Western Gazette Article on Mustangs

Men look to rebound

Western Gaztte
Kaitlyn McGrath   August 17, 2012

Classes may be a few weeks away, but the men’s basketball team has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, the early season test against the University of South Alabama Jaguars didn’t go as planned.

 

Coming off a loss against the Windsor Lancers the previous night, the Jaguars came out strong and defeated the Mustangs 68-47 on August 14 at Alumni Hall.

 

Entering the game with only six practices under their belt, the Mustangs expected the NCAA Division I team to be a challenge. Nathan Di Loreto, Western’s leading scorer with 10 points in the game, explained they went into the game looking to outwork the opponent, but came up short with their offense.

 

“Overall we felt we played a solid game defensively, but offensively we shot the ball poorly and didn’t execute our plays as we should have,” he said.

 

Despite the loss, Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell found some positives about the outcome.

“These games are great because we can start early and evaluate individually where guys are in terms of conditioning and skill improvement,” he said. “It also gives new players a chance to experience intense practice and game situations before courses have even started.”

 

This season, with the departure of veteran point guard Ryan Barbeau, the Mustangs welcome a new class of prospects, including Niagara Falls native Jack Daneyko, who Campbell admits will have a strong impact on the team.

 

“We are very excited about our new recruits. Jack Daneyko has the ability to score and create offense as a big guard.”

 

After failing to make the playoffs last year, the Mustangs are looking to rebound this season. Veterans like Quinn Henderson, Adam Jespersen and Di Loreto hope to carry the team into the post-season.

 

“Our goal for this season is to make the playoffs and focus on improving as a team daily so we can get as deep into the playoffs as possible,” Di Loreto said.

 

The Mustangs won’t be tested again until a preseason game October 1 against Indiana’s Trine University. The Ontario University Athletics regular season starts on November 8 when Western plays the University of Ottawa.