The University of Victoria Vikes men's basketball team will have its first test against Canadian Interuniversity Sport opposition tonight at McKinnon Gym.
The Vikes, who won the Pacific Division in Canada West last year with a 14-4 record, host the Bishop's University Gaiters from Lennoxville, Que., at 6 p.m.
"There is some history between the teams,'' said UVic coach Craig Beau-camp. "We played them last year at the Carleton tournament and they beat us. They are returning almost the entire roster from last year so they should be good. Last year, Bishop's was quick and athletic.''
UVic has a number of questions to be answered before the Canada West season starts in early November. Due to graduation, the Vikes lost sharpshooter and all-star Ryan MacKinnon, point guard Zac Andrus and forward Mike Berg, three-fifths of the starting lineup.
MacKinnon led the team in scoring last year, averaging 19.9 points per game, while Andrus was a great playmaker and Berg gave UVic an inside presence.
Who will Beaucamp and his staff find to fill these holes?
"It is going to take some time to figure out what positions suit everyone,'' said Beaucamp. "That is why we are playing a lot of pre-season games so we can have a better look at the team. Some of our guys will definitely be stepping into new roles this year.''
Oak Bay grad Reese Pribilsky was in the point guard mix but he is taking a year off. John Woldu was also expected to press for playing time as point guard but he is out for the season with a knee injury.
"We have had to do some scrambling at the point guard position,'' said Beaucamp. "Rookie Kyle Peterson [from Edmonton] has the opportunity to be a great point guard in Canada West. We also brought in Brandon Dunlop to help with the problem. Brandon has been away from basketball for three years and there will be an adjustment period for him. It will also take him some time to get his fitness level back. If we were starting the season right now, the point guard position would be filled by committee.''
Two of the offensive leaders for UVic should be Michael Acheampong and Terrell Evans. Acheam-pong was second in team scoring last year with 13.7 point per game, while Evans chipped in with 9.4.
"We don't have many players with a lot of Canada West experience but we have the potential to be good again. I think this team will be more athletic than last year.''
Beaucamp will have experience at the post position as 6-foot-7 Pierce Anderson comes back for his sixth year. Anderson red-shirted his first year at UVic. Towering 6-foot-10 Chris McLaughlin also returns for his third year.
The rookies on the team are Peterson, Brin Taylor from Edmonton and Claremont grad Dominic Ohl, who red-shirted last season.
The Vikes' next exhibition game is Oct. 12 at McKinnon Gym against the Seattle Mountaineers, a semi-pro team. The women Vikes, under the direction of associate coach Dani Sinclair (head man Rich Chambers is absence due to family reasons) will also play Oct. 12 against UBC-Okanagan. The women play at 6 p.m., followed by the men at 8 p.m.
