As the cold air approaches, Western’s basketball teams prepare for their upcoming season that kicks off in November. Both teams saw playoff action last season, making it to the first round of the OUA playoffs before both being eliminated.
Brad Campbell, head coach for the men’s team, returns for his 10th season with hopes of improving on last year’s 12-9 record. The team’s five new rookies will undoubtedly change the team’s dynamic as they work towards their goal of getting past the preliminary round in this year’s playoffs.
Returning for another year in the purple and white, team captain and OUA West First Team All-Star Greg Morrow leads his team after averaging 21.8 points per game last season. Other veterans include Anthony Spiridis, who will return for his fourth year, and Jedson Tavernier, who enters his second year after being named to the OUA All-Rookie team last season.
Eric McDonald returns to the lineup for the first time since playing in the 2013-14 season when he averaged 10.5 points per game. Peter Scholtes may be a new addition to the roster from last year, but he’s definitely a familiar face to Mustang fans. Scholtes has played in 86 games in the purple and white, averaging 13 points per game, including recording his 1,000th point on January 18, 2014 against the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
Tom Filgiano returns for his second year with the Mustangs after his transfer from Acadia prior to last season. He joins Morrow on the top of the defensive leaderboard with 5.2 rebounds per game. Joining the returning veterans are five talented new recruits: Bronson Fridal, Ian Smart, Chris Fitzgerald, Alex Otzyy, and Nicole Farkic.
Brian Cheng returns for another season at the helm of Western’s women’s basketball team. Welcoming four new rookies to the roster, the team prepares to improve on its 7-14 record from 2014-15.
The majority of the roster remains intact, with Maddy Horst returning for her second season in the purple and white after being named part of the OUA All-Rookie team last season. Another veteran putting on the Mustang jersey once again is MacKenzie Puklicz who dominated the Western scoresheet with 13.1 points per game last year after being named to the OUA All-Rookie Team in her first season. Victoria Heine, Jayme Muir, and Alex van Heeswyk also return for the upcoming season.
New skilled recruits determined to help the Mustangs improve on their play are Cassidy Crowe, Julia Curran, Laura Graham and Sonja Mijatovic.
Story submitted by Liana Timbol
