Capers’ banner season
Twenty-five years and 25 AUS championships later
In March 1993 Jimmy Charters of the Capers landed a three in the dying seconds of the Atlantic University Sport semifinal basketball playoff game against St. FX to tie it up.
St. Francis Xavier University’s Jason Hurtle then hurled one from just over half, hit the top of the backboard, went in at the buzzer, and gave the Antigonish school the win. St. FX won the AUS final and took the national championship the following weekend. It was coach Steve Konchalski’s first national title.
University College of Cape Breton Capers coach Tim McGarrigle had pretty much the same team the next year. Fourthyear man John Ryan felt they had a good chance of winning the AUS in 1994. In front of a giant crowd of student supporters and other Cape Bretoners in Halifax, the Capers once again faced off against St. FX in the semifinal game.
Anyone following Capers basketball in the 1990s knew of the rivalry with St. FX. St. FX had three players from the Central African Republic. They’d recently played in the Olympic Games where coach K. was part of the Canadian coaching squad. Even with players of this calibre the Capers came out victorious.
“Then we beat UPEI in the final to win CBU’s first ever AUS title in any sport,” says Ryan. “A week later we played in the nationals. Our fans were amazing. A bagpiper piped them into the student seats at the Metro Centre.”
“We definitely had the best student section at the championships in the whole conference. The pit crew used to have these huge, painted bed sheets with less than flattering things written and drawn on them about the other teams, especially Konchalski,” says Ryan.
Though they lost in the quarter-final to Winnipeg, the experience of competing for a small school at the national level was an experience. Ryan remembers fans and many others played a role in getting them onto the national court.
“We had this guy who came from Sussex, Greg Balcom, as our game announcer at home. He had great lines that would motivate us, while annoying the other team’s players,” says Ryan. “If an opposing player hit a three Greg would say he ‘dials long distance,’ then if I hit one he’d say, ‘Johnny Ryan returns the call.’ He was terrific.”
“Rawle Philadelphia from Toronto played with us.” says Ryan. “When Rawle scored Greg would announce, ‘Rawle not Boston, not Detroit, but Philadelphia.’” Legend has it Balcom annoyed the always easily excitable coach Konchalski so much one night the coach asked him to square off outside after the game.
After their successful year coach McGarrigle was recruited by Dalhousie. Greg Jockims took over and led the team to another AUS championship in 1995. In the nationals the Capers upset Brandon in the quarter-final and lost the semifinal to the Alberta Golden Bears who went on to win the title.
Capers women basketball head coach Fabian McKenzie was manager of the 1994 championship team. He went on to the University of New Brunswick for further schooling, eventually returning to CBU to work with the men’s team, which soon led to the head coaching position with the women’s team. Long-suffering Habs fan Doug Connors has been partnered with McKenzie (another Habs die-hard) as assistant coach almost as long ago as Montreal’s last cup.
Gentlemen Jim Charters, as Balcom called him, would eventually coach the men’s team for a number of years before returning to New Brunswick to pursue business opportunities.
Other notable players from 1994-95 include Mike Daley, Shaun Robinson and Troy Jones, all from Boston. Jones and Ryan were first team all-stars. Ryan was all-Canadian. Robinson married a local lady and works in the area. Pat Lahey played with the team and works in Sydney.
When not hitting the hardwood Ryan completed a business degree. He worked with the Royal Bank from 1995 to 2002 before he became Cape Breton University’s present athletic director. Since that first AUS championship 25 years ago, CBU has amassed 25 more AUS banners in men’s and women’s basketball and soccer, averaging one a year.
This past year CBU’s four AUS sports had 35 all-stars, all-Canadians and major awards winners. The next closest in the AUS was St FX with 17. And coach Matt Skinn returned the men’s basketball to the playoffs. A banner season indeed.