MEN’S BASKETBALL 2014/15 YEARBOOK Simon Fraser University SCHEDULE MEN’S BASKETBALL - 2014/15 Tue, Aug 19 4:00 pm Thompson Rivers Wolfpack West Gym Mon, Aug 25 1:00 pm SFU Alumni West Gym Sun, Aug 31 7:00 pm Idaho Vandals Moscow, ID Sat, Nov 8 7:00 pm UC Irvine Anteaters Irvine, CA Fri, Nov 14 4:00 pm NWIC Eagles West Gym Sat, Nov 15 4:00 pm NWIC Eagles West Gym Tue, Nov 18 7:00 pm Douglas Royals West Gym Fri, Nov 21 7:00 pm Academy of Art Urban Knights San Fran, CA Sat, Nov 22 7:00 pm Dominican Penguins San Rafael, CA Fri, Nov 28 5:00 pm Holy Names Hawks Belmont, CA Sat, Nov 29 7:00 pm NDNU Argonauts Belmont, CA Sat, Dec 6 7:30 pm Western Washington Vikings West Gym Tue, Dec 16 7:00 pm Capilano Blues West Gym Thu, Jan 1 8:30 pm Alaska Anchorage Seawolves Anchorage, AK Sat, Jan 3 4:15 pm Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks Fairbanks, AK Thu, Jan 8 7:00 pm Seattle Pacific Falcons West Gym Sat, Jan 10 7:00 pm MSU-Billings Yellowjackets West Gym Thu, Jan 15 6:00 pm Northwest Nazarene Crusaders Nampa, ID Sat, Jan 17 7:00 pm Central Washington Wildcats Ellenburg, WA Thu, Jan 22 7:00 pm Western Oregon Wolves West Gym Sat, Jan 24 7:00 pm Saint Martin's Saints West Gym Thu, Jan 29 7:00 pm Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks West Gym Sat, Jan 31 7:00 pm Alaska Anchorage Seawolves West Gym Thu, Feb 5 6:00 pm MSU-Billings Yellowjackets Billings, MT Sat, Feb 7 4:00 pm Seattle Pacific Falcons Seattle, WA Thu, Feb 12 7:00 pm Nothwest Nazarene Crusaders West Gym Sat, Feb 14 7:00 pm Central Washington Wildcats West Gym Thu, Feb 19 7:00 pm Saint Martin’s Saints Lacey, WA Sat, Feb 21 4:00 pm Western Oregon Wolves Monmouth, OR Thu, Feb 26 7:00 pm Western Washington Vikings Bellingham, WA HOME AWAY CONTENTS MEN’S BASKETBALL - 2014/15 2 A word from Dr. Milton Richards 3 Courtside Club 4- 7 Roster 8- 9 Coaching Staff 10- 11 Preview 12-15 Catching Up with the Clan 16- 18 Statistics 19 Staff Directory 20 Men’s Basketball Mini Games A WORD FROM DR. MILTON RICHARDS Dr. Milton Richards Senior Director, Athletics and Recreation Dear fans and supporters, Welcome back for another season of Clan men’s basketball here at Simon Fraser University. I am sure you are as excited as I am to welcome a large recruiting and transfer class and watch them add to the strides we made last season. In 2013-14 the men’s basketball team finished with their best record since the Clan joined the NCAA and showed moments of brilliance in the very competitive Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Junior Sango Niang received the program’s second GNAC all-star honours since 2010, and with his return among other key returnees, transfers and a strong freshman class, I believe that these young men will continue to improve in 2014-15. The team returns only two letter-winners from last year, but with the arrival of seven transfer athletes our team looks to have a larger amount of depth that has been seen in seasons past. I am also pleased to report that progress is being made on the stadium to be built on campus at Simon Fraser University. While it does not affect basketball spectators and athletes directly, we hope that through construction of this stadium a greater sense of community and belonging will be fostered here on Burnaby Mountain. On behalf of the entire department, thank you for supporting Clan men’s basketball and Simon Fraser University Athletics. Dr. Milton Richards PG. 2 MEN’S BASKETBALL - 2014/15 COURTSIDE CLUB Join our Courtside Club and become part of Simon Fraser’s NCAA program The Courtside Club is a donor group committed to building the scholarship base for SFU Men’s Basketball. As a member of the Courtside Club, you will be closely connected to the team: receiving updates from the coaching staff on the team’s activity throughout the season and participating in alumni social events, as well as supporting the Clan in person on the hill. We ask you, our distinguished alumni and supporters to help support SFU Men’s Basketball. Join our courtside club. From its inception in 1965. Simon Fraser University pioneered an innovative approach to education and Canadian student athletics. We were the first to provide athletic awards to academically superior and athletically gifted student-athletes. We were the first Canadian university to compete in the USA-based National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and we were among the first to hire only full time professional coaches to guide our gifted student-athletes in their pursuit of excellence. Simon Fraser University Athletics is now in the midst of the newest chapter of its storied history, as in 2010 it became the first international institution to compete in the National Collegiate Athletics Association. Fully accredited members of NCAA Division II since 2012, the Clan, and the community around it are once again trailblazers in their fields, representing the country and the school at the highest level of student-athlete excellence offered in Canada. As a member of the NCAA Div. II Great Northwest Athletic Conference, Simon Fraser is the only school in Canada with the ability to offer full-ride scholarships for athletics which believe with help keep some of our country’s best student -athletes in Canada. This also means the need to fundraise for athletic scholarships has never been greater. Your contribution will provide support to the team, and for your convenience your annual gift can be made in installments should you choose to make your donation in twelve equal monthly payments. Donation $1,000 $500 $250 For more information please contact: 12 Equal Monthly $83.34/m $41.67/m $20.84/m Steve Lewarne / Advancement Officer, Athletics Payment Option Invitation to the Gathering T: 778-782- 3613 of the Clan Breakfast Invitation to the SFU Athletics F: 778-782-8753 Annual Golf Tournament E: [email protected] SFU Men’s Basketball Season Pass Listing in the SFU Annual donor report Courtside Club Newsletter Subscription Invitation to Alumni Day Season Opening Event SFU Golf Shirt Team Poster Charitable Tax Receipt PG. 3 MEN’S BASKETBALL - 2014/15 Sango Niang Paris, France Last School: Chaffey Community College #0 HT: 6’0” WT: 170 Position: G Class: Senior Justin Cole Los Angeles, CA Last School: Chaffey Community College #1 HT: 6’4” WT: 185 Position: G Class: Senior Daniel Deflorimonte Toronto, ON Last School: St. Joseph's #3 HT: 6’0” WT: 185 Position: G Class: Senior Roderick Evans-Taylor Uplands, CA Last School: Chaffey Community College #5 HT: 6’5” WT: 205 Position: G/F Class: Junior Simon Fraser University Michael Harper Melbourne, Australia Last School: University of Hawaii #10 HT: 6’4” WT: 200 Position: G/F Class: Junior MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER PG. 4 MEN’S BASKETBALL - 2014/15 Mathijs van der Mars Gouda, Netherlands Last School: CBA #13 HT: 6’5” WT: 180 Position: F Class: Freshman Alex Klocek Coquitlam, BC Last School: Brandon University #21 HT: 6’4” WT: 185 Position: G Class: R Sophomore Pape Seck Dakar, Senegal Last School: Chaffey Community College #25 HT: 6’10” WT: 210 Position: F Class: Junior JJ Pankratz Abbotsford, BC Last School: Yale #30 HT: 6’6” WT: 190 Position: G Class: R Freshman Simon Fraser University Adam Westfall Gresham, OR Last School: Chemeketa #33 HT: 6’5” WT: 180 Position: G Class: R Sophomore MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER PG. 5 MEN’S BASKETBALL - 2014/15 Gibran Sewani Torrance, CA Last School: South Torrance #34 HT: 6’7” WT: 200 Position: F Class: R Sophomore Elijah Hillis-Gold Kamloops, BC Last School: South Kamloops #35 HT: 6’0” WT: 180 Position: G Class: R Freshman Hidde Vos Barendrecht, Netherlands Last School: Cal State Fullerton #44 HT: 6’4” WT: 195 Position: G Class: R Sophomore Denver Sparks-Guest Coquitlam, BC Last School: Gleneagle #50 HT: 6’5” WT: 210 Position: G/F Class: Freshman Simon Fraser University Patrick Simon Port Coquitlam, BC Last School: Future College Prep #55 HT: 6’8” WT: 240 Position: F Class: Freshman MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER PG. 6 MEN’S BASKETBALL - 2014/15 Bowen Bakken Delta, BC Last School: Delta #RS HT: 6’1” WT: 175 Position: G Class: Redshirt Matt Rud Victoria, BC Last School: St. Michael's #RS HT: 6’4” WT: 185 Position: G Class: Redshirt Nathan Vogstad Haida Gwaii Last School: Queen Charlotte #RS HT: 6’0” WT: 180 Position: G Class: Redshirt Andrew Williamson Sydney, Australia Last School: Scots College #RS HT: 6’0” WT: 175 Position: G Class: Redshirt Simon Fraser University MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER PG. 7 MEN’S BASKETBALL - 2014/15 2014 / 15 MEN’S BASKETBALL COACHING STAFF James Blake / Head Coach Blake enters his fifth year at the helm of the SFU Clan men's basketball program, having joined in the summer of 2010, leading the program through the Clan's transition into the NCAA. A native of Victoria, BC, Blake is the sixth head coach in the 49-year history of the men's basketball team at Simon Fraser. He took over the SFU program almost from scratch, beginning a major rebuilding project that saw the 2010-11 squad open the year with 13 new players and only three returners. From the three returners just one player played significant minutes the previous CIS(Canadian Interuniversity Sport) season.