Warriors need a quick rebound

Men’s basketball finds itself in an early season hole

The University of Waterloo men’s basketball team are still in search of their first victory after a pair of losses suffered this past weekend.

The Warriors failed to capitalize on their first set of home games, losing to the Ryerson Rams 81–67 and the Toronto Varsity Blues 71–64. Waterloo now sits in seventh place in the OUA with a 0–3 record.

Waterloo tipped off the weekend with their home opener against the heavily favoured Ryerson Rams, the current OUA number one.

The Warriors impressed in the early going. They exited the first quarter tied at 15–15 and by the half were only down by four points. 

Going into the fourth quarter the Warriors were up by five and had a legitimate chance of pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the young OUA season.

However, in the fourth quarter it was Ryerson who flexed their offensive muscles and pulled away, winning the quarter 27–18 and the game 81–67.

With the win, Ryerson was able to shed the ghost of the past at PAC. Last season they were humiliated 82–39 by the Carlton Ravens in the OUA final at the University of Waterloo.

While the Warriors may have fallen apart down the stretch, forward Kyrie Coleman was dominant throughout. He led both teams with 28 points and added 11 rebounds.

The Warriors continued their home stand the next night against the Toronto Varsity Blues (2–2), a team which sits in sixth place in a stellar OUA East division.

Once again the Warriors were solid from tip off. At halftime they were in the lead for the first time all season.

However, like in their game against Ryerson, Waterloo was unable to maintain the lead down the stretch.

A lackluster third quarter gave the Varsity Blues all the momentum they needed to extend the Warriors winless streak to three.

 Point guard Alex Hill led the way for the Varsity Blues. His 27 points were 12 more than anyone else on either side could offer.

For Waterloo, Coleman was impressive once again, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Meanwhile, guard Mike Helsby had an impressive all-round game with 11 points, six assists, and seven rebounds.

On paper, a 0–3 winless record does not look particularly promising, but there are several contributing factors that could account for the poor positin, as well as a few positives.

So far, the Warriors have played three solid teams, including the undefeated Ryerson Rams and the 3–1 Queen’s Gaels.

Furthermore, while Waterloo has not been good offensively, they can take solace in their defensive efforts thus far.

Last season, the Warriors were one of the worst defensive teams in the OUA and it was clearly reflected in their position.

Finally, the Warriors are without a natural point guard. Helsby has filled the role admirably but point guard is not his regular position.

Waterloo’s next opportunity to grab their first victory of the season are against the York Lions and the Laurentian Voyageurs. Both games are on the road.