The Final Six

The final six men's teams have their seedings and are ready to tip off the PACWEST championship tournament this week.

#1 VIU Mariners

The Mariners put together one of the most dominating regular seasons in PACWEST history.  They finished undefeated beating teams by an average of 21.8 points and shot over 50%.  They have earned a first-round bye and won’t play in their first playoff game until Friday night’s semi-final.

Offensively they can beat teams several ways from inside or outside and had five players average at least 13 points a game.  They have the veteran leadership and the talent to make a long playoff run and are currently ranked #1 across the CCAA. 

They have competed in the PACWEST gold medal game in 12 straight seasons winning five of them, last capturing the Conference title in 2019.

Record: 17-0
Average Points For: 99.3
Average Points Against: 77.5
Field Goal %: 50.3%

Leading Scorer: Akoi Yuot – 22.3/game

Leading Rebounder: Akoi Yuot – 9.6/game

#2 Camosun Chargers

The Chargers have their best seeding in school history finishing second and received a first-round playoff bye in this week’s PACWEST’s championship tournament.  They won seven of their last eight games down the stretch to clinch the second spot and will prepare for a semi-final appearance on Friday.   They have relied on their veteran leadership this season and will no doubt look to players like Jake Wilmott, Riley Botting and Mat Hampton for guidance in the post-season.

The offence has been good shooting 42% from the field and defensively they’ve been tested as a team winning games on average by just seven points. 

They are the two-time defending PACWEST bronze medalists winning in 2020 and 2019.  They have won silver three times (2016, 2008 and 2006) but have never won a Conference title.

Record: 13-5
Average Points For: 80.6
Average Points Against: 72.9
Field Goal %: 41.7%

Leading Scorer: Takeshi Croke – 14.1/game

Leading Rebounder: Riley Botting – 7.3/game

#3 Capilano Blues

The Blues opened the season with six straight wins but then lost three in a row heading into the Christmas break.  In the final stretch they picked up their game again and finished with four wins in their last six games to clinch the third spot in the standings, six back of the second place Chargers.

They will face the Okanagan Coyotes in a PACWEST quarterfinal on Thursday in a rematch of the 2020 quarterfinal in which the Coyotes won at Capilano.   They have not won a PACWEST medal since 2017 when they claimed the silver and have not won gold since 2003.

Their offence does spread the ball around nicely with four players averaging over 13 points a game.  They also like to shoot the three attempting 483 this past season and can score points in bunches.   The Blues do have the veteran leadership that should help them in the playoffs.

Record: 10-6
Average Points For: 92
Average Points Against: 84
Field Goal %: 44.2%

Leading Scorer: Tyrone Asenoguan – 16.2/game

Leading Rebounder: Harry Liu – 8.4/game

#4 Langara Falcons

The Falcons limp into the PACWEST tournament winning just once in their last nine games.  They are the fourth seed which means they will play in a quarterfinal on Thursday and will face the fifth seeded Douglas Royals.

They like to play an up-tempo game that can give them fast break points and give the opposition issues getting back on defence.  Their veteran point guard Royce Sargeant will need to play an even bigger roles if the Falcons hope to have a long playoff run.

The last time they won a medal was a bronze in 2018.  Their last gold was in 2013 and 2014 when they won in back-to-back seasons.

Record: 8-10
Average Points For: 85.1
Average Points Against: 89.1
Field Goal %: 40.1%

Leading Scorer: Royce Sargeant – 13.9/game

Leading Rebounder: Jas Dhudwal – 8.8/game

#5 Douglas Royals

They are the defending PACWEST champions but have looked very different from their 2020 title team with only one returning player.  They have clinched fifth place and will face the Langara Falcons in Thursday’s quarterfinal.  They come into the tournament after splitting their final weekend and will need some early momentum against the Falcons who haven’t played since February 19^th.

Their offence runs through Johnson Corez their leading scorer who does have the ability to change the course of a game.  He not only leads the team in scoring but in three-pointers as well and can be a factor on the defensive side. 

The Royals have won two gold medals in the last three seasons and have appeared in three straight championship games. They haven’t played in a quarterfinal since 2018 and ended up winning the gold medal after three straight victories.

Record: 5-13
Average Points For: 80.1
Average Points Against: 88.8
Field Goal %: 50.3%

Leading Scorer: Johnson Corez – 18.3/game

Leading Rebounder: Ben Rabel – 12.9/game

#6 Okanagan Coyotes

It’s been a difficult season for the Coyotes dealing with the pandemic, washed out roads and schedule changes.  They come into the playoffs after winning their regular season finale and have been without the PACWEST’s leading scorer Omon Edobar for the last two games.   They have played in several close games but haven’t been able to find that extra gear to pull off a victory.

They will face the Capilano Blues in Thursday’s quarterfinal, a team they have etched in their record books.  They beat the Blues during the 2020 playoff tournament for their first ever post-season victory.  They are still looking for their first PACWEST medal.

Record: 5-11
Average Points For: 83.6
Average Points Against: 87.9
Field Goal %: 40.3%

Leading Scorer: Omon Edobar – 28.2/game

Leading Rebounder: Seth Blundell – 6.5/game