2019-2020 Cougars Men's Basketball Season Preview
MEN'S BASKETBALL
SAULT STE. MARIE - The Cougars Men's Basketball team will travel to North Bay this weekend to take on the Canadore Panthers; a game which that the Cougars have had circled on the calendar for some time.
This Men's team has a very different look this season compared to last as only two players are returning from the 2018-2019 season in Kevon Clarke and Stephen Miller. The rest of the Cougars roster is rounded out by promising young rookies with the exception of Nick Servant who returns to action for Cougars basketball after playing for the team few seasons ago.
First year coach Pat Murray says he is excited to get the season underway as the team has put in a lot of hard work the past two months in preparation. "Canadore is a long, athletic team and we will need to take care of the ball and clean up the glass to give ourselves a chance" said Murray about the season opener. "It is always tough going on the road in another team's gym, but our guys are ready to battle and start the season on a positive note."
The previously mentioned Kevon Clarke and Stephen Miller are the two key returning players for the Cougars who the team will look to for stability and experience with so many fresh faces.
The two key rookies for the Cougars this season are Matt Kment and Ramkel Wal. Kment will look to be a strong presence on the glass this season with some inside scoring, while Wal will look to be a consistent scoring touch for the Cougars, especially coming off an All-Star selection at the Wayne Allison Fall Showdown.
Rounding out the Cougars roster are incoming freshman Anthony Hall and Valentine Okeke along with new players Amos Varfee, Mahier Mohamed, Jaylyne Moore-Tucker, Brian Senecal, Gianni Viotto and Jaden Grisdale.
The Cougars come into this weekend after going 1-1 vs. OCAA competition last weekend. This proved to be a big moment for the Cougar men who came away with their first win in almost three years against the University of Toronto-Mississauga. The team will look to build off of this performance in their first game this season against the Canadore Panthers this Sunday October 20th.