By Jonathan Reynoso
The Toronto Metro Hoops Classic series continued at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Wednesday night with the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s basketball team winning the second matchup over the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues 69-57.
The stars were out to shine in attendance at today’s matchup, with appearances from Toronto-based charity Lay-up Youth Basketball and Teresa Resch, president of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s new team in the Women’s National Basketball Association.
With the stands filled, all spectators were treated to a highlight-filled game.
“It only makes sense to me that there should be this, right?” said Bold head coach David DeAveiro of the atmosphere inside the MAC.
DeAveiro is a strong believer that there should be a stronger rivalry between the two Toronto schools, especially due to the proximity of each other.
“When I came here, I’m like, ‘We’ve got to be able to sell this game and fill a gym.’ This has to be a ticket that people want to come to, and it has to become an event. The game is part of the event,” said DeAveiro.
The win adds to a big week for DeAveiro, who was named as head coach of the Ottawa Blackjacks on Wednesday, a promotion after spending the past four summers as an assistant coach for the Canadian Elite Basketball League team.
While the game started relatively slow, the highlights weren’t missed and the Bold found a rhythm on offence and defence. After the first quarter of play, TMU held an eight-point lead, 25-17.
While the crowd’s biggest reaction might have come for a slick crossover move and layup by first-year guard Kevin Toth—who started his third-straight game after playing most of the season off the bench—the biggest moment of the opening quarter featured fourth-year forward Aaron Rhooms. The Oakville, Ont., product sank a tough right-handed drive to reach a gargantuan milestone of 1,500 career points with the Bold.
With this season being his fourth year with the team, Rhooms sees the milestone as a full-team accomplishment.
“I’m just grateful that I was allowed to play at this level,” he said. “Honestly, shout out to my coaching staff, the people and the players that have been around me in the time I’ve been here, they’ve allowed me to be the player that I can be and be who I want to be.”
This season Rhooms has been on a scoring tear, leading the Ontario University Athletics not only in points per game, with 20.8, but also leading the league in total points. With tonight’s game-high of 24 points, Rhooms totals 353 points, second place belonging to third-year Windsor Lancers guard/forward Yohaan Sam with 320.
“I’m proud of [Rhooms]. He’s an unbelievable scorer,” said DeAveiro “That’s what he does, that man. [Rhooms] scores points.”
TMU’s ability to close out defensive possessions with rebounds and their steady offence allowed them to sustain a sizable lead for the majority of the game. Their lowest lead after the sixth minute of the first quarter was six points.
The Bold maintained their constant attack and entered the fourth quarter with a 58-47 lead. Though the Varsity Blues tried to battle back, fourth-year guard Jahcobi Neath hit a short and-one jumper to halt the Blues’ late-quarter run, adding two of his 13 points in the contest.
In the fourth, the game tightened up and the Blues inched as close as six points.
“We have these moments of inconsistency…Our thing is we want to stay solid, stay solid, stay solid,” said DeAveiro. “But sometimes when we get into that moment where we’re trying to do too much, too fast, that’s when we get in trouble.”
In the closing moments of the contest, TMU’s vets stepped up to tuck the game. Neath and Rhooms connected on back-to-back plays, including a monstrous dunk from Neath to pull away from the Varsity Blues, topping their rival 69-57.
Looking into the future of this matchup, there is a brewing desire for this rivalry to grow between the two Toronto native teams.
“I want to get to the point where the losing school, the President has to wear the losing team sweatshirt, or you’ve got to raise their flag, whatever. Make it an event, make it something that people want to come out to. You see it all over the place. I don’t know why we can’t do it here,” said DeAveiro.
“Two really good schools, right? Two really good basketball programs. There’s no reason why this can’t be like this every time we play,” added DeAveiro.
UP NEXT: The Bold will play the final five games of the regular season, hosting the McMaster Marauders on Feb. 1. Tip-off is set at 8 p.m. at the MAC.
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