Hebert’s here

No pressure

Men’s basketball team member shines on the court

Article: Brady Lang – Sports Writer

[dropcaps round=”no”]R[/dropcaps]egina Cougars fourth-year men’s basketball player Brendan Hebert was named the University of Regina’s player of the week last week, and for good reason.

Hebert, a hometown product from Regina, has been averaging 10.3 points per game through the Cougars six games early on in the 2013-14 season. Hebert has shone brightly throughout the 1-8 start to the Cougars season and has led the team in multiple categories such as minutes, three-pointers, and assists.

The Saskatchewan product has stepped up in many different roles this season, including leading the team in minutes, making him one of the most important fixtures on the team for many obvious reasons.

Hebert has been put in a veteran position in the 2013-14 season, as he is one of only three players on the team with four or more years of experience. The guard has also been inserted into the starting role and has been excelling early on.

So far this season, Hebert lead the team to a big upset win against the UBC Thunderbirds. Ever since then, though, the Cougars have struggled against tough teams such as Victoria, Alberta, and against their unbeaten rivals Saskatchewan Huskies.

The 1-8 start for the club has almost mirrored last season’s beginning as the team went 2-7 in their first eight contests, eventually finishing 7-15, tied with Thompson Rivers for ninth in the Canada West Standings.

The Cougars should be set for a step back this season as the team lost four important veterans on the squad over the offseason. Lone fifth-year Addison Docherty was red shirted in the 2012-13 season and has missed multiple games early on this season, so Hebert and fellow fourth-year guard Darius Mole will have to shoulder much of the workload heading into the season.

The Cougars also went through quite the adjustment, losing long-time Head Coach James Hillis in the offseason and replacing him with longtime assistant with the women’s and men’s basketball programs, Steve Burrows.

The team’s coaching staff has grown with the hiring of Wade Hackl and former Cougar Jordan McFarlen, making the 2013-14 season somewhat of a growing year for the club.

The Cougars dropped their two-game set to the Saskatchewan Huskies this weekend in Regina and fell to 1-8 on the season.

Game one of the two game set ended up a 90-78 victory for the undefeated Huskies. Cougars’ forward Jeremy Zver – a native of Regina – went six for six with a team high 15 points while the aforementioned Brendan Hebert added 11 points and eight rebounds. Kade Marra also added seven rebounds for the Cougars.

The second match of the set ended in an 85-68 loss for the Cougars. Brandon Tull came off the bench and led the team with 14 points in just 20 minutes played. Fifth-year guard Docherty came off the bench to score 10 points in just 11 minutes of playing time while going three for five from three-point range. Travis Sylvestre scored seven points while leading the team with eight rebounds with freshman guard Ryan Delwo also adding eight points for the Cougars.

The Cougars will now go on the road for the next two weekends in Calgary against Mount Royal and then off to Prince George for a game against the UNBC Timberwolves.

[button style=”e.g. solid, border” size=”e.g. small, medium, big” link=”” target=””]Image: Haley Klassen[/button]