Last season, the Tommies men’s basketball team lost 91-90 in overtime in the finals against Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU). The women’s team made it to the quarter-finals, losing against Holland College.
This season, both teams are confident they will improve on last season’s results.
The Ken Gould Tournament is a three-day pre-season exhibition event named after Ken Gould, an athlete who led the Tommies to three consecutive N.B. College Basketball Conference Championship titles from 1963 to 1965.
This year, the tournament took place from Oct.18 to Oct. 20.
Fred Connors has been coaching the women’s team for 22 years where he has been named six times ACAA women’s basketball coach of the year and has led the Tommies to five ACAA championships and two national medals.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” he said. “They’re playing very well. I mean, right now we’re 4-4-1 in our preseason.”
During the tournament, the women’s team won two of the three exhibition games against the University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ) and MSVU.
Kylee Roi, a fourth-year guard shared that the team “built chemistry from the jump,” which she thinks is going to take them pretty far this year.
“I think the biggest thing is we all give 100 per cent and that goes a long way when everyone that you’re standing beside is giving the same amount of effort as you,” she said. “We have a lot of fun playing together.”
Claudia Steeves, a rookie guard, also shared that the exhibition games helped her get “a lot of the nerves out” as she grew more comfortable playing with the team.
Connors said that the team’s biggest strength is their “unselfishness” on offense and defense. He was worried about their scoring capability, but so far, “they have been scoring the ball fairly well.”
The head coach of the men’s basketball team John Hickey thinks the team is “right there at the top.”
“We’ve got a really good mix of veterans and young guys, so we’ll be right there for a championship at the end, same as we have in the last couple of years,” said Hickey.
Vincent Lyttleton, a fourth-year guard, also shared his excitement about this season since he has played for the Tommies the past two seasons. He has gone to the finals in both seasons.
“This year, I’m expecting nothing less out of our group,” said Lyttleton.
During the Ken Gould Tournament, the men’s team won two out of three games against UNBSJ and Mount Allison.
Their team is still working on their chemistry, but Lyttleton thinks it’ll come together as they “practice more every day.”
Zack Dool is a rookie guard who is enthusiastic about playing this season with the Tommies.
“I’ve been watching the team for the past couple years,” said Dool.
He said their biggest strength is that they “have a lot of guys that can put the ball in the basket whenever you need it.”
The next game for the Tommies is on Nov. 2 against Crandall University.
