Stinger fans will get their first look at the 2006 men's basketball team this weekend when Concordia hosts its annual Nike tournament.
There are high expectations for this edition of the team that has enjoyed an exceptional recruiting year and already had a solid nucleus returning.
"We look very good," says Andre Johnny, a third-year forward from Montreal. "Even though we haven't played a game yet, we are really together as a team. We are very athletic, very deep and have been playing very aggressive defence."
There's a lot of offensive talent with all-Canadian Pat Perrotte (15.1 points a game) and Quebec first team all-star Damian Buckley (16.9) carrying the load. They'll get support from second team all-star Dwayne Buckley (10.4) and Ben Sormonte who returns from a one-year sabbatical to concentrate on graduate studies. In 2004-'05 Sormonte averaged 10 points a game and was a second team conference all-star.
Two high-flying rookies to keep an eye on are: Rob Cooper, six-foot-six forward from Toronto, and Lachine, Que. native Paget Berridge, a six-foot-one guard who returns home after a stint at Gannon University in Pennsylvania.
Last season, the Stingers finished first in the Quebec conference with a 14-2 win-loss record. However, they were upended 102-90 by the UQAM Citadins in the league semifinal game. It was a hard lesson to learn.
"Last year we took things for granted," says Johhny. "We'd been to nationals the year before (March 2005) and we thought we just had to show up to win games. Now we know what it takes to win games."
All this level-headed, pragmatic talk doesn't mean the Stingers will be dull this season.
"If people thought we were exciting to watch before, they haven't seen anything yet," promises third-year.
Concordia will be challenged by the Saskatchewan Huskies, Laurentian Voyageurs and New York Tech, a Division II school.
