When you're a college basketball team with only one returning player from the previous season, you're likely headed for some growing pains. And if that one player gets hurt, well . . . that's when you may be entering a world of pain.
That's the story from the first half of the PacWest season for the Capilano Blues as they sputtered to a 1-6 record. The campaign actually started relatively well as the Blues lost a squeaker in overtime on the road against a talented Quest University squad in the season opener and then rebounded to beat Kwantlen 77-67 in Game 2. Leading the way was Burnaby's Andrew Morris, a member of the 2013-14 PacWest all-rookie team who was the only Capilano returning player this season (Vancouver's Cole Peterson also returned but he was a non-playing redshirt last season).
Morris averaged 25.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in those first two games and then got hurt. He missed the next four games and the Blues lost them all, including some winnable contests against similarly struggling teams.
So that's the bad news. Is there any good news? Yes, there is. Quite a bit, actually. Morris is back in the lineup now and ready for a strong second term. The Blues will also get a friendlier schedule from here on out. So far they've played only two games at home and five on the road. In the second term they'll get seven road games and seven home games, including six of their final eight contests at home to end the season. On top of it all, the Blues are still in good position to make the playoffs, currently sitting in a three-way tie for the sixth and final playoff spot with Kwantlen and Columbia Bible College.
New head coach Jon Acob, however, is realistic about his team's chances of challenging for a provincial title this season.
"Overall it's a rebuilding year," he said. "We're basically a high school team. We have nine guys that are straight from high school. . . . But they were good high school players. I'm looking forward to next year. Hopefully they get a lot of minutes this year and they contribute a lot next year."
Leading the charge for the rookies is point guard Martin Bogajev from Burnaby who helped carry the team while Morris was out and now sits seventh in the league with a scoring average of 13.7 points per game. "He's got a good chance of making the all-rookie team, if not rookie of the year," said Acob. "We wouldn't have been in some of those games if it wasn't for Martin." Other notable recruits include Sutherland's Graddy Zubaidi, Sentinel's Braeden Fitzpatrick, and Burnaby's Reese Morris, the MVP of last year's AAA provincial championships.
Acob said that with such a young roster there isn't a lot of pressure on the kids to be stars right away.
"There's no pressure on our shoulders right now," he said. "That's a good thing with such a young team. I can put in my own system and let them learn it, and they can just play the way they're capable of without any added pressure."
The team, however, is still going to battle hard, said Acob, adding that they already have the talent to make the playoffs and challenge for a semifinal spot.
"If the boys grow up quick then we have a good shot at third or fourth," he said. "This team is really talented - it's just that we're young."
The Blues will begin the second term at home Friday night against Quest. Game times are 6 p.m. for the women and 8 p.m. for the men at the Capilano Sportsplex.
