage multiple times in their career. One of them is Padraig Dawe, a 4th year forward who is bound to play in his 4th playoffs in a row.
When asked about playoff basketball, Dawe said: “Playoff games are generally much more intense than regular season games, the added pressure of needing to win to advance makes everyone play that much harder. The bright lights and the big arena in addition to the competition really makes it feel like the real deal, and you can feel the importance of the game you’re about to play”. If Memorial can rely on its experience and focus on every single play, there should be enough fire power to make a deep run in the championship.
COACHES COMMENTS
Head Coach Peter Benoite believes that the team is ready for playoffs. “We’ve been to the playoffs on a regular basis now, so we know what we are in for and we know how hard we have to work. We need to make sure we have good ball movement, good shot selection, and play hard on defense”. However, he is not getting ahead of himself. “SMU is very talented, and we will need to make sure we don’t give them anything easy. But we know we played them close in their gym and if we come out and play our game, we have a good shot at moving forward”