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EastLink Television Sports

CBU’S  BASKETBALL SUPPORT SOMETHING SPECIAL    

By Dan Robertson

March 2 , 2010

How about the "Orange Army"?

That’s the nickname for the many supporters of Cape Breton University basketball, who make Sullivan Field House a difficult place to play for any team that dares to try to beat the Capers. CBU did a tremendous job hosting the AUS women’s championship the weekend of February 26th. The six-team tournament went without a hitch, as is usually the case at an AUS basketball event, but what made the difference was the fan support. It was remarkable. The place was packed for the Capers’ two games, as they defended their conference title with a semi-final win over Dalhousie and a victory over Saint Mary’s in Sunday’s title game.  There were no seats to be found, especially on Sunday, as the overflow crowd was forced to stand and watch the game from an adjacent court. According to CBU Athletic Director John Ryan, the gym has about 800 seats, almost all of which were occupied all weekend, even on Friday when the Capers didn’t play. Ryan estimates there were 1000-1200 fans on Sunday and 3500 for the weekend. Considering the terrible weather on Saturday and the fact the campus isn’t necessarily conveniently located for basketball fans, those numbers are impressive.
Even more impressive than the sheer number of fans was their collective spirit. The gym was extremely loud for both Capers’ games, as fans literally of all ages showed their support. They are also very knowledgeable. When 5th year forward Karmen Brown fouled out of Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter, the fans realized she had seen her last action on her home court. They responded with a standing ovation, which had to ease Brown’s pain at least a little bit. Long after the game had ended, fans hung around, celebrating to the relentless rhythm of the makeshift percussion band that never misses a game.
John Ryan says only Memorial can boast of similar support for their women’s team. Head Coach Fabian McKenzie also mentioned the incredible support in the post game, as did his players. Every university athlete should be so lucky to have their own Orange Army at their back.

Where does Sid’s goal rank?

When Sidney Crosby scored the gold-medal winning goal against the USA, I immediately started to wonder where it ranks all-time in Canadian hockey history. Time will tell, but I say it comes in at number two. Mario Lemieux’s last-minute goal to win the 1987 Canada Cup is unforgettable, mostly because it was the culmination of arguably the most entertaining series hockey fans will ever see, but the Canada Cup wasn’t exactly as wide-reaching as the Olympics. Same thing with Darryl Sittler’s overtime winner against Czechoslovakia in 1976, which comes in somewhere after Mario’s goal. While Crosby’s goal met all the criteria of a classic (overtime, on home ice, massive world-wide audience), nothing will ever match the significance of Paul Henderson’s goal in game 8 of 1972’s Summit Series vs. the Russians.

Speaking of Crosby, I got a little tired of people wondering why he wasn’t producing points in the late going of the tournament. To me, it was obvious: he wasn’t getting enough ice time. Guys like that need to be on the ice at least every third shift to get into the groove. With a plethora of talent, head coach Mike Babcock rolled four lines. Ultimately, it worked: Canada won, but I would like to have seen more of Crosby at the expense of guys like Mike Richards and even Joe Thornton, who didn’t stand out at all. Babcock’s use of Crosby was somewhat reminiscent of the 2004 World Junior Championships when Canada lost to the United States in the gold medal game in Finland. He was only 16 years-old, but would be named the CHL’s player of the year following the season. In that tournament, Crosby was basically relegated to fourth-line centre, yet played on the first powerplay unit; an odd combination, I thought. If he was good enough to centre the powerplay, why was he on the fourth line? Canada’s head coach that year? Mario Durocher, now with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

 

 

 

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