BY JOHN DECOSTE
[email protected]
NovaNewsNow.com
When the Acadia Axemen basketball team takes to the court this fall, they will have at least four new players on the roster.
Axemen interim head coach Steve Baur confirmed last week that “all the players we had recruited are still coming,” despite the resignation earlier this summer of former head coach Les Berry, who had recruited the players originally.
Baur is pleased with this year’s recruiting class, the arrival of which will hopefully address a couple of major holes in the Acadia line-up, the result of graduations and the loss of potential returnees Andrew Kraus and Paulo Santana.
Kraus has transferred to Brandon University in Manitoba after two years at Acadia. Santana is passing up a fifth and final year of CIS eligibility to play professionally in his native Angola, where he has signed a contract with a pro team.
“It’s a great opportunity for him,” Baur said of Santana, who he had hoped originally would return this fall. “He got a real good offer.”
Already announced was the addition of highly-regarded 6’5” wing player Justin Boutilier from Niagara Falls, one of the top graduating players in Ontario this year. Boutilier will help fill the gap left by the departure of AUBC all-star Shawn Berry.
Also bound for Acadia is Casey Fox, who played formerly at J.L. Ilsley High in Halifax before spending last season at Lee Academy in Maine. Casey, a 6’4” wing player, is the son of Mickey Fox, who helped lead Saint Mary’s to a pair of CIS titles in the 1970s.
A third recruit, Matthew Doidge, is a 6’6” power forward from Scarborough, Ont. Baur said Doidge “was one of the top power forwards in the Toronto area this past year” and will join an Axemen frontline that already includes conference MVP Leo Saintil, veterans Alex Traikov and Luckern Dieu and sophomore J.D. Howlett.
Acadia has also recruited Marcel Hyde, a 6’1” point guard from Toronto, whose presence now becomes more important with the departure of Kraus and Santana.
Could be pressed into service
Baur acknowledged that ‘pure freshmen’ like Boutilier, Fox, Doidge and Hyde “might need a year or two before they’re really ready to contribute,” though Hyde in particular might find himself pressed into action at the point sooner than that.
“We’ll be experimenting with some people currently on our roster,” Baur said of the point guard vacancy. Pat McIver saw some action there last season and fifth-year veteran James Burke also has some experience at the position.
As well, Chris Ogbuah, who started a handful of games at point guard for Acadia two seasons ago, plans to return to the Axemen after taking a year off to concentrate on his studies after switching programs last fall.
Other than that, “everyone else is back,” and Baur will be counting on veterans like McIver and Peter Leighton, as well as Traikov and Dieu, “to step up with additional playing time.”
Overall, “we should still be competitive,” Baur said. “Even though we’ll have new players at two positions, we have lots of experience.” In particular, “I like our posts. Leo, Alex and Luckern should be as good as anyone in the conference.” As well, “Chris Ogbuah could end up being a ‘wild card’ for us if he’s able to come back.
“Given the players we’ve lost,” he said, “it’ll be a bit of a transition year, especially at the point, but with so many returning veterans, we still feel good about our chances.”
Baur is also pleased that Kevin Veinot has committed to returning for another year as assistant coach. “It’s great for me and great for the program,” he said, adding, “a big plus for me in this position is all the expertise and support I have around me.”
Hoop Axemen recruits confirmed for 2008-2009
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