What doess a basketball team have to do to get some respect?
St. Michael’s College School athletics is well known throughout the city and province. The Kerry Blues are coming off a Metro Bowl football title in December and the Double Blues are frequent participants in the OFSAA hockey championship.
But what about the Blue Raiders?
St. Mike’s senior boys basketball team exists in a school known for its football and hockey heroics. However, people are beginning to realize that basketball talent also exists at the Bathurst St. and St. Clair Ave. West area school.
"I think generally, across the province, teams look at St. Mike’s and say, ‘Well, they’re not quite the basketball powerhouse,’" said head coach Jeff Zownir after the Blue Raiders defeated St. Andrew’s Saints 62-38 on Jan. 31. "But I think they also respect the program and realize we have some strong tradition — that we’re always going to battle and that we’re always going to be in the game."
The Blue Raiders are part of the less than renowned CISAA loop, but Zownir said he tries to balance that with playing a tough tournament schedule. That means St. Mike’s regularly faces tough teams such as Mother Teresa, Jean Vanier and Eastern Commerce.
But Zownir doesn’t mind the balance, as he considers playing in a CISAA a good thing.
"Sometimes it’s almost a relief to get into (CISAA) games because we don’t have quite the same competition, so it gives you a chance to develop your younger players," he said. "We don’t look at it as a negative because some games you have to play hard to win."
Against the Saints, the Blue Raiders were without star Evaldas Zabas, but managed to build an early lead and looked poised to run away with the game. But St. Andrew’s battled back in the second quarter and trailed by a respectable 12 points at the half.
St. Mike’s came out a much better team after the break and cruised to the 24-point victory. Emerging star Rainier Croft was a menace in the paint on both ends of the court, snagging rebounds, blocking shots and leading the Blue Raiders with 28 points.
The season has been of a bit of roller coaster, as St. Mike’s had early success, but have been on a bit of what Zownir called a "dry spell" for wins since Zabas has been out of the line-up. But the coach is confident the Blue Raiders will find their winning ways again.
For a team with only one grade 12 player, St. Mike’s can turn into a dominant team. With players such as Zabas (grade 11), Croft (only grade 9) and Justin Edwin (grade 10), Zownir has reason to be confident.
"We have relatively new players who are getting a lot of minutes, so it’s disruptive to a team when everyone is settled into a role and all of a sudden you take away a key part of that," said Zownir. "But I think when we get Zabas back, guys will fit into their roles … and we’ll do pretty well.
"I think there is a certain level of respect (for us), but we want to take it to the next level. We want to start beating some of the top programs in the province. We’ve seen we can play with them, but now it’s about getting to the next level and beating them."
St. Mike’s will be looking to get to OFSAA for a second consecutive season and the third time in six years. To do so, they must win the CISAA championship and then defeat the Georgian Bay winner.
"I like our chances of going (to OFSAA)," said Zownir. "We like what we have: we have some talent and we just got to let it develop."