Holiday hoopla

The Dalhousie Tigers men’s basketball team will take to the floor during the holiday break as they host the seventeenth annual Rod Shoveller Memorial tournament December 28 to 30.

This annual event will feature basketball talent from across Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). Representing the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference will be Saint Mary’s University, St. Francis Xavier University, University of New Brunswick and host Dalhousie University. Non-conference teams include third-ranked Concordia University, University of Ottawa, Wilfrid Laurier University and Laurentian University.

“The tournament promises to be very competitive. Currently Concordia and SMU are ranked in the top 10 and Ottawa has a 7-1 record. Friday night we open up against Laurentian, which is my alma mater and I also coached there for five years," says Dalhousie Tigers Head Coach John Campbell.

Rod Shoveller Men's B-ball Tournament Friday, Dec. 28 Concordia 109, UNB 78 Ottawa 82, SMU 81 St. FX 94, Laurier 63 DAL 84, Laurentian 68 Saturday, Dec. 29 SMU 82, Laurier 66 UNB 87, Laurentian 63 Ottawa 85, Concordia 81 St. FX 83, Dal 74 Sunday, Dec. 30 Laurier 77 vs. UNB 63 SMU 76 vs. Laurentian 69 Concordia 79 vs. DAL 74 St. FX 84 vs. Ottawa 72

"They are currently coached by past player and former national team member, Shawn Swords. We were both coached by my father, Peter Campbell at Laurentian, who is now at Laurier. These types of extra connections are bound to add to the competitive spirit of the tournament.”

The Rod Shoveller Memorial tournament is a premiere national regular season CIS men’s basketball tournament honouring a legendary contributor to the sport of basketball in Nova Scotia. Rod Shoveller, a former special events coordinator at Dalhousie University, was well-known for his 30-plus years of service to basketball officiating. A member of the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame, Shoveller died of cancer after an upbeat and ultimately inspiring battle against the disease.

He won a long list of awards throughout his many years of involvement with sport in Nova Scotia. Dalhousie named this tournament to honour his contribution to those around him and to pay tribute to the incredible spirit of courage, tenacity, good humour and grace under pressure which he displayed throughout his illness.

Adult doubleheader passes are $7, day passes are $10 and tournament passes are $25. Tournament passes are currently on sale at Dalplex or charge by phone at 494-3372. There are also team and corporate passes available, contact Dalplex for details.