CW Coaches Poll: Griffins will have to climb from 17th in latest rankings
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – With the promise of a couple preseason wins under their belt, the MacEwan Griffins men's basketball will be looking to outpace their ranking of 17th in the Canada West preseason coaches poll, released Wednesday.
The Griffins will open the new season vs. Mount Royal University for their home-opening weekend on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (3 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
PURCHASE TICKETS FOR FRIDAY HERE
NOTE: Saturday's game is free as part of MacEwan's Open House celebrations
MRU was ranked 15th in the poll.
After claiming their third-straight conference title last season, the Victoria Vikes are once again favoured, finishing first in Coaches Poll voting, including getting 15 of 17 first-place votes.
UBC and Calgary placed second and third in the poll, respectively, both returning experienced rosters. UBC and fourth-place Winnipeg garnered one first-place vote each.
Fans can catch all the action on CanadaWest.TV, which now allows fans to watch games on popular Connected TV apps like Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku. Regular season sport passes are available for $39.99.
For the complete Canada West men's basketball schedule, click here.
To view CW men's basketball history and records, click here.
2024-25 CW MBB PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL
Team - Points (First-place votes)
- Victoria Vikes - 255 (15)
- UBC Thunderbirds - 228 (1)
- Calgary Dinos - 226
- Winnipeg Wesmen - 223 (1)
- Manitoba Bisons - 192
- Alberta Golden Bears - 175
- Regina Cougars - 145
- Saskatchewan Huskies - 144
- Trinity Western Spartans - 141
- Lethbridge Pronghorns - 97
- UFV Cascades - 93
- Brandon Bobcats - 83
- Thompson Rivers WolfPack - 81
- UBC Okanagan Heat - 78
- Mount Royal Cougars - 66
- UNBC Timberwolves - 64
- MacEwan Griffins – 21
MacEwan Griffins preview
Mike Connolly's coach's quote:
"We're looking to make the playoffs. Our defensive execution will determine the team's success this year."
Key Performer: Job Janda
Wing
4th Year
Hometown: Calgary, Alta.
Unanimously voted as team captain, Janda is primed for an impact season as he enters his fourth year of eligibility.
Possessing an intense, hard-nosed style in the paint that endures him to teammates, Janda brings strong two-way ability to the court that sets the standard for the team.
Always a threat for a double double, Janda is coming off a strong preseason and is chief among the Griffins' building blocks put in place early in head coach Mike Connolly's tenure at MacEwan that are set to pay dividends.
