Island teams prove too much for Men’s Eagles

Kwantlen Eagles centre Ali Bosir. (Brian Jones Photo)

Usually after a basketball game, the losing team can pinpoint the reasons for what went wrong. Maybe it was a buzzer beater, too many turnovers, poor shooting, lack of defensive intensity, or the other team simply caught fire.

When more than one of those factors occurs in the same night, it’s often perceived as bad luck. It wasn’t their night. The basketball gods weren’t in their favour. The other team got hot and they didn’t.

They’re all completely plausible reasons for an in-game breakdown.

But when it happens over and over and over again, and the losses begin to snowball, and the standings look like a rock wall with no place to grip – it becomes more than just bad luck.

Continue reading at The Runner.

Eagles fall to last place in PacWest

Kwantlen head coach Stefon Wilson addresses his players after calling a timeout midway through the third quarter. – Brian Jones Photo

Waiting in the hallway outside the classroom that Douglas College has designated for visiting basketball teams, it’s more quiet than usual.

The Kwantlen men’s basketball team is inside that room. They’ve just suffered an 81-56 loss to the Douglas Royals and have moved into last place in the PacWest standings.

In terms of point differential, it’s not their worst loss of the season – that happened the night before at Langara College where they came out on the wrong end of a 104-77 result.

But that loss against Langara doesn’t have the same feeling as this one. Douglas wasn’t undefeated, they weren’t nationally ranked, and they didn’t have the most potent offense in the province.

They were beatable, very beatable. And that’s why this loss is different.

Continue reading at The Runner.

Eagles succumb to number-one ranked Falcons

6-foot-6 Kwantlen forward Tristan Gruenthaler drives the lane past Falcons guard Garrett Ling-Lee Friday night at Langara. – Brian Jones Photo

Everybody loves Fridays.

The workweek has ended, school put on hold for the weekend and Rebecca Black is cruising around in a convertible.

Everyone loves Fridays.

Except for the Kwantlen Eagles men’s basketball team.

After last night’s 104-77 loss to the Langara Falcons, the Eagles are now 1-7 on the opening night of each weekend’s double-header.

“We haven’t had the same urgency on Fridays as we have on Saturdays,” said head coach Stefon Wilson after the loss.

Continue reading at The Runner.