Appleby College - Argus Yearbook (Oakville, Ontario Canada)

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It is easy to see why there was such confidence and optimism at the beginning of the season, that last year ' s second place finish would be improved upon with an I.S.A.A. championship. But incredibly, our season ' s chronicle reads like an accident report. Mike Cheney went out during our opener against U.C.C. with torn knee ligaments, then, Nick Waterfield was plagued by a bad knee all year, until an ankle injury put him out of action permanently. A similar fate was suffered by Eric Hebert, and both Para To and guard Keith Morrison had ankle injuries which happened near the middle of our season, and thus ham- pered their actual playing season. In fact, every player with the exception of Captain Pen- dharkar, who led a blessed life, was injured during the season, and this made winning all the more difficult. Defensive basketball was rarely a problem with this team, as our coach, Mr. Martin, had taught us well in protecting our basket. We had, however, some difficulty in mounting a sustained attack upon the opposition ' s basket, and sometimes, keeping our op- ponents under fifty points in a game did not mean a win. The season itself was an odd one. Even with one starter out and two injured during the U.C.C. game, we almost won, and during the next three games we won in a confident fashion, looking towards a strong finish in a run to the championship. Alas, four games in a row disappeared as losses and in the process, two more players were lost. Our last two games were victories. Again, looking down our line-up, one cannot help but be im- pressed by the talent present, and Captain Pendharkar is a fine example. The most gifted and consistent shooter on the team, as well as being a good passer, playmaker and defender, for his three years at Appleby, - Mllind, as he did this year, was a driving force behind the team with his fine play. Nick Waterfield, until he was in- jured, was another powerful man in the Appleby line-up. His great -.a rebounding and hard work at either end of the court was a tremendous addition, and when he was injured, we surely missed his presence. Vice Captain Para To, from his guard position, managed to com- bine speed and agility, to turn in consistently good performances and Para would have been even more effective but for his troublesome ankles. Centre Matt Gall exerted a great deal of effort for the team, and hence was the leading scorer on the club. Matt will certainly be a welcome sight next season. Keith Morrison, only in Grade Eleven, exhibited a natural shooting touch and a flair for the unusual in his offensive work. Bryan Davies and Jean- Pierre Rachmaninoff came off the bench often, and seemed to perform more competently and confidently as the season progressed.

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Firsts FRONT ROW: Waterfield, Morrison II, Pendharkar, To, Gall. MIDDLE ROW: French, Josselyn, Hebert I. BACK ROW: Mr. Martin, Rachmaninoff, Davies, Mr. Larsen. On paper, perhaps, one might say that the 1975-6 edition of the First Basl etball Team was rather mediocre and !acl ing. After all, the team had an in and out, five wins, five losses during the season, losing games figured as easy victories and never actually putting together a full four quar- ters of good, solid basl etball. However, both the coach and players of this team felt that they really were the best of the In- dependent Schools ' League, and indeed, but for one or two fac- tors, we were. We were a team who had, without a doubt, the most talent, man for man, at the beginning of the season in the entire I.S.A.A. League. We had four out of five men from last year ' s starting line-up returning; Captain Milind Pendharl ar and Vice-Captain Para To at guard, forward Nicl Waterfield and cen- tre Matt Gall. Mike Cheney was also returning, and this was the line-up that started the season in December. B a s k e t b a I I

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David Josselyn and Timmy French also played well and provided comic relief. And of course, there is our coach, Mr. Martin, who was always patient and who played to win under all circumstances. On the more inexperienced players, especially, he imparted a fuller understanding of the game and for his time and efforts, we ex- tend our grateful thanks. V? An outsider might remark that this is a very, glowing report for a team who won only five games, and lost the same number, but it was a season of fun , for if we had had less injuries, and a little more offense, I am eure that the chanripionship would have been ours. 3k ikt f j