Big Man On Campus

Home Field Disadvantage

You know what's rewarding about finishing first overall in the OUA's regular football season? The first round bye. The easiest route to the Yates Cup. And the right to host the championship game if you run the post-season table.

Unless, of course, you're the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Then it becomes a home field disadvantage of sorts.

You see, four of the Gee-Gees, including rookie head coach Jean-Phillipe Asselin, have to head to Hamilton on Thursday for the OUA's major award winners luncheon.

And they aren't happy. And who can blame them?

Ottawa literally won the right to a home field advantage and it's being taken away from them two days before the biggest game of the year.

But why?

Because of the typical myopia of the OUA. That's why. Read for yourself:

University of Ottawa spokeswoman Julie Tam says efforts have been made for years to move the luncheon to the Yates Cup host city, but the OUA head office remains adamant of hosting it in its own backyard.

On the surface, it seems neither OUA executive director Ward Dilse, marketing coordinator Jessica Lounsbury or communications manager Laura Bridgman can be bothered to travel to Ottawa and host the festivties.

But who can blame them? It's an 11-hour, 56-minute, 1,046-kilometre round trip from the OUA offices in Hamilton to Ottawa's athletic department.

After all, they're only paid employees, working for the OUA, presumably to promote the game, the conference and its athletes. It's not like their some student-athlete preparing for what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest games of their lives; a game that will galvanize friendships for life; one they'll remember forever.

This is the same OUA executive director that refuses to play Thursday nigth Thanksgiving games because "there aren't enough schools with lights" and "it's too cold at night."

But it's A-OK to force the starting quarterback from the Yates Cup's host team to miss the second-to-last practice before the title game.

These are the forward, err, backward thinkers in charge of the OUA and its progress.

Why isn't the awards luncheon part and parcel of the Yates Cup experience? The league's best players should be recognized on the game's biggest stage. It seems a no-brainer.

Every school in the OUA has a banquet hall — perhaps a multiple number of them — on campus. and if not, there must be at least one restaurant, Legion, banquet hall in town that would gladly host an impromptu awards luncheon. It's not as if this event is an elaborate production.

The team that's earned the home field advantage should reap the benefits of having done so. The school, the program, the players and the game should be showcased not inconvenienced by participating in a sideshow half the province away.

Don't be fooled, Western has to travel to Hamilton on Thursday, too. But its nominees need only travel 270 kms; a three-hour, 26-minute round trip.

At least the Mustangs will be home in time for practice. Two days before the Yates Cup, that's a tangible advantage.

Rapanaro Not A Better Safety, But Is A Better Man

If linebacker Giancarlo Rapanaro fails to make it in the CFL, he has every right to equally blame new Governor General David Johnston, alleged petty thief and steroid trafficker Nathan Zettler and the overreaching, overreacting CIS, too.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the spring returned free agent Rapanaro to the Laurier Golden Hawks as an undersized linebacker. One they encouraged to give free safety a shot.

And that was the plan. Until Waterloo Regional Police arrested Zettler, 23, his Waterloo Warriors teammate Matthew Valeriote, 24, and former teammate Eric Legare, 26, as part of a break and enter investigation.

The arrests led to stash of steroids; which led to every Waterloo Warrior football player being tested for performance enhancing drugs; which led to several violations and the suspension of the program; which forced free safety Mitch Nicholson to flee Waterloo and land at Laurier.

Nicholson was one the several who could be — should be — seen as unjustly found guilty of wrong-doing-by-association; punished for the literal crimes of others.

Waterloo athletic director Bob Copeland said at the time the time the blanket punishment fit the crime — meanwhile, Canadian academia is still waiting word for the first psych 101 class to be collectively failed as a result of three first-year students caught cheating — that “integrity [had] been the guidepost” in making the decision and that to suggest Johnston’s pending appointment as GG was connected to the process was “baseless.”

Is that to say the president of a school engulfed in “the biggest steroid scandal in Canadian university history” had no say in whether the punishment fit the crime? Furthermore, is that to suggest to Waterloo’s coaches, athletic director and president held no responsibility in the matter? All are still a part of Waterloo — except Johnston, of course, and Nicholson, who was free to leave. Had no choice but to leave if he wanted to pursue football.

Nicholson’s arrival left Rapanaro stranded at linebacker, a position he was essentially told he’d never play professionally. Not at 5-foot-11, 197 pounds.

But like many wayward Warriors, who landed on teams across the OUA landscape, Rapanaro now had to make the best of a bad Waterloo situation; one that now affected him and his dreams.

Some saw this situation coming sooner than others.

Rapanaro played linebacker and never complained — at least not publicly.

“Whatever I can do to help the team, I’m happy to do it,” said Rapanaro … “It might take some time for me to learn a new position at the pro level, but hopefully, the (CFL) teams have seen what I can do.” — Waterloo Region Record, Nov. 10, 2010

He could have laid plenty of blame at the feet of his rival president and athletic director. But he didn’t.

Perhaps he could have sued; such frivolous suits are not unheard of these days. Instead, Rapanaro  simply played football.

He finished second on the team with 22 tackles, had a sack and two interceptions.

Rapanaro could have resented Nicholson. Instead, he held him in high regard.

“Mitch had a huge impact on our team. To come in and fill the shoes of (All-Canadian) Courtney Stephen (who transferred to Northern Illinois), that’s pretty special.” — Waterloo Region Record, Nov. 10, 2010

During the post-season, head coach Gary Jeffries handed him the punting and field goal duties. He averaged nearly 35 yards a punt and drilled a pair of 40-yard field goals.

Rapanaro literally played like an all-star. Acted like one, too.

“He’s just a wonderful, wonderful person. Rap always has a smile on his face. He’s a gifted athlete and an all-around great kid," Laurier head coach Gary Jeffries told Christine Rivet of the Waterloo Region Record.

No, Rapanaro never became a better a safety. But he became a better man.

Windsor's Potential Coaching Candidates

As the inevitable end to Mike Morencie's career as Windsor Lancers head football coach nears, I look at a few of the more qualified replacements that may — or may not — be available.

I present to you, in no particular order, a Magnificent (or not) 7 candidates for the jobs ... and a secondary list of maybes — or maybe nots. 

Read on. And then sound off in the comment section. Just remember to keep it clean. 

PAUL GLEASON:

Gleason is currently defensive coordinator for the Western Mustangs. It's a job he's held since 2003, serving as such under both Larry Haylor and Greg Marshall — two of the best tutors in the OUA.

Prior to the arrival of Mickey Donovan, one of the OUA's best recruiters, Gleason was Western's recruiting coordinator from 2001 until 2008 when Donovan joined the staff and began to shoulder most of the recruiting weight.

But boosters in Windsor have already begun bandying his name around — and the guy's Yates Cup championship season isn't even over yet.

Gleason coordinated the OUA's best defence in 2008 and 2007, the latter being the season in which the Mustangs won the Yates Cup and locked down crazy-legged quarterback Justin Dunk in doing so — the scrambling, maddening pivot had just 42 yards rushing in the OUA championship game.

Last season was significantly less successful, but it was an anomaly and Gleason says he is a better coach this year.

At the high school level, Gleason went 67-4-1 in eight seasons, five of them undefeated. He won a London record seven high school football championships.

Gleason is a Windsor grad, so Windsor athletic director Gord Grace may have that going for him if Gleason is an eventual candidate.

But working against the Lancers are the facts that Gleason co-owns Forest City Football Camp, which has operated in London for 12 years; Gleason and his wife not long ago welcomed a son into the world; and he's also a full-time teach at St. Thomas Aquinas high school in London.

Maybe, just maybe, Windsor can score a two-for-one or buy-one-get-one-free deal if they land Gleason and reunite him with his former assistant coach ... 

MIKE CIRCELLI:

Mike Circelli is a legendary high school coach in London, where, at Catholic Central he revived a long suffering program, turning it back into a perennial powerhouse.

He was the Crusaders head coach from 1985-89 and 1998-2009. From 1990-1997, he served as Gleason's assistant coach. Circelli's Crusaders appeared appeared in 19 high school championship games and won 13 of them during his 25-year stint.

At 55, after 32 years as a teacher, he announced his retirement in January. Steve Green of the London Free Press penned the homage at the time. It could easily serve as a resume.

Some highlights:

Won 13 London Conference or Thames Valley championships in 19 appearances in the final, including 18 in a row from 1987-2005.

Won the OFSAA Western Bowl in 2004 and 2005 and played in the inaugural game in 2000.

Were named unofficial national champions in 1992 and 1997.

Posted a record, including playoffs, of 189-34-0.

MICKEY DONOVAN:

Because so many in Lancerland suffer from an infiority complex brought on by the Mustangs — even though they should blame Morencie — they seem set on dismantling the Western coaching staff. That's why, again, Mickey Donovan's name pops up the way it did in 2007 and 2009 when Morencie was under the microscope.

In March, I suggested Donovan as a possible replacement for Kyle Walters, when he left for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Not much has changed since that guest post at the CIS Blog, so here, essentially, is a carbon copy:

Would Mickey Donovan want to leave the OUA football mecca that is London, Ontario? Maybe. If he really wants to be a head coach one day.

There's little if any chance Greg Marshall leaves Western any time soon, so will Donovan say goodbye first?

If it carries any weight, and it does for a lot of Canadian football folks (just ask CFL brass), Donovan is an American. He played linebacker at both the University of Maine and at Concordia University. He was named a two-time all-Canadian and national defensive player of the year.

It's clear he has the knowledge and experience from both sides of the border. Before landing in London, Donovan coached with NewHampshire State (Division 1-AA).

Donovan owes a lot to Marshall so loyalty may be an issue. When Marshall was coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, he invited Donovan to try out. Donovan suffered a knee injury but Marshall was so impressed he convinced Hamilton management to keep Donovan on the team.

Donovan's only been with the Mustangs for four years, so there is the question of experience. But, like he did as a player, Donovan's impressed Marshall. Donovan started as a linebackers coach and is now responsible for the special teams.

Donovan's also Western's recruiting coordinator. His prize recruits include current San Diego Chargers defensive end Vaughn Martin and present-day Mustangs linebacker John Surla, last season's defensive player of the year.

RON VANMOERKERKE:

One of the only OUA defences to be as consistantly as good as Western's during the past eight seasons has been Ron Vanmoerkerke's at Laurier.

Vanmoerkerke's a winner. Period.

He was a Laurier linebacker in the late 1980s. He won the 1987 Yates Cup. A year later, he received the WLU Alumni Association academic and athletic achievement award. And in 1989, he was named an OUA first-team all-star linebacker and team MVP.

He's been a Laurier coach for 12 years. He was named defensive coordinator in 2003. In 2005, the Hawks won the Vanier Cup.

Vanmoerkerke produced the OUA's defensive player of the year in 2006 and 2007 when Jesse Alexander and Anthony Maggiocomo won the award.

Last season, Vanmoerkerke was named the OUA's volunteer coach of the year. Laurier head coach Gary Jeffries was named coach of the year. So again, Vanmoerkerke would come from a program with pedigree.

Should Vanmoerkerke apply for and win the job, he wouldn't be the first coordinator to leave Laurier and become a head coach.

Stefan Ptaszek was the Hawks' offensive coordinator before taking over McMaster.

PAT TRACEY:

Pat Tracey is as qualified a candidate as there is. But is he actively looking to leave the comfort zone of Queen's where he serves as defensive coordinator and recruiting guru for head coach Pat Sheehan?

He's from nearby Belleville. His daughter was a ball girl for the Vanier Cup winning team in 2009. He's the heir apparent to Sheehan. So it's going to take a lot (of money) to woo Tracey away from Kingston.

Sources say he was interested in the Guelph job when it became available in March after Kyle Walters left for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. But then again, Guelph is his alma mater.
Tracey was said to have applied but wanted more than the roughly $60,000 Guelph would or could offer.

Money was also the problem when he dropped out of the running when Walters originally landed the job.

From a guest post I made at the CIS Blog:

Tracey originally applied to be Queen's coach but was passed over for Pat Sheahan, who had more experience in the role. Tracey jumped at the chance to move himself, his wife and two girls closer to their original Belleville home when Queen's offensive co-ordinator Steve Yovetich left to pursue a business career in Ottawa. Tracey applied and beat out 13 other applicants for the job.

The duo won the Vanier Cup last fall; the school's first since 1992.

Tracey clearly knows what it takes to build a program — he's help do so in tangible ways at two schools. Recruiting continues to be a more — if not the most — important job for a coach, especially when doing so against the likes of Western and Queen's. And Tracey can sell a program, a job made easier with a program on the uptick.

The uptick(s) in Windsor's case are some of the OUA's lowest admissions standards, a new stadium, a new weight room/excercise facility and hotbed of football talent in the Lancers' own backyard.

If that's not enough to entice Tracey to move his entire family seven hours southwest on the 401 maybe the thought of $80,000 per year for five years — what I'm told the job will pay — will entice the defensive coordinator.

Still, Windsor's likely a tough sell to Tracey, who is said to be making that kind of money already at Queen's and can simply wait to be promoted when Sheehan retires.

KYLE WALTERS:

There is a small faction of Windsor Lancers boosters pushing hard for athletic director Gord Grace to reach out to Kyle Walters, the former Guelph Gryphons head coach and current Winnipeg Blue Bombers special teams coach.

Walters wasn't actively seeking a CFL job when he left Guelph. In fact, he wasn't seeking any job. At all. What he was looking for was stability. He would have stayed in the Royal City and raised a family for as long as the Gryphons would have him.

“I’m a bit of a romantic, and I probably would have stayed in Guelph for 25 years and made a career of it here for what I was making,” Walters said, “but when someone else offers you a job that pays more, you have to entertain the offer; at least look at it. And I got too good of an offer both financially and in terms of a coaching opportunity (to turn it down).”

However, athletic director Tom Kendall only offered Walters a one-year deal on a sort of "probationary" period in March.

So, without a raise and without job security, he left when Winnipeg came calling.

But professional football is a business and Walters, after just one season, is already feeling the heat of the Big City media. The Winnipeg Sun said Monday that Walters is on the hot seat.

Again, the going rate in Windsor — so I'm told — will be $80,000 a year for five years. And I'm told that's especially true if the man they hire ends up being Walters.

Walters in four years accomplished more at Guelph than Morencie did in his 13 seasons at Windsor.

Walters opened the Niagara Falls Region to recruiting, revived a program, beat Western once in four years while Morencie did so only twice in 13. Walters also led the Gryphons to a remarkable Yates Cup appearance in 2007.

Imagine what he could with a five-year deal, some money and a better facility.

TED GOVEIA:

Ted Goveia has to be mentioned as a prime candidate — even if it is the easy hire for Windsor athletic director Gord Grace. The two have a history.

Goveia served as an assistant to Grace when he head coach Mount Allison during the 1990s.
Goveia also has ties to Ontario. He was head coach of the Burlington Braves from 1998-2000.

Bob Duff, who has been (sort of) on top of the Morencie death watch since about 2007 noted in 2009 that Goveia was "at the top of the list" as potential replacements.

Goveia was as recently as the 2009 season head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds. He was fired after going 2-6 in 2008 and 1-7 in 2009.

However, one astute CIS observer and fervent blogger noted the record wasn't all Goveia's fault.

[The new coach's] challenge will be changing the culture of a program that simply hasn't been given the resources and attention needed to succeed in the Canada West conference for many years ... lack of a turf field—Vancouver's never-ending rainy season makes practicing on muddy fields a bit of an issue, and the team has had to travel outside of Vancouver for their training camp the last two years due to Thunderbird Stadium being used by concerts.

I googled my fingers off but couldn't come up with Goveia's current whereabouts.

OTHERS WORTH CONSIDERING:

Mike O'Shea — Former Gryphons linebacker, Yates Cup champ, current Toronto Argos special teams coach

John Bloomfield — Former Windsor AKO Fratmen head coach, former Essex County high school coaching great, former St. FX X-Men head coach

Steve LaLonde — Applied for the Guelph job and was apparently athletic director Tom Kendall's early pick before Stu Lang enter the fray, was AUS coach of the year in 2006

Kevin MacNeill — Former Laurier and UBC special teams coach, got an interview during Guelph's latest hiring, eventually became Guelph's defensive coordinator

Denis Piche — Former Ottawa Gee-Gees head coach who resigned in February, had enough of the 14- to 16-hour days, had a new "exciting opportunity" and hasn't been heard from since.

Andy McEvoy — Former York Lions head coach, now runs Canada's version of Rivals.com

Mike McLean – Former York Lions head coach, former successful Canadian Junior Football head coach with the Edmonton Wildcats, out of football at the moment

Now it's your turn. Who gets your vote? Who doesn't? Who did I miss? Have at it in the comment section, but keep it clean. No personal attacks.

Former Gryphs Coach Walters "On Hot Seat"

A quick update on former Guelph Gryphons head coach Kyle Walters, who left Guelph in the spring to become the special teams coordinator for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Kirk Penton of the Winnipeg Sun gives the Bombers' special teams a 'D' in his annual end-of-season report card. Deeper in the category, he gives the kick coverage an 'F' and says the return teams "were only a little better."

That's surprising — not the grades, because Winnipeg's kick coverage allowed six kicks returned for majors, but the coverage and return teams themselves.

Walters was nothing short of a brilliant special teams coach —okay, there was that one rouge allowed to Mac in 2007 —  while at the helm of the Gryphons. Sure, Rob Maver had a lot to do with the success. So did Jedd Gardner. But Walters was meticulous about special teams. He realizes their value.

He once told me if Guelph were to consistently beat the likes of Western, McMaster, Ottawa and Queen's, it would need to score a special teams touchdown each game. His teams were often undermanned in terms of depth and undersized when compared to Western, for example so a trick here and field position there mattered.

If it's any consolation, Bombers fans back in August weren't blaming Walters for special teams shortfalls.

Penton gives the entire Winnipeg coaching an 'F' and claims Walters "is the assistant on the hottest seat heading into the off-season."

He may also be considered the hottest comodity among potential coaches to replace Mike Morencie in Windsor.

If he is out of a job in Winnipeg — which isn't likely considering LaPolice and the Bombers head hunted Walters — it likely wouldn't be for long.

Badgers May Be Better Than You Think

No Clinton Springer-Williams. No Didi Mukendi. No Andrew Ferguson.

No problems.

Without the 2009-2010 Rookie of the Year, without their best scorer, and without their starting centre, respectively, the Brock Badgers got rookie head coach Brad Rootes his first win in upset fashion Friday when they knocked off the ninth-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees 62-60 in the Nation's Capital.

For those playing in the West Division, that's almost as scary — perhaps more so — as Windsor Lancer Isaac Kuon's 43-point, "player of the year" performance in the first game of the season.

I spoke to Rootes on Monday.

"In terms of Clinton, he's really not the type of player you just replace with someone else, he was a gifted scorer. Our offensive philosophy and sets have changed so we didn't need to put someone is his exact role," Rootes said. " Obviously he was a great scorer and any team likes to have one but like you said, other guys are scoring now."

Other other guys, to be precise.

Mukendi, the team's second-leading scorer last season behind only Springer-Williams is out with a knee injury.

Rootes calls Mukendi "our best scorer."

So who played well?

"We turned to some walk ons in the second quarter — Jermel Pierre and Michael Williams — and they did a hell of a job helping guard Warren Ward and knocking down some big shots," said Rootes, whose team held Ward, a unanimous pre-season all-star to seven points on two-of-13 shooting.

Just so we're clear, the Badgers were without their former ROY, best scorer and starting centre. They turned to walk-ons. And still, they beat Ottawa.

And what's more, Rootes thought his team played better Saturday against the top-ranked Carleton Ravens.

"The Carleton game we played fairly well for three quarters and let the foul trouble hurt us in the fourth; it took us out of the game defensively and we let that affect our execution on the offensive end," Rootes said.

Mark Wacyk of CISHoops.ca said Brock needed a better shooting performance Saturday than it had Friday. It was slightly better (39 per cent against Carleton — a game Wacyk called "closer than the score may indicate" —  as opposed to 36 the night before).

"Hats off to Carleton though they are definitely the No. 1 team in the country," Rootes said.

Western is the odds on favourite to win the West. Windsor's a close second. After that, with a win like the one over Ottawa, it's easy to suggest a healthy Brock Badgers team could score an upset or two in the post-season.

"We felt confident heading into the weekend, we knew both games would be tough but we believe in ourselves and we are getting better every day. We were happy with how we played but not with a spilt," Rootes said. "Obviously beating two ranked teams in a weekend is difficult but to win the championship you have to beat three, so its not impossible."

And Rootes should know.

His seventh-seeded Badgers in 2008 knocked off No. 2 UBC, No. 6 Western and No. 5 Acadia to win the national championship.

Props When They're Due

With limited time and resources it's always difficult to decide what gets links, what gets thoughts, who gets scolded and who gets praise.

It's why the blog is fairly limited to OUA football and men's basketball and hockey.

However, there was big good news out of Kingston on Friday, where the RMC Paladins beat the Waterloo Warriors in women's basketball. It was rookie head coach James Bambury's first career win and RMC's second OUA win in eight years.

I don't have much to say other than I've privately — now publicly — grumbled that RMC should instead play in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA).

However, maybe I've been wrong. Maybe this is the start of something good. We'll see. And for now, the Paladins will enjoy the win. But not for too long ...

Bambury doesn't think it will be difficult for the players to re-focus after such a dramatic victory.

"They have that fire in their eyes and they believe in their hearts (they can win)," Bambury said. "They're going to carry that (momentum) for at least a bit."

 

Post-game Reaction

Two of the biggest stories of OUA basketball's opening night had to be Windsor Lancer Isaac Kuon dropping 43 points on the York Lions in 10 8-89 win in Toronto and new Brock Badgers head coach Brad Rootes notching is first career win after replacing the legendary Ken Murray.

Here's some reaction from Windsor head coach Chris Oliver.

Oliver called Kuon "efficient, unselfish and balanced ... while still defending, rebounding and making his teammates better."

Kuon shot 16-for-20 from the floor, including 5-for-7 from three-point range. He also had seven rebounds and three assists.

"The fact that Isaac had that type of game and scored 43 was impressive and the most complete game I have seen him play," Oliver wrote me in an email.

Mark Wacyk of CISHoops.ca wrote that "Kuon made a case for early consideration as OUA West (Player of the Year) with a spectacular career-high 43 point effort ..."

Player of the year consider already, that's some serious props from a serious OUA insider. And this is only Game 1 of the regular season. Scary.

The Lancers uploaded a video package of Kuon's perfermance.

 

I'll hopefully have some thoughts from Rootes later this morning.

Jack Creighton Considering Guelph

Of the more talented and perhaps the most wanted transfers available is seriously considering playing football for the Guelph Gryphons next season.

Qaurterback Jack Creighton has been in touch with members of the Guelph coaching staff and has expressed to them a serious interest in joining the team.

However, Creighton has made no definitive decision nor has the Guelph athletic department made an official announcement.

The 21-year-old quit the St. Mary's Huskies after just two games played in the AUS this season. Huskies head coach Steve Sumarah benched Creighton for Week 2 after he threw three interceptions in the first game of the season. Creighton quit just days later.

St. Mary's sports information director Lori Forbes said Friday that Creighton not only quit the team but left school, too, in September.

Guelph's first-year offensive co-ordinator and assistant coach Perry Marchese coached Creigthon three years ago when both were members of Team Ontario. Marchese was the first person Creighton called when he left SMU.

Creighton led the Huskies to a Loney Bowl win and was named MVP after he completed 12 of 17 passes for 198 yards and two touchdownsas a freshman in 2008. He got the start after he was called to duty when Eric Glavic injured a knee earlier in the season.

Creighton completed 133 of 216 passes for 1,862 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2009. He was first or second in eight passing categories as an AUS sophomore that year.

Creighton, who hails from Port Colborne and attended Lakeshore high school, was considered by many the country's No. 1 prospect at pivot in 2008.

Guelph boasts former Lakeshore Gators such as running back Corey Davidson and defensive lineman Mike Millar; and fellow Niagara Region standout receiver Jedd Gardner, who has a season of eligibility remaining.

Just how good Creighton can be in the OUA is immediately in question. Sure, he was a top pivot in the AUS, but the four-team AUS is no OUA.

Two or three seasons ago, Creighton could not have cracked a bigtime OUA roster as a starter, Guelph included in the "bigtime." Western had Michael Faulds, Queen's had Danny Brannagan, Ottawa had Josh Sacobie (with Brad Sinopoli as backup), McMaster had Adam Archibald (and recruited current starter Kyle Quinlan out of high school in 2008), and Guelph had Dunk. All of them were solidified as starters.

Currently, Windsor doesn't have a coach signed for the 2011 season and has Austin Kennedy, who saw his first real action this season, likely pegged as the No. 1 quarterback. Laurier's pivot position may still be in flux, although Shane Kelly looks like he may maintain his No. 1 spot on the depth chart. Sinopoli is eligible to return for a fifth season at Ottawa. Quinlan has come into his own at Mac and has a real shot at upsetting the Mustangs on Saturday.

Now he comes to the OUA arguably better than Western's Donnie Marshall, although Marshall is better today than he was Labour Day; likely better than anyone Waterloo will start when the Warriors return to action in 2011, and better than Guelph's Chris Rossetti.

So Guelph and Waterloo could be considered front runners — although, York and Toronto are always in need of any talented player, quarterback or otherwise.

Creighton would immediately improve what was a stagnant passing game employed by Guelph, despite the Gryphons having Gardner and Dillon Dimitroff at receiver spots.

After sitting out the mandatory 365 days, Creighton would be eligible to play on Sept. 21, 2011 - perhaps a few days earlier, considering he was last on a dress roster Sept. 18. That means Creighton might be able to sneak into game action Week 3, Week 4 at the latest.

Creighton also needs to complete six courses throughout the winter and summer semesters in order to be eligible to play next fall.

I Got Game

Another Friday, another broadcast. Tonight, I Got Game.

I'll bring you the call of the OUA men's hockey game between the host Guelph Gryphons (3-4-0) and visiting Windsor Lancers (4-3-1). Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at the Gryphon Centre and can be seen and heard on the Streaming Sports Network.

The Lancers come to Guelph after having lost 2-1 to Waterloo in shootout on Halloween. Goalie Jim Watt made 40 saves in the loss.

For the record, it's the Jim Watt on the left, not the left:

Oddly, Watt is currently the best veteran goalie in the OUA, he was named OUA Athlete of the Week earlier this season. The top seven spots, statistically speaking, belong to rookies.

Windsor heads to Guelph with "several banged up guys," according to Lancers head coach Kevin Hamlin. He didn't elaborate on which guys.

"We are still unsure about our roster ... I can tell you that Jim Watt is starting," Hamlin wrote me at seven hours before puck drop. "Our team is a hard-working group that is reliant on team defense and discipline as per our PIMs this year."

Only Laurier and Brock have taken fewer penalties than Windsor.

The Lancers are not quite where Hamlin wants them to be.

"We are learning how to compete on a "every game" basis and as you know this takes time to hammer home every week," he wrote.

Guelph heads into the game well rested. The Gryphons haven't played a game since beating UOIT 6-4 a week ago. A game recapped on SSN.

Rookie forward Andrew Merrett had a pair of goals in the win. Thomas Kiriakou, last season's leading scorer, returned to the team after being away for personal reasons. He had a pair of assists.

Top defenceman Nathan Martine tweeted earlier this week he had injured his hand last week. I won't link to the Tweet as it had, shall we say, a little too much information. But trust me, he admitted to being injured.

Cody St. Jacques has started every game in goal for Guelph this season. So it's likely he'll get a rest either tonight or tomorrow with Windsor in town for a pair of games.

As usual, it's a log jam in the OUA West. Three points separates second from last place Guelph. So it's far too early for anyone to panic but never too early to make up ground head-to-head. Guelph has now won two of three from UOIT and has a chance this weekend to hold a head-to-head tie break with Windsor, should the Gryphons sweep the Lancers.

All three games between these teams last season were decided by a goal — Windsor won two of them. And Windsor has now played in three consecutive one-goal games this season — four total.

If those trends mean anything, tonight could be — should be? — a close contest.

Walters Pegged in the 'Peg

Former Guelph Gryphons head football coach Kyle Walters, now special teams coordinator for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, gets a passing mention in a column penned by Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Tait's been examining the reasons behind the Bombers' 20-year Grey Cup drought. Tait said part of it has to do with the team's failure to draft and cultivate Canadian talent.

So, GM Joe Mack is making that a focal point moving forward and Walters, according to Tait, may have a role in that.

Mack has already visited and chatted with the coaches at a number of CIS schools and is using former Bomber Miles Gorrell -- who spent four years as the Toronto Argonauts co-ordinator of Canadian scouting -- to help beef up the team's college connections.

Bomber special teams co-ordinator Kyle Walters, the former head coach at the University of Guelph, as well as Kavis Reed and Jamie Barresi are said to have extensive Canadian college contacts.

Few would argue Walters was one of the better recruiters in the OUA, tapping deeply into the Niagara Region.

And, for the record, when I told Walters earlier this year that the OUA was "Western, Laurier and everyone else," he astutely noted McMaster is a real contender.

Take a look at the four teams currently left standing.

Let's face it, there's a big difference between recruiting impressionable high school kids and evaluating graduating university talent — both north and south of the border — heading into a CFL Draft, but there are similarities, too.

Few would discredit Walters' ability to assess talent and game plan. Recall that overachieving run at the Yates Cup.

It's going to be interesting to see just what the Bombers have in store for Walters longterm and just what Walters wants out of coaching. Because, as we all know, there is the foregone conclusion of Windsor needing a new head coach.