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Curcic a revelation for Sea-Hawks, but he can’t do it all
Those who follow Memorial University’s men’s basketball team know the Sea-Hawks will have to find a consistent mid-range scorer who can hit a couple of treys every now and then if the team is going to build a contender around 6-9 post Vasilije Curcic.
Clearly, Curcic can’t do it all, regardless of how many games he leads the SeaHawks in scoring. He’s drawn attention from every team in the league since he began playing AUS hoops after Christmas.
But that tighter coverage should laso open it up for someone else in the Sea-Hawks’ lineup to step up and make some open shots. Otherwise, Curcic’s talent will basically go to waste. He’ll probably continue to lead MUN in scoring most nights, but the results will be the same — one or two wins a season.
The Sea-Hawks need to tighten their defence and take care of the ball better. They need to learn how to play under control. Let’s face it, there are a lot of components to building a contender. Finding a shooter to compliment Curcic’s down-low play should be coach Peter Benoite’s priority over the next few years. And, I know, that’s easier said than done.
Curcic, meanwhile, had a bit of an off game a few weeks ago against Acadia Axemen at the Field House.
He scored 23 points the night before, but only managed five points in 15 minutes in the second game of the series, which the Axemen swept.
“He’s (Curcic) pretty banged up and perhaps we shouldn’t have played him today,” Benoite said. “He’s been injured and that showed.”
“I wasn't weary, but my groin injury intensified that week, especially during the Saturday game,” Curcic said.
“However, I tried to play Sunday, but I couldn't help the team. It was really frustrating for me because I couldn’t do anything on the floor.”
Curcic, who leads the Sea-Hawks with 16.5 points-per-game and 6.5 rebounds-per-game, admitted he didn’t know anything about Memorial University, but he was looking for a university in Canada.
He said his former coach had some contact with Benoite and he made up his mind after several conversations with the MUN coach.
It’s through those conversations with Benoite that he decided to attend MUN.
Curcic didn’t take up basketball seriously until he was 17 or 18.
“Before that, I was just playing for fun on the outdoor basketball courts with my older brother and friends,” he said.
He says he still doesn’t believe he is that good at it, but adds, “I have big plans to change my game and improve it to the much higher level.”
By now, most local basketball fans know Curcic had a bit of a tough time as a youngster growing up in a wartorn area of Kragujevac, Serbia in the late 1990s.
However, Curcic says even through the bad times, there was some joy.
“I had really happy moment just a couple months before the bombing started when my younger brother Slavisa was born,” he said.
He also said there were good times, “watching our national basketball team, which was one of the strongest teams in the world back then.”
Serbia has produced several superb basketball players including more than a dozen in the NBA, the most prominent being Vlade Divac, who played for the Lakers, Hornets and Kings.
Veteran curler Jeff Thomas says it’s “highly unlikely” he’ll compete in another Tankard provincial men’s competition.
“I’m committed to coaching Colin’s team in men’s play from here on in,” said Thomas, referring to the rink skipped by his son Colin.
“I missed that role this year, but I was entirely satisfied after our team’s performance and glad we decided to play this one last time.”
Colin Thomas, under coach Eugene Trickett, knocked off his dad 8-5 to make it to the provincial Tankard championship game before losing 8-2 to perennial winner Brad Gushue.
“My last provincial championship (victory) was in 2001 and was really my last serious shot at winning the men’s Tankard,” noted Jeff Thomas.
“When the opportunity arose to play one last provincial in my home club with a strong senior men’s team, I was really looking forward to getting to play Colin and a team I have been coaching for the past three years.”
Jeff said it’s hard to describe the emotions he felt standing next to his son in provincial play.
“I definitely had mixed emotions,” he admitted about playing his son in the semifinal, “but in the end, I’m competitive in nature and the chance to play one last time in a men’s provincial final was as strong as ever.
“Our team gave him (Colin) all we had in that game and they had to earn the win, which they did.”
Jeff said he was impressed with his son’s team’s overall play.
“There are definite signs of understanding how to set up multiple point scores and how to keep the opposition to one point when they have last rock,” he said.
“It’s a big jump from under 21 junior curling both strategically and shot making.
“They are a highly motivated team who work hard at the game. With an average age of 22, it looks like the province will be well represented in future national championships.”
Brownie points
While the Gander Flyers finished out of the Newfoundland Senior Hockey League playoffs, coach Dennis Laing said it was, “a good year. We got excellent support from the fans, corporate sponsors and the town.” And, oh yeah, he added, training camp is in August … It’s always a little difficult for Memorial University varsity players from outside the province in terms of playing away from their family and friends. One such player is Sea-Hawks women’s basketball team rookie Sandra Amoah from Ontario. “My mother was able to see me play on the road during our pre-season tournament in Toronto,” said Amoah. “She was able to come out and give me support. My mother and my sisters also support me by watching several of my games online through the live webcasts.” … I’m told the Rock women’s development rugby team had a great time at Las Vegas sevens tournament recently, where they finished 1-3 and returned home, “fired up for the upcoming season.” A rugby women’s senior team has plans to participate in a sevens tournament in Ireland in May. The best trip I ever had playing in the old metro soccer league as a teenager was a visit to Bell Island where we played on a very windy day on a field with no grass. But I’m not bitter … Canada, with Newfoundland’s Ciaran Hearn, won the HSBC Sevens World Series Sunday. Canada defeated Scotland 22-5 in the Las Vegas Plate final. Hearn, who played in the semifinal against the United States, was replaced for the final. The next leg of the IRB World Sevens Series is in Hong Kong March 22-24 ...