Voiume 18 Issue 3 October, 4 2011 over-the-edge@unbc.ca web.unbc.ca/edge LEADER OF THE PACK Veteran guard Francis Rowe remains a constant for a retooled men's basketball feam PUNEET HAYER SPORTS EDITOR Look for Francis Rowe to continue his strong play this season. Veteran guard Francis Rowe re- mains consistent for a retooled men’s basketball team that looks to win a second PACWEST championship in 3 years. After a strong off-season, #4 is eager to the lead the T-Wolves back on the court. Despite losing two-thirds of their roster, expectations remain high for UNBC star guard Francis Rowe and the rest of the UNBC men’s basket- ball team. Rowe has emerged as a catalytic scoring guard opposite Inderbir Gill over the past two sea- sons and looks to continue his de- velopment and emerge as a leader of the new look T-Wolves with the departure of many integral players such as Matt Mills, Sebastien-Kevin Louis and of course, Gill. The star guard continues to progress and re- main optimistic for this season, with a dedicated conditioning program over the summer where he reunited with teammates Kevan Madsen and Jose Araujo of the magical champion- ship season two years ago, as well as another strong recruiting class by athletic recruiter Zane Robison and head coach Todd Jordan, making this one of the most intriguing basketball seasons in T-Wolves history. Regard- less of how the season unfolds for the men’s basketball team, #4 will be in the middle of it all. It is clear that after seeing Rowe between last year and this season that he has added a substantial amount of muscle to his frame and looks bigger and stronger. Francis credits his im- proved physique and conditioning to an intensive training regimen in his hometown of Victoria over the sum- mer. Rowe said, “It’s very important to keep lifting weights and training over the summer. With less organized basketball going on, it is the best time to take apart your training system and rebuild it and try to get stronger”. Consequently, the results have been impressive and exemplify Rowe’s leadership and dedication to the team. The team was stockpiled with guards and swingmen a season ago but lacked size up front, which is a contrast from this year. This year’s squad has more quality centers and power forwards pairing with Dennis and Dan Stark and has modified the team’s identity. This seems to intrigue Rowe as he thinks the improved frontcourt will take the pressure off the guards and make the team more balanced. “We are a much more structured team than we were a few years ago,” says Rowe.. “We also have the tools this year to have a much larger defensive presence and if we continue to work hard throughout the season we can be one of the best defensive teams in our league” said Rowe. Furthermore, Francis is intrigued and excited to re- unite with former PACWEST ‘Rookie of the Year’ Kevan Madsen and sharp- shooting guard Jose Araujo who pro- pelled the men’s basketball team to a CCAA national championship during the 2009/2010 season. The 2009/2010 UNBC men’s basketball team will be the first national championship team based from Prince George in over 30 years. When asked about re-uniting with Madsen and Araujo, Francis said, “It is really nice to have Jose and Kevan back in the lineup this year. They have both proven that they can win games at this level and they will both be key as we try to win another national championship this season.” However, when a team attains great players like Madsen and Araujo, Francis understands that you lose great players like Inderbir Gill and Matt Mills. He uses the influence of those alumni as inspiration going forward. When asked about the loss of those players and their leadership, Francis said “Inderbir and Matt will be missed by everyone on the team this year. They have both been around since I started playing here and per- sonally I will miss their leadership. It puts pressure on the team as a whole to step up and try to provide some of that leadership that they did”. The concerns that fans, critics or observ- ers have of the leadership of this team are because you simply cannot replace Inderbir or Matt, but it must be considered that Francis has put this team on his back several times over the years and his shooting has forced opposing defenses to commit to the perimeter. As a result, Fran- cis and Jose will open it for Dennis Stark, Kevan Madsen and newcomer Gabe Aubertin in the paint. Also, with Inderbir Gill gone, Francis is willing to play more point guard and his im- proved ball handling and receptive- ness to play multiple spots personifies his leadership. This demonstrates that Rowe will be a key factor this season. Francis Rowe has already created quite a legacy for himself as an ath- lete, while majoring in mathematics with a high GPA. Francis stays fo- cused at the task at hand and remains grounded, which is what makes him great. Plus, the lineage and fans at UNBC inspires him even more. Fran- cis’ message to UNBC basketball fans PROPERTY OF UNBC ATHLETIC is “UNBC has something very special here and no other team gets the kind of support that we get here from the school as well as the Prince George community. The players are very involved in community and school events. Also, both the men’s and women’s teams are among the top few teams in the country and province every year which doesn’t happen very often at other schools”. It seems the fans have gotten his message, as Francis is a fan favourite by teammates and media alike. While recently speaking: to T-Wolves com- mentator and former women’s coach, Dan Paxton, he told Over the Edge, “Francis is awesome, he is what uni- versity athletics is all about”. Con- sequently, Rowe is definitely a player to watch this season and is creating an impressive place in UNBC history. You can see Francis and the T-Wolves at their annual scrimmage on October 29th at the Northern Sport Centre, an ‘event he dominated last year. Also, the T-Wolves championship quest kicks off on November lith at the Northern Sport Centre at 8pm versus Columbia Bible College.