GUELPH, Ont. – Following back-to-back playoff appearances in both 2018-19 as well as 2019-20, the Guelph Gryphons men's basketball team finally returns to action on Wednesday night (Nov. 3) when they travel to Windsor to face the Lancers in the opening game of the 2021-22 OUA men's basketball regular season.
Led by head coach
Chris O'Rourke, the longest-tenured head coach in all of U SPORTS men's basketball (now in his 25th season behind the U of G bench), the Gryphons enter the new season with a nice mix of returning veterans and promising newcomers.
Helping lead the way for the Gryphons in 2021-22 will be talented forward,
Rasheed Weekes. The Mississauga native is in his fifth year with the U of G men's basketball program but just his fourth-year of eligibility, and provides the Gryphons with a reliable presence in the post. In 2019-20, Weekes averaged 13.7 points per game (3rd on the team) to go along with 6.9 rebounds per game. His 55 offensive rebounds on the season ranked him 8th in the conference in that category. The 6-foot-5 psychology major has also evolved his game to extend to the perimeter, with Weekes going 22-65 (33.8%) from beyond the arc during the 2019-20 season. The outside shot has continued to improve for Weekes each year at U of G, with the veteran forward going 4-7 from beyond in Guelph's most recent game, a 94-91 win over Ryerson to cap off an undefeated preseason (3-0).
When talking about scoring options for the Gryphons, the conversation starts with senior guard,
Malcolm Glanville. The fourth-year forward from Scarborough, Ontario averaged a team-high 16.2 points per game in 2019-20, to go along with an 81.7% free throw percentage.
While the production at the offensive end has always been there for Glanville, who back in 2019 was selected by the Guelph Nighthawks in the U SPORTS rounds of the Canadian Elite Basketball League Draft, the 6-foot-4 marketing management major has also continued to improve at the defensive end, with Glanville now providing the Gryphons with a strong, on-ball presence.
Starting point guard duties in 2021-22 once again fall to the smooth, left-handed
Keenan Dowell. The human kinetics major from Cloverdale, BC is entering his second season as a Gryphon after a strong OUA debut season in 2019-20. Dowell arrived at U of G after a
pair of stops in the United States, but has found a home in the U of G backcourt, where he added 11.4 points per game, to along with 4.3 rebounds per game and 33 steals on the season. Dowell not only brings great ball handling to the Gryphons point guard position, he also brings a toughness at both ends of the court, with the 6-foot-5 guard often the first to come up with loose balls or draw a charge.
Carl Veltmann, a sociology major from Toronto, returns for his second season as a Gryphon and provides Coach O'Rourke with a versatile option either in the starting lineup or off the bench. Newcomer
Jalen Mason (Mississauga, ON) arrives at U of G for his debut season of OUA basketball in 2021-22 after having redshirted south of the border with the Niagara Purple Eagles (NCAA D-1).
Mason's strong defensive presence and ability to finish at the rim could see him earn a spot in the Gryphons starting five early on in his OUA career.
Brandon Halliburton, an OCAA All-Canadian during his time at Durham College, will make his Gryphon debut in 2021-22 after being with the team all of last season during the canceled year due to the pandemic. Another OCAA product who could make an immediate impact is
Khalid Ismail, an athletic 6-foot-3 guard who has the ability to get to the rim. Ismail is also set to make his Gryphon debut this season after having spent two years suiting up in the OCAA with the Humber Hawks.
Complimenting
Rasheed Weekes in the Gryphon front court is Felix Janusaukas, a 6-foot-7 forward from Toronto with the ability to provide the Gryphs with a spark at the offensive end.
Viktor Nausedas (Mississauga, ON) enters his third year with the program and is an active presence on the glass while also possessing the ability to connect from beyond the arc. Incoming rookie
Andrew Ackerman (Meadow Lake, SK) arrives at U of G after having been named 'Mr. Basketball' in Saskatchewan, where the 6-foot-8 forward starred on his provincial team. Ackerman is a fundamentally-sound post player who also can step back to shoot the three. Rounding out the list of Gryphon forwards projected to make an impact in 2021-22 is
Everest Jaggs, another out-of-province recruit. The 6-foot-9 Jaggs hails from Vancouver, BC and provides the Gryphons with a physical presence in the paint, on the glass and while setting screens.
The Gryphons went a perfect 3-0 in the preseason with wins over the University of Toronto, the Sheridan Bruins as well as Ryerson. With the 2021-22 OUA regular season format modified due to COVID, the Gryphons will play six fewer games than in past seasons (16 games, down from 22 games). The OUA will also implement a new divisional structure, with the 18 schools divided into just two divisions (East and West, as opposed to the 2019-20 format which had three divisions). The Gryphons open their season on the road at Windsor (Nov. 3) before returning home to host the Lancers on Saturday (Nov. 6). All of the games can be seen live online at OUA.tv.
Quote from head coach, Chris O'Rourke:
"We are all very excited to get back to playing the game we love. We feel very good about our team's depth and we have a great mix of experience and youth. We are skilled at the guard position, Rasheed (Weekes) anchors our forward spot, but we also have some guys, like Viktor (Nausedas) emerging. Andrew (Ackerman) and Felix (Janusaukas) are intriguing talents, while Malcolm (Glanville) and K.D. (
Keenan Dowell) are proven players in our backcourt. There is no clear favourite in the OUA West, and we expect there to be lots of close games with lots of teams fighting it out for playoff positioning in our division."
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
Rasheed Weekes (4th-year, forward)
Malcolm Glanville (4th-year, guard)
Keenan Dowell (4th-year, guard)
KEY ADDITIONS
Khalid Ismail (transfer from Humber - OCAA)
Jalen Mason (transfer from Niagara University - NCAA D1)
Brandon Halliburton (transfer from Durham College - OCAA)
KEY LOSSES
Tommy Yanchus
Banky Alade
Aaron Nugent
