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  #41  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2016, 8:08 PM
elly63 elly63 is online now
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You make shit up that you can't prove and you're a wannabe. All the immature graphics in the world that you post ain't gonna change that.

Haven't you figured it out yet you will be called on your bullshit. In the meantime choke on this:

CIS Men's Basketball Top Ten
January 26, 2016

(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous ranking)
1. Ryerson (8-1) / 461 points (43) / (5)
2. Ottawa (9-1) / 427 (4) / (1)
3. Carleton (8-2) / 366 / (2)
4. McMaster (9-2) / 316 / (6)
5. Brock (8-2) / 262 / (3)
6. Calgary (12-3) / 240 / (7)
7. McGill (5-3) / 180 / (4)
8. Thompson Rivers (12-2) / 129 / (9)
9. UBC (10-4) / 105 / (8)
10. Dalhousie (9-4) / 74 / (NR)
Other teams receiving votes: UPEI (15), Concordia (7).
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  #42  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2016, 8:26 PM
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Originally Posted by elly63 View Post
Done shitting on things in Canada now? I stop when you stop, simple as that.
Get lost.

Anyway, Go Raptors Go!

I normally don't watch any All-Star game.. and am not a big basketball fan... but I'll tune into the ASG only because it's in Toronto. Should be interesting.
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  #43  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2016, 8:26 PM
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  #44  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2016, 8:33 PM
elly63 elly63 is online now
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Blast from the past

Excellent writeup on the 1983 Canadian Men's Basketball Team,

Canada’s Greatest Basketball Moment
robvogt80s.blogspot.ca 27 April 2013

Long before Steve Nash, and Jamal Magloire, and all those other Canadians who played in the NBA, and long before the NBA returned to Canada in 1995 with the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies, there was a group of relatively unknown Canadians who shocked the basketball world.

Shocking the world

The year was 1983, and the setting was the World University Games in Edmonton, Alberta. The Canadian men's basketball team was assembled from a group of college players, mostly from Canadian schools, but also a few American NCAA schools. At the time, the University of Victoria Vikings ruled men's basketball, and they were well-represented at the Universiade.

The team was coached by Jack Donohue, who had more success with the Canadian national team in international play than any other coach. He took them to fourth place finishes in the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games. No one knows what could have happened in 1980, but Canada chose to boycott the games that year, held in Moscow, over the Soviet Union's aggression in Afghanistan. He also coached Lew Alcindor in high school. Alcindor would go on to become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest college and professional players in history.

There is not a lot of information readily available on the 1983 World University Games tournament. We pick up the story after Canada managed to make it all the way to the semi-finals.

Awaiting them were the heavily-favoured and star-studded team from the United States. According to USA Basketball, the Americans had captured four straight gold medals and were loaded with talent. The team featured Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Johnny Dawkins, Ed Pinckney, and Kevin Willis. They cruised to the semi-finals with five straight wins, including a 156-75 win over Lebanon. In fact, the Americans hit or surpassed 100 points in each of their first four games. Their first test came against Cuba, but the U.S. still won by 15. This team averaged 112.7 points and had six players average in double figures.

Back in those days, unfortunately, it was before TSN or Sportsnet, so there was no wall-to-wall sports coverage. We missed the game that shocked the world (Edit: I'm pretty sure I saw it on CBC - elly). In front of 10,000 fans at the Butterdome in Edmonton, Canada defeated that world powerhouse the United States of America. It was not even that close, as Canada won by a score of 85-77, connecting on 29 of 40 free throws.

The win put them in the gold medal game against Yugoslavia, who was led by future NBA star Drazen Petrovic. By then, the Canadian team had drawn some attention. The game was broadcast on CBC, and I stayed up relatively late to watch it. So, on the campus of the University of Alberta, on a warm Saturday night, a group led by players with names such as Pasquale, Triano, Wiltjer, Kazanowski, and Tilleman, Team Canada claimed gold by defeating Yugoslavia, by a score of 83-68.

Relative obscurity

It is a crime that so few people know about this team, and their tremendous achievement. There is no information readily available on the Internet, and barely a mention from Basketball Canada. This team won a major international tournament, unlike any other Canadian men's team. It is true many of the players from this team would take fourth the next year at the Olympics, and that team has been inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame. Yet, this team won, and no one knows it. They were loaded with talent as well, and virtually all the top players were drafted by NBA teams.

Consider this:

Eli Pasquale – Drafted in the fifth round of the 1984 NBA draft by the Seattle Super Sonics, and played professionally in Argentina and Europe.

Jay Triano – Drafted in the eighth round of the 1981 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, and played professionally in Mexico and Turkey. He went on to coach the Toronto Raptors, and is in his second stint as head coach of the Canadian national team.

Greg Wiltjer – Drafted in the second round of the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, playing professionally for 12 seasons in Italy, Spain, and Greece. His son Kyle currently plays for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Gerald Kazanowski – Drafted in the seventh round of the 1983 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz, and played professionally for teams all over Europe including Spain, and Argentina and Mexico.

Karl Tilleman – Drafted in the fourth round of the 1984 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.

Danny Meagher – Drafted in the sixth round of the 1985 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, playing professionally overseas for eight years in Europe.

Bill Wennington – Drafted in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks, and would go on to win three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.

Howard Kelsey – Played professionally in Mexico, and now is heavily involved in Basketball Canada.

Tony Simms – Drafted in the sixth round of the 1983 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.

As much talent as the Americans had, that was not on the team, Canada had had two first-round picks who could have played for them as well: Leo Rautins and Stewart Granger.

Parting thoughts

It's funny how things can stick with you. I remember this team so well, and it has been 30 years since they won that gold medal. I remember the way Pasquale controlled the tempo of the game, and how Kazanowski dominated the boards. He wore this big bandage on his chin from a cut he suffered in a previous game. He also had this uncanny ability to find the open man, especially with the baseball pass. The announcers even said he had become proficient at it at UVic where he often connected with his brother. Wiltjer was another great post player, and Triano was the perfect complement to Pasquale in the back court. Tilleman was the one I knew best from his time at the University of Calgary. He was just a deadly outside shooter. As I watched that gold medal game, I hoped so bad he would play, and he did, but not that much. He was a guard too, and it was difficult to displace Pasquale and Triano.

Recently I just realized something as well. Four short years after the Canadians won gold, I was playing basketball on that same court when I attended the University of Alberta. A year after that, I was even playing ball wearing a UVic sweater, a gift from my sister who went there in 1988.

Anyway, maybe some day the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame will see how important this team really was and induct them. After all, they are some of the few Canadians who can call themselves champions. They provided Canada's greatest basketball moment – ever.
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  #45  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2016, 8:58 PM
elly63 elly63 is online now
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Some information from a year and a half ago pertaining to this thread

Interesting to see that Wisconsin missed the NCAA final by one point and articles are popping up with them crediting the whippin' they got from Carleton as a change for their season.

Enlightening interview on PTS with Carleton coach Dave Smart on CIS and NCAA. He goes into detail on how the CIS might be a much better choice for many Canadian athletes rather than NCAA. Interview starts at 21:40
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  #46  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2016, 9:47 PM
isaidso isaidso is offline
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There have been so many pro basketball teams in Halifax over the last 25 years it's hard to keep track. I still liked the Windjammers the best. There was such a huge buzz leading up to their first game. It was tough scoring tickets to the home opener. I remember former Acadia University star Veinot getting a huge roar from the crowd every time he touched the ball. Unfortunately he was a little outmatched talent wise.

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  #47  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2016, 9:57 PM
isaidso isaidso is offline
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Originally Posted by rousseau View Post
Sting? Wow, that's kind out of left field. I just had a quick look at the Wikipedia page for the All-Star game, and it seems like the halftime shows are either "urban" or hip-hop, or showcase local artists. Either of which Toronto has in spades.

Sting is just about the last person you would think of being linked to NBA basketball. Aside from Dame Edna, I mean.



What a weird choice.
It's a weird choice but a welcome one for me. Not all basketball fans are from the ghetto or worship the culture that came out of there (hip hop). College hoops seems to be the only place in the basketball world you get a reprieve from it.

I realize a huge % of people like that sort of thing but it's all a little too low brow and crass for a big event imo. That's why Kanye West at the Pan Am Games was such a shock. What were they thinking?
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World's First Documented Baseball Game: Beachville, Ontario, June 4th, 1838.
World's First Documented Gridiron Game: University College, Toronto, November 9th, 1861.
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  #48  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2016, 11:31 PM
GernB GernB is offline
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Blast from the past

Excellent writeup on the 1983 Canadian Men's Basketball Team,

Canada’s Greatest Basketball Moment
robvogt80s.blogspot.ca 27 April 2013

Long before Steve Nash, and Jamal Magloire, and all those other Canadians who played in the NBA, and long before the NBA returned to Canada in 1995 with the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies, there was a group of relatively unknown Canadians who shocked the basketball world.

Shocking the world

The year was 1983, and the setting was the World University Games in Edmonton, Alberta. The Canadian men's basketball team was assembled from a group of college players, mostly from Canadian schools, but also a few American NCAA schools. At the time, the University of Victoria Vikings ruled men's basketball, and they were well-represented at the Universiade.

The team was coached by Jack Donohue, who had more success with the Canadian national team in international play than any other coach. He took them to fourth place finishes in the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games. No one knows what could have happened in 1980, but Canada chose to boycott the games that year, held in Moscow, over the Soviet Union's aggression in Afghanistan. He also coached Lew Alcindor in high school. Alcindor would go on to become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest college and professional players in history.

There is not a lot of information readily available on the 1983 World University Games tournament. We pick up the story after Canada managed to make it all the way to the semi-finals.

Awaiting them were the heavily-favoured and star-studded team from the United States. According to USA Basketball, the Americans had captured four straight gold medals and were loaded with talent. The team featured Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Johnny Dawkins, Ed Pinckney, and Kevin Willis. They cruised to the semi-finals with five straight wins, including a 156-75 win over Lebanon. In fact, the Americans hit or surpassed 100 points in each of their first four games. Their first test came against Cuba, but the U.S. still won by 15. This team averaged 112.7 points and had six players average in double figures.

Back in those days, unfortunately, it was before TSN or Sportsnet, so there was no wall-to-wall sports coverage. We missed the game that shocked the world (Edit: I'm pretty sure I saw it on CBC - elly). In front of 10,000 fans at the Butterdome in Edmonton, Canada defeated that world powerhouse the United States of America. It was not even that close, as Canada won by a score of 85-77, connecting on 29 of 40 free throws.

The win put them in the gold medal game against Yugoslavia, who was led by future NBA star Drazen Petrovic. By then, the Canadian team had drawn some attention. The game was broadcast on CBC, and I stayed up relatively late to watch it. So, on the campus of the University of Alberta, on a warm Saturday night, a group led by players with names such as Pasquale, Triano, Wiltjer, Kazanowski, and Tilleman, Team Canada claimed gold by defeating Yugoslavia, by a score of 83-68.

Relative obscurity

It is a crime that so few people know about this team, and their tremendous achievement. There is no information readily available on the Internet, and barely a mention from Basketball Canada. This team won a major international tournament, unlike any other Canadian men's team. It is true many of the players from this team would take fourth the next year at the Olympics, and that team has been inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame. Yet, this team won, and no one knows it. They were loaded with talent as well, and virtually all the top players were drafted by NBA teams.

Consider this:

Eli Pasquale – Drafted in the fifth round of the 1984 NBA draft by the Seattle Super Sonics, and played professionally in Argentina and Europe.

Jay Triano – Drafted in the eighth round of the 1981 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, and played professionally in Mexico and Turkey. He went on to coach the Toronto Raptors, and is in his second stint as head coach of the Canadian national team.

Greg Wiltjer – Drafted in the second round of the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, playing professionally for 12 seasons in Italy, Spain, and Greece. His son Kyle currently plays for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Gerald Kazanowski – Drafted in the seventh round of the 1983 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz, and played professionally for teams all over Europe including Spain, and Argentina and Mexico.

Karl Tilleman – Drafted in the fourth round of the 1984 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.

Danny Meagher – Drafted in the sixth round of the 1985 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, playing professionally overseas for eight years in Europe.

Bill Wennington – Drafted in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks, and would go on to win three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.

Howard Kelsey – Played professionally in Mexico, and now is heavily involved in Basketball Canada.

Tony Simms – Drafted in the sixth round of the 1983 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.

As much talent as the Americans had, that was not on the team, Canada had had two first-round picks who could have played for them as well: Leo Rautins and Stewart Granger.

Parting thoughts

It's funny how things can stick with you. I remember this team so well, and it has been 30 years since they won that gold medal. I remember the way Pasquale controlled the tempo of the game, and how Kazanowski dominated the boards. He wore this big bandage on his chin from a cut he suffered in a previous game. He also had this uncanny ability to find the open man, especially with the baseball pass. The announcers even said he had become proficient at it at UVic where he often connected with his brother. Wiltjer was another great post player, and Triano was the perfect complement to Pasquale in the back court. Tilleman was the one I knew best from his time at the University of Calgary. He was just a deadly outside shooter. As I watched that gold medal game, I hoped so bad he would play, and he did, but not that much. He was a guard too, and it was difficult to displace Pasquale and Triano.

Recently I just realized something as well. Four short years after the Canadians won gold, I was playing basketball on that same court when I attended the University of Alberta. A year after that, I was even playing ball wearing a UVic sweater, a gift from my sister who went there in 1988.

Anyway, maybe some day the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame will see how important this team really was and induct them. After all, they are some of the few Canadians who can call themselves champions. They provided Canada's greatest basketball moment – ever.
Saw the championship game at the Butterdome, crowd was announced at 11,000. I actually played against Pasquale and Kazanowski when I was at U of L. It was sad to see the national team fad into obscurity shortly after this; many of us saw Universiade as a major breakthrough for Canadian basketball but it was never followed up on.

Many of us thought that Tilleman could have played a larger role if he'd been given more floor time. He was probably the best pure shooter that I've ever seen. Unfortunately he was not as strong on defence, and Donahue would play Triano and Pasquale (both natural PGs and nowhere near the shooter that Tilleman was) no matter how hot Tilleman was or how poorly Triano (of whom I never had a very high opinion as a player) played. Also unfortunate that Perry Mirkovich from U of L (drafted 8th round by Portland) elected not to stay with the national program after the boycotted 1980 Olympics. Another natural shooter who could rebound strongly, he was probably the best player I ever played with or against.

Also, sadly....while Canada seems poised to have another breakthrough in Manila this summer, almost all the players on the team went to NCAA schools, while the majority of Donahue's team went to CIAU (CIS) schools. Plus we also lost Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis.

Last edited by GernB; Jan 30, 2016 at 1:21 AM.
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  #49  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2016, 3:41 AM
elly63 elly63 is online now
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Many of us thought that Tilleman could have played a larger role if he'd been given more floor time. He was probably the best pure shooter that I've ever seen. Unfortunately he was not as strong on defence, and Donahue would play Triano and Pasquale (both natural PGs and nowhere near the shooter that Tilleman was) no matter how hot Tilleman was or how poorly Triano (of whom I never had a very high opinion as a player) played. Also unfortunate that Perry Mirkovich from U of L (drafted 8th round by Portland) elected not to stay with the national program after the boycotted 1980 Olympics. Another natural shooter who could rebound strongly, he was probably the best player I ever played with or against.
Totally agree with your assessment of Tilleman, I remember it the same way.

PERRY MIRKOVICH

Southern Alberta has long been known as a hotbed of basketball, and one of the best players the area has ever produced is Perry Mirkovich.

Ironically, Mirkovich failed to make his junior high basketball team in his first try in Grade 7 at Wilson Junior High School. He went on to a standout high school career at Winston Churchill High School, winning back-to-back school MVP honors along with an assortment of tournament all-star awards.

Then it was on to the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, where Mirkovich starred for five seasons. A graceful six-foot-six, Mirkovich led the Canada West Conference in scoring in his final two seasons, becoming the first player in league history to capture back-to-back titles.

His U of L single-game and career scoring records stood for 20 years. He was a three-time Canada West All-Star (a unanimous selection in his final year) and capped his university career in 1979-80 by being named a second-team All-Canadian. He was also chosen as the U of L’s Male Athlete of the Year.

That summer, the National Basketball Association’s Portland Trail Blazers made Mirkovich a sixth-round draft pick (1980), making him the first Canadian ever drafted who played his high school and college ball in Canada. Mirkovich earned a berth on the Canadian Olympic team that year and was a member of the silver medal-winning team at an Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico. Canada’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Games robbed him of a chance to play in the Olympics.

He later played professionally in France and starred with a Senior Men’s Provincial Championship squad.
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  #50  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2016, 4:03 AM
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Here is the official logo for the Cape Breton Highlanders, which will be entering the NBL as the league's 9th franchise next year.

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  #51  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2016, 5:08 AM
GernB GernB is offline
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Not unhappy that the NBL is expanding, but TBH I'd rather see those fans attending AUS games than a third rate semi-pro league. Highlanders is a great name for a team though.
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  #52  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2016, 12:40 PM
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It's a weird choice but a welcome one for me. Not all basketball fans are from the ghetto or worship the culture that came out of there (hip hop). College hoops seems to be the only place in the basketball world you get a reprieve from it.

I realize a huge % of people like that sort of thing but it's all a little too low brow and crass for a big event imo. That's why Kanye West at the Pan Am Games was such a shock. What were they thinking?
I find that the fact that there is always so much more controversy than in other places about who to invite to "represent" at major events (Pan Am, NBA All-Star Game, etc.) is very symptomatic of a contemporary soul-searching about who ''we'' are and what our culture is all about.

Sorry if I am getting too deep here but this really jumped out at me reading this thread, and when you referenced the Pan-Am… even more.
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  #53  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2016, 6:18 PM
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Here's a cool NFB doc from yesteryear with some rare footage of the 76 Men's Olympic basketball team and the legend Jack Donohue. Also Diane Jones, Canada's sweetheart...yowza

The team finished fourth in the Olympics which was a pretty good accomplishment when you consider that the full USSR team competed (including Lithuania et al) and the full Yugoslavian team as well.

I'll Go Again
NFB Paul Cowan, 1977, 41 min 26s

This documentary by director Paul Cowan is about four athletes and a team (Men's basketball team) that competed in the 1976 Olympics. They had trained courageously to be among those who would mount the podium to receive a medal. None of them did, but was it worth the effort? I'll Go Again answers the question.


Last edited by elly63; Jan 30, 2016 at 6:36 PM.
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  #54  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2016, 6:58 PM
isaidso isaidso is offline
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Not unhappy that the NBL is expanding, but TBH I'd rather see those fans attending AUS games than a third rate semi-pro league. Highlanders is a great name for a team though.
There's enough basketball interest in the Maritimes to support both. The AUS conference finals attract more than the other 3 Canadian university conference finals put together. Nova Scotians don't care that the NBL is 2nd or 3rd rate. They want their own pro teams and those are the teams they have. They will support both the NBL and their 5 AUS teams.

What I always find astonishing is that I can watch 100's of NCAA basketball games on tv but ones from my own country are next to impossible. Right now I'm watching Virginia - Louisville but I'd rather be watching SMU - St. FX (then Dal - Acadia tonight). I can't because Canadian university ball doesn't matter to Toronto where our media is based. When I tell Torontonians that I support the Dal Tigers they look at me like I'm from Mars. Who are the Dal Tigers and why would you do that is their usual response. Um... because I went there and I'm from Canada and living in Canada???

If Toronto is such a great basketball city, Ryerson, the U of T, and York would be playing before 15,000 fans. They get around 100 if they're lucky. There's great support for the Raptors but no other basketball gets any attention... not even our national teams (although that's finally changing). A Canada - France game a few years back at the ACC drew ~ 1000 fans. It was embarrasing.
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World's First Documented Baseball Game: Beachville, Ontario, June 4th, 1838.
World's First Documented Gridiron Game: University College, Toronto, November 9th, 1861.
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Last edited by isaidso; Jan 30, 2016 at 7:23 PM.
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  #55  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2016, 7:01 PM
isaidso isaidso is offline
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I find that the fact that there is always so much more controversy than in other places about who to invite to "represent" at major events (Pan Am, NBA All-Star Game, etc.) is very symptomatic of a contemporary soul-searching about who ''we'' are and what our culture is all about.
I think you're reading more into this than there is. I never puzzle as to what my Canadian culture is but when you host a big event it needs to be somewhat representative of your city/country.

Kanye West at the Pan Ams? He was pretty much the last person they should have gotten. A crass, vulgar, low brow, egomaniac with a ridiculous sense of his self importance? That's who Toronto wanted to showcase to the rest of America? They didn't need to hire a Canuck but at least get someone who doesn't make one vomit at the mere mention of his name.
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World's First Documented Baseball Game: Beachville, Ontario, June 4th, 1838.
World's First Documented Gridiron Game: University College, Toronto, November 9th, 1861.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats since 1869 & Toronto Argonauts since 1873: North America's 2 oldest pro football teams
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  #56  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2016, 8:42 PM
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I think you're reading more into this than there is. I never puzzle as to what my Canadian culture is but when you host a big event it needs to be somewhat representative of your city/country.

Kanye West at the Pan Ams? He was pretty much the last person they should have gotten. A crass, vulgar, low brow, egomaniac with a ridiculous sense of his self importance? That's who Toronto wanted to showcase to the rest of America? They didn't need to hire a Canuck but at least get someone who doesn't make one vomit at the mere mention of his name.
It's clear to you but that's not the case for everyone obviously.

Ultimately I think we are both saying the same thing.
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  #57  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2016, 9:35 PM
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There's enough basketball interest in the Maritimes to support both. The AUS conference finals attract more than the other 3 Canadian university conference finals put together. Nova Scotians don't care that the NBL is 2nd or 3rd rate. They want their own pro teams and those are the teams they have. They will support both the NBL and their 5 AUS teams.

What I always find astonishing is that I can watch 100's of NCAA basketball games on tv but ones from my own country are next to impossible. Right now I'm watching Virginia - Louisville but I'd rather be watching SMU - St. FX (then Dal - Acadia tonight). I can't because Canadian university ball doesn't matter to Toronto where our media is based. When I tell Torontonians that I support the Dal Tigers they look at me like I'm from Mars. Who are the Dal Tigers and why would you do that is their usual response. Um... because I went there and I'm from Canada and living in Canada???

I hope you're right about being able to support both pro and CIS teams. It didn't
If Toronto is such a great basketball city, Ryerson, the U of T, and York would be playing before 15,000 fans. They get around 100 if they're lucky. There's great support for the Raptors but no other basketball gets any attention... not even our national teams (although that's finally changing). A Canada - France game a few years back at the ACC drew ~ 1000 fans. It was embarrasing.
Hope you're right about supporting both pro and CIS. It didn't work when the old CBA put a team here. Both the College and University saw drop-offs in their attendance, but the Dusters drew only a few hundred in a 5000 seat arena.

I couldn't agree more with your point about CIS coverage. NCAA all day long, a couple games during the week, but no CIS coverage whatsoever. I realize TSN and Rogers have to make money, but surely some coverage is possible.

Your point about Toronto support for the Raptors is well taken also. Although they're drawing well, I don't believe that there's any great groundswell of support, any more than that Torontonians suddenly became great baseball fans last fall. A winning team in an American league is simply the place to be, and the Raptors are winning.
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  #58  
Old Posted Jan 31, 2016, 12:17 AM
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A crass, vulgar, low brow, egomaniac with a ridiculous sense of his self importance? That's who Toronto wanted to showcase to the rest of America
Freudian slip?
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  #59  
Old Posted Jan 31, 2016, 12:32 AM
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mistercorporate mistercorporate is offline
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Originally Posted by Berklon View Post
Yea, that's not what basketball fans on the internet are saying.
I felt the same way as them till I was forced to hear him live, it's quite entertaining if people would give it a chance. That being said, not sure how it will sound on TV.
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  #60  
Old Posted Jan 31, 2016, 12:34 AM
elly63 elly63 is online now
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Originally Posted by isaidso View Post
What I always find astonishing is that I can watch 100's of NCAA basketball games on tv but ones from my own country are next to impossible. Right now I'm watching Virginia - Louisville but I'd rather be watching SMU - St. FX (then Dal - Acadia tonight). I can't because Canadian university ball doesn't matter to Toronto where our media is based. When I tell Torontonians that I support the Dal Tigers they look at me like I'm from Mars. Who are the Dal Tigers and why would you do that is their usual response. Um... because I went there and I'm from Canada and living in Canada?
You make a great point here because I can't understand why TSN would want to build foreign properties over their own. Well, actually I can because they are likely getting the game feed and it is cheaper to produce than TSN going into the field themselves.

The worst part is they are showcasing NCAA teams that aren't as good as their CIS counterparts. Because of the larger number of NCAA schools, they come under the umbrella of all being great when only the elite programs may be better than the elite CIS teams. And this isn't even true for hockey. Why are we being sold NCAA hockey?

The discussed CIS super league for football may be the answer. Have a schedule built for the top ten teams in football, hockey and basketball to play against each other. The competitiveness and the calibre of play would be much better. But of course that doesn't fix the wannabe culture who trumpet America but are totally ignorant of the improvements that have gone on in their own backyard.

Listen to the interview above with Dave Smart as he schools Bob McCown who has his head so far up American ass that he is woefully uninformed of what is actually happening here and in the USA.

We have great coaches here (according to Triano) and programs that all seem to be cooperating and pulling in the right direction (finally).
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