National attention for Mac

Brandon Meawasige

Assistant Sports Editor

Before the 2011/2012 OUA basketball season, the powerhouse teams of Carleton, Lakehead and Laurier held a firm place in the CIS top ten national rankings, a list that did not include a fourth OUA team until Tuesday when the usual suspects were joined by the surprising McMaster Marauders.

Although touted early as a young and developing team given their inexperience at several positions, the Marauders in fact have been the benefit of tremendous play from a number of rookies. With most of the attention being drawn to rookie guard Adam Presutti, it had been easy to forget the contributions from other freshmen.

That is, until first year guard Joe Rocca scored 27 points on Saturday during an 87-79 road win over the Guelph Gryphons.

“All the people associated with Joe expected that to happen sooner than later. Looking at the stat sheet, one thing you don’t see is how he plays defensively,” said Head Coach Amos Connolly.

“The offensive output by Joe is not a surprise. He did it all through high school and at this level we need him to contribute consistently on defense in order to stay on the court and be a factor.”

With the win, the Marauders stretched their unbeaten streak to six games in a row and in doing so garnered national recognition for their efforts by clinching a berth in the CIS top ten for the first time since the 2009/2010 season and the first time with Connolly as bench boss.

The challenge for the Marauders will now be staying focused in light of their new position amongst the Canadian university basketball elite, something coach Connolly believes his team is capable of.

“I haven’t heard anything from the guys, they haven’t addressed it. They are pretty focused right now and realize the importance of today. Even though it is a milestone for our program, maintaining our composure and staying focused is our biggest concern right now,” said Coach Connolly before Wednesday night’s road game in London against the Western Mustangs.

The last time these two teams played one another McMaster defeated the purple and white by a score of 77-63 in Burridge Gymnasium. Unfortunately not all things were going the Marauders way as third year guard Victor Raso went down with an injury in that contest.

Raso is the team’s captain and emotional leader, a role that will need to be filled in order to close out the remainder of the season.

“It is Cam Michaud time. He is an OUA all star and though he had a bit of a slump, this is the opportunity for him to take over and lead this team without Victor in the line up,” said Connolly.

“We have very good leaders and very good followers on this team and those roles change at different times but there is no ego attached for us.”

Building a culture without emphasis on individual success is part of the culture that Connolly is trying to institute into this program.

“Character and respect are a big part of what we do here. Ego is out of it and when our role model guys communicate the younger guys listen,” Connolly said of the chemistry within the team’s locker room.

The Marauders have proven themselves as a legitimate contender in the OUA. With a top ten ranking and a variety of rookie contributors, it shouldn’t be a surprise if the culture being built within this program sticks around for a long time.