MBB: Thompson Rivers at Timberwolves Preview

Men's Basketball
December 31, 2018

January 4th & 5th
Canada West Men’s Basketball Preview
Thompson Rivers @ UNBC

UNBC Timberwolves - Record (6-4)
8th in Canada West Standings
84.0 Points Scored Per Game
80.6 Points Allowed Per Game
Scoring Leader: Jovan Leamy (19.8 Per Game)
Rebounding Leader: Vaggelis Loukas (9.4 Per Game)
Assists Leader: James Agyeman (3.3 Per Game)
Steals Leader: Jovan Leamy (2.7 Per Game)
Blocks Leader: Jovan Leamy (0.8 Per Game)


Player To Watch :
Austin Chandler, F
9.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.0 SPG
After missing last season with a foot injury, Chandler has looked more and more effective as his fifth and final year has gone on. The native of Wenatchee, WA is an athletic post who can get up and down the floor with speed, creating opportunities at the rim. He will need to be effective against a long WolfPack roster.

TRU WolfPack - Record (4-6)
11th in Canada West Standings
75.0 Points Scored Per Game
81.0 Points Allowed Per Game
Scoring Leader: Derek Rhodes (14.3 Per Game)
Rebounding Leader: Enrico Nuno (7.1 Per Game)
Assists Leader: Enrico Nuno (4.2 Per Game)
Steals Leader: Rouault, Nuno (1.0 Per Game)
Blocks Leader: Enrico Nuno (0.7 Per Game)


Player To Watch :
Enrico Nuno, F
10.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.0 SPG
A six-foot-eight presence in the paint, Nuno has made an impact on the WolfPack’s success in the first half of the season. Pacing TRU in rebounding, assists, steals, and blocks, the native of California will attract plenty of attention from the Timberwolves.

Quotes:
UNBC’s Vova Pluzhnikov


On starting 2018 strong…
“We finished strong with a win against Saskatchewan, so we are trying to build on that. We are excited to play TRU, who are usually one of the best teams in the conference. They’re well coached, and play a high pace, so it should be fun to play them, especially on home court in front of our crowd.”

On the matchup with the WolfPack…
“Based on past games against them, it is going to require a lot of concentration. The whole game, all forty minutes. We need to execute our offense and be solid on defense. They switch really well, and switch a lot, so we need to identify our mismatches and get the ball in the paint.”


On peaking at the right time…
“We still have room for improvement. I am really excited for the second half of the season, to step on the court with these guys again. Getting two wins this weekend is crucial. We need to step on the gas right now and get a couple wins right away.”