Power Hour

Time for a debut here, people.

Now is the time of year that I get knee deep into covering the Brandon Bobcats for the Brandon Sun while also providing colour commentary on WCG-TV, the cable access station of southwestern Manitoba. That being said, I'm going to introduce a Canada West conference power rankings for this site, something I've mulled over wanting to add to our web site at the Sun. But falling short of that, I am adding it into this space as a regular feature on Wednesdays, one day after the national coaches poll is released.

Now I am loath to spin again the same tired song that gets played everywhere else, but — as has been well-documented — I have very little creativity and am not overly interested in exhausting effort to come up with my own ideas. Now, we also have the venerable Howard Tsumura at the Vancouver Province who already does a conference ranking on his own time, but no one is going to argue that coverage of university sports in this country is over-saturated, so I'm putting my hat in the ring. (Alright, fine. I'll add my own twist to the tired old tradition and come up with a different name for these rankings. See below).

First things first, for the CIS basketball people who read this post — sorry for my lack of content — let me just assess a couple of things in the Canada West for those who are interested and don't get out to watch all the teams on a regular basis.

MEN:
Thus far, Brandon has hosted Simon Fraser, Trinity Western and Manitoba and has run to 4-0. So that gives us five teams to have a look at.

Simon Fraser: I originally had them pegged for the No. 2 spot in the Pacific but their lackluster start combined with the surprising play of Fraser Valley and Victoria (the Vikes have rallied in the face of losing almost everyone), has Simon Fraser (2-4) suddenly having to climb a big hill. Such is life in that division if you don't get a great start. But a couple of wins this weekend, including a nice one over Calgary, has the Clan at least back in the discussion. Still, I'm hesitant to drink the kool-aid (incidentally, I'm tired of the over-use of that term, and will put an embargo on it in my future posts) and think that the Clan's depth is going to be the major sticking point to their success.

Trinity Western: A team — on paper — built for the switch to the up-tempo FIBA rules but one not quite talented enough to make it work yet. The Spartans (1-5) have a guy in Lucas Goltz who can fill it up and Luke Robinson who can stick some shots, but in the grand scheme of things TWU is simply not that good.

Manitoba: It was never more obvious than last weekened how much Manitoba (0-4) relies on Isaac Ansah. The athletic guard sat out both games in Brandon with a deep thigh bruise and suddenly you realize how little the Bisons have in the way of offensive production. On top of that, they're very reliant on one-on-one production so without a bona fide scorer, their offensive really sputters. Darcy Coss can be keyed on and then Manitoba has to find anyone else to score the ball. And, truth be told, there isn't anyone there to do so.

Brandon: The Bobcats have played the last four games without big man Yuri Whyms and were dealt a blow when Nik Quick decided to leave the team to tend to financial matters (he's an American without a work visa in Canada). But credit the Bobcats for winning those four games despite the fact that each of them lacked any artistry whatsoever. They absolutely stunk on Saturday in a win over Manitoba in which they shot 5-for-24 from the three and the Bisons just packed into a 2-3 zone. It made for boring ball, and the Bobcats — for much of these four regular season games — have looked very beatable when teams slowed the game down. BU hasn't gotten into its transition game nearly as much as it would like.

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WOMEN:
Simon Fraser: Nothing to say here. No one beats this team this season (including UBC), and if they do manage to lose a conference game, it's merely a blip. They're good enough to roll over anyone.

Trinity Western: Much improved Spartans team that boasts some size as well as capable guards. Won't make a ton of noise this season, but considering the past struggles that squad has had, they've already achieved a considerable amount.

Manitoba: Another versatile 6-foot player (in the mould of Melanie Schlicter) would do wonders for the Bisons, who are the most up-tempo of up-tempo teams in the conference. As it is, they're a young group that should remain middle of the road in CanWest but the youngsters they do have are talented. Watch this team in a couple of seasons.

Brandon: Same ol' same ol' in the Wheat City for the women's team. They are, however, significantly improved from the past but are still wholly incapable of playing 40 good minutes, which has been their downfall. They'll get a win somewhere, however. Still missing a couple of pieces, namely a solid veteran presence with consistent scoring ability.

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Without further adieu, let's do the first-ever TPA Totem Poll (misspelling intended):

MEN:
1. UBC Thunderbirds (5-1) — Here's my thing: The defending conference champions get the benefit of the doubt. Sure they have a loss (Nov. 3 @ Calgary), but they also boast impressive road wins at Simon Fraser (92-55), vs Trinity Western (104-77) and vs Fraser Valley (84-63). While you could argue that the one stiff test they received they failed, I prefer to look at that as the exception to the rule. They're flat blowing teams out, which is more than you can say for...
2. Brandon Bobcats (4-0) — The team that lost to UBC in last year's conference final before charging all the way to the national championship game. Brandon remains one of only two undefeateds in the conference but they haven't been impressive on their way there. They man-handled Trinity but struggled for 35 minutes or so against Simon Fraser and had to eke one out. And although they were never seriously challenged by U of M, they were far from pretty there, either. This is a team that needs its swagger back and quickly.
3. Alberta Golden Bears (3-1) —The Bears already own a pre-season win over the Bobcats but split with the Saskatchewan Huskies on their home floor this weekend, a performance not becoming of the nation's No. 6-ranked team. (Note: The author is wholly unconvinced of U of S's place among the national elite.). But Alberta does boast some impressive wins, namely blowouts of Ottawa and Fraser Valley along with wins over BU and Victoria. A handful of guys who can flat-out fill it up and, once again, the Bears are worthy of being mentioned among the conference heavy-hitters.
4. Calgary Dinos (3-1) — Into this spot by the slimmest of margins, the Dinos would likely love a do-over from their loss in Burnaby on Friday but they've nonetheless posted good results to date. An athletic bunch — with the Brothers Bekkering at the top of that list — that seems destined to finish just short of U of A in the Central Division.
5. Victoria Vikes (5-1) — By virtue of a slim loss to the Dinos, the Vikes take a back seat in these rankings. But they earn points for putting up a 5-1 record to this point despite their line-up having been gutted. Their top five leading scorers from last season are all gone but Vic has perservered. That said, don't be surprised if this ranking slips in the coming weeks: UVic has had by far the weakest schedule of anyone in the conference through three weeks.
6. Regina Cougars (4-0) — OK Cougs, you have the most tenuous of holds in the rankings this week. First off, Regina has played all four games on home floor and secondly its done it against teams with a combined 7-13 record. Still, the Cougars are 4-0 and, with the addition of Bryden Wright back in the lineup from a year off, are capable of putting up a bunch of points. They won't contend for the conference title and they won't be playing in nationals but they fill the "I'm not sure I wanna play them in the playoffs" role.
7. Saskatchewan Huskies (2-2) — A record of 2-2 is probably apt for this team that, because of its star player, can beat anyone on any given day but likely isn't good enough to really be feared regularly. The Huskies have already played 18 conference and non-conference games (18!) and Andrew Spagrud is averaging 33 minutes a game. If that isn't a recipe for breaking down your bus come February, I don't know what is. Spags is certainly a game-changer but the rest of the Huskies are beatable. Shooting guard Kyle Grant can kill you if left alone. So the solution? Don't let him do what he wants. Make Grant, who has a slow first step, put the ball on the floor. Then you're immediately testing their depth, which is not very good. All that adds up to a team I can't trust betting on.
8. Fraser Valley Cascades (3-3) — No slighting Barnaby Craddock and his new team, but the Cascades have but one "good win" in six conference outings and that was an OT win over Saskatchewan. This is not to gloss over their narrow win over Thompson Rivers, which didn't instil confidence.
9. Simon Fraser Clan (2-4) — A team that can beat you up with its size and toughness, but one still not quite geared for going at a high pace with the best of them. When they feed Greg Wallis, they have their most success, but they still go away from their big man on occasion. If they get their act together, they're the typical team that will make you work for everything you get.
10. Winnipeg Wesmen (2-2) — Went on the road to Regina — admittedly a tough spot to get wins — and got worked. So that means their only two wins came against the conference weakling Bisons. They'll get a shot in the arm in two weeks when Winnipegger Cam Hornby is eligible after transferring from South Dakota State.
11. Trinity Western Spartans (1-5) — The one bright side is they have a true gunner in Goltz who can score a ton. The tools are there but they're not, shall we say, the best tools in the land. They hung in with Regina but have otherwise been thumped in every outing, save for their win over Lethbridge.
12. Lethbridge Pronghorns (0-4) — Really not much to say: They haven't won a game in the conference and the only reason they're not in the basement is because a pre-season win over Saskatchewan at least showed they have the capability of winning. That, and the two below them are that much worse.
13. Manitoba Bisons (0-4) — They need, repeat NEED, Isaac Ansah in their lineup if they have a hope in this world of winning more than two games this season. Even with that, the post-season is a distant hope for a team that hasn't tasted victory yet.
14. Thompson Rivers WolfPack (0-6) — They've been blown out a lot, but a three-point loss at Victoria gives an iota of hope.