Hurricanes Men's Basketball: Vive Montreal!

Friday, March 8, 2013

The Hurricanes celebrate following their ACAA championship victory

It's still a few days away, but the Holland College men's basketball Hurricanes are gearing up for their first-ever appearance at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) men's basketball championships.

After winning the first Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association (ACAA) basketball championship in school history in Fredericton, the Hurricanes have turned their attention to Montreal for their first national championship appearance next week.

The fifth-seeded Hurricanes will play their first game on Thursday, Mar. 14, at 7:30 p.m. against the RSEQ champion Champlain St-Lambert Cavaliers, who booked their ticket by beating the Nomades de Montmorency 69-52 in the RSEQ championship game.

All tournament games will be broadcast live on www.sportscanada.tv.

The Hurricanes have hit the reset button after an exciting weekend at the ACAA championships that featured late-game heroics and plenty of twists and turns throughout.

However, despite going 20-3 in the regular season and playoffs, the team knows it's time to get back to the grind as they prepare for Montreal.

The Hurricanes will need ACAA First Team All-Star and conference rookie of the year Chase Bowden to continue his strong play from the ACAA championships. The New Glasgow, N.S., native averaged 18 points and 16.5 rebounds per game during ACAA championship weekend, and his presence down low should be enough to force teams to plan for him.

Meanwhile, fellow First Team All-Star Alvin Parker will continue to quarterback the Hurricanes' offence as he has all season. The CCAA's leader in assists per game in the regular season, Parker averaged 11.5 points, nine assists and 7.5 rebounds per game in Fredericton to further establish himself as a threat at both ends of the floor.

Meanwhile, former ACAA player of the year Leo Morris and Steve Hardy, Saturday's semifinal hero, both showed they can produce offensively as well, as both put up 15 points in the championship game against St. Thomas.

Holland College will be up against a Cavaliers team that went 16-5 in the regular season en route to its conference championship. Seeded fourth for the tournament, Champlain St-Lambert will be led by RSEQ tournament most valuable player Alexandre Paquin, who averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game while averaging 35 minutes of floor time. Meanwhile, Kenny Jean Louis is also a threat at both ends of the court, as he averaged 14 points, 6.5 assists and six rebounds per game over the championship weekend.

Down low, Nolan Woodward figures to be the big threat for the Cavaliers, averaging 11 points and 11 rebounds per game over the weekend while Chris Joseph was a perimeter threat for Champlain St-Lambert, going 50 per cent (7-14) from three-point land in the Cavaliers' championship weekend.

-30-


For media inquiries please contact:

Daniel Cudmore
Athletics Development and Communications Coordinator
Department of Athletics and Recreation
Holland College
(902)894-6870