www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday December 6, 2006 - 41 Basketball 'Blazers coping without big man Brittain By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Iroquois Ridge Trailblazers not only have some big shoes to fill, they have a lot of shoes to fill -- 16 of them, to be exact. Coming off a 9-1 season, the 'Blazers senior boys' basketball team lost eight players this year, only two of whom were not eligible to return. One of the players coach Tim Coe knew would not be back was 6-foot-9 forward Scott Brittain, who is playing at Boston University (see page 42). "We're very inexperienced," said Coe, who has only four Grade 12s on his roster and only one of them in a starting role. "We're not giving up on this year but we're really building for next year." Mind you, it's not exactly like a total rebuild from the ground up. Iroquois Ridge defeated the Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils 69-58 Monday to improve to 2-0. While Iroquois Ridge didn't draw the toughest of schedules to open the season -- its first three opponents were a combined 6-18 last season -- the 'Blazers will next face Holy Trinity (8-2 a year ago) and St. Thomas Aquinas (defending Halton AAA champion). "Next week is a big week for us. We'll see where we are," Coe said. The loss of Brittain, who gave Iroquois Ridge a strong presence under the basket, has necessitated a more uptempo style of play, led by George Thorman, who had 24 points in Monday's game. "We playing more of a speed game and, sure, it's going to mean a few more turnovers, but we'll have to live with that for now," Coe said. Iroquois Ridge has other capable scorers. Jordan Clarke (14) and Clayton Copoc (12) each hit double figures against OT while Andrew McQueen, who has inherited rebounding duties, had eight. OT also plays a fast transition game under new coaches Fred Grannum and Daniel Miller. Both D.J. Miller and Chris Dickenson fit well into the coaches' approach, moving the ball up the floor quickly while showing no fear in driving to the basket. Miller led OT with 23 points while Dickenson had 16, including 14 in the second half when the 'Blazers began keying on Miller. Iroquois Ridge jumped on OT early with a nine-point run to open the game. OT played with Ridge the rest of the way but was unable to overcome the slow start. -- Herb Garbutt can be reached at sports@oakvillebeaver.com. Make the most of your RRSP Guaranteed BEST Prices by Far GOLF LIQUIDATION MASSIVE S HRISTMAT C BLOWOU CLOTHING LIQUIDATION GREAT STOCKING STUFFERS Tim Trian, CFA - Portfolio Manager Laura Trian, C.A., CFP CIM - Investment Advisor , 200-2908 South Sheridan Way, Oakville Tel: 905-829-0600 December 5-6-7; Tues.-Wed. 10-8, Thurs. 10-6 4-5-6; Mon.-Tues. 10-8, Wed. St. Volodymyr Banquets, 1280 Dundas St. W. Best Western, 19 Holiday Drive, Brantford Visit us at http://teamtrian.dundeewealth.com Peace of Mind ... ... the most Valuable Service we Provide STARTS NEXT WEEK!! FINAL 2 DAYS Anton Tucker CFP, FMA, FCSI 905.330.7448 anton@tridelta.ca www.tridelta.ca OAKVILLE NORTH YORK MISSISSAUGA THORNHILL