By Eli Silverstone
The final buzzer sounds at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) as disappointment and frustration blur reality. It’s over just like that? The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s basketball team conquered hills and valleys during the 2023-24 season, only for it to end in a swift heartbreak.
An up-and-down regular season led TMU to a respectable 13-9 record, landing them second place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Central division. It was good enough to secure playoff home-court advantage in a first-round rematch against the McMaster Marauders. One season prior, TMU defeated the Marauders 104-92 at the MAC to advance to the OUA quarter-finals.
This time, they would not be as fortunate. Defensive lapses, an issue TMU dealt with all year, was their undoing as McMaster celebrated the 74-67 win, bouncing TMU in the first round.
With a new season kicking off, last year’s playoff loss can serve as a motivating memory to returning players and coaches, but this year’s squad is looking to build their own legacy. Seven of the 12 players who hit the court in the playoff loss against McMaster either graduated or moved on from TMU. 10 new players—including seven first-year students—invoke a youth movement for 2024.
“It’s up to our returning players to show them the way, let them know how we do things and help them through tough situations,” said Bold head coach Dave DeAveiro.
The incoming recruiting class are highlighted by third-year guards Thomasi Gilgeous-Alexander and Javier Gilgeous-Glasgow. Not only will they have each other on the team but Gilgeous-Alexander has reunited with his grade seven junior academy coach DeAveiro. The cousins returned after separate stints in the United States (U.S.) and will make an instant impact as primary ball handlers, setting the tone of TMU’s offence.
“If the team needs me to score, they need me to score. If they need me to facilitate, they need me to facilitate, I just want to be there for my guys,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.
Although not a newcomer to the Bold, the long-awaited OUA debut of graduate student and former Biosteel All-Canadian Jahcobi Neath will also be welcomed. Neath returned home to Toronto last year after four years at National Collegiate Athletics Association Division 1 programs Wake Forest and Wisconsin, where he suffered through a long history of injuries. It’s been a long road back but now that he’s healthy, Neath will bring experience, leadership and a lot of buckets for the Bold.
“He’s been through the wars,” said DeAveiro. “He’s really good at sharing that with the guys and helping them get through tough situations.”
For backcourt rookies, TMU looked over provincial borders to Québec to bring in first-year guard Maxime Louis-Jean, whose defensive spark is welcomed. First-year guards Landon Wright, Greg Angelakos and Kevin Toth also showed flashes of immense potential in pre-season play and will bring energy off the bench.
They also looked far and wide for first-year forwards Emmanuel Owonibi, Ryan Ziolkowski and Andrejs Silconoks. The new forwards hail from Nigeria, Saskatchewan and Latvia, respectively. Also returning from the U.S. is second-year forward Nathaneal Ntumba.
“We are throwing them right into the fire, and they’ve really responded to the challenge,” said DeAveiro of the rookies.
With so many new additions, the risk of locker room issues and players not getting along becomes heightened. Though this was an issue that plagued the Bold last season, it doesn’t seem to be a talking point with this squad. Forward Elijah Roye is going into his fourth season with the Bold and believes this is the best team chemistry he’s seen on the squad during his time at TMU.
“Our team is so close-knit, we’re all a family,” said Roye. “The communication is big this year, our group chat is buzzing, my phone goes off every hour.”
Neath and Roye will play their senior season alongside fourth-year centre Aidan Wilson and fourth-year guard Aaron Rhooms.
Rhooms has accomplished pretty much every individual award in the OUA, including earning the 2021 Rookie of the Year nod and being an OUA All-Star every year of his career. One thing left on the resume: an OUA championship.
After starting the pre-season 0-2, TMU rattled off four straight wins, including a massive 102-46 win in their final exhibition matchup against the McGill Martlets. For their last test before the games counted, they headed up to Kingston, Ont. to take part in the Tindal Invitational Tournament. They won two out of three games, led by separate 28-point performances by Rhooms and Gilgeous-Alexander, with the only loss coming against last year’s OUA champions, the Queen’s Gaels.
Whether it’s fresh faces helping bring forth winning basketball or vets hoping for one last chance at a deep playoff run, the result of the Bold’s season will all come down to effort.
“When we get into the grind of January and February, your body is screaming and aching, can you push through that?” said DeAveiro.
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