I would like to start off by announcing that Joe Kendrick has committed to the U.P.E.I. Panthers. Joe is a 6’4 guard/forward, who brings with him a ton of big game experience and championship pedigree. He has won championships at the high school level, and was a CIS National Champion with the Brock Badgers. With Brock, he was Rookie of the Year and sixth man during their title run. Last season, Kendrick was MVP and an All-Conference selection with Crandall University in the ACAA, while finishing fifth in the country (CCAA) in scoring! Joe is very familiar with our system and expectations, and is very much looking forward to joining the Panthers!

This week’s Green & White Club meeting went very well! It was great to see the enthusiasm and overall energy to move our club…and basketball program, forward. Special thanks to Lyall Huggan for chairing the meeting! I truly believe that our Green & White Club is going to be a huge piece in moving our program to where we want to go… and that is perennial National Championship contender. Please stay tuned for more exciting news to come from this famed organization.

The NBA Play-Offs are off and running… and a familiar old war horse is starting to turn some heads. My BOSTON CELTICS are beginning to look like the Beasts of the East again! When I close my eyes and sit really still… I think I can hear Banner #18 fluttering in the rafters of the new Gahden (accent pun intended)!

A Fiddler’s Dream Team diet update… Marvelous Marvin Rhyno has jumped out of the gate like a thoroughbred, dropping five pounds already! The girls gave us a flood of information yesterday in our weekly meeting, and had us set two week goals each. Mine is… NO MORE POTATO CHIPS & SNICKERS BARS! The girls have been great and are working hard to help us shed the 100 total pounds, and there are pledges starting to come in as we speak. I will definitely keep you posted.

GO PANTHERS GO!

I continue to be very pleased and excited about the momentum building for our Green & White Club revival! The enthusiasm to get this famed club up and running again is very encouraging. Had a great meeting this morning with our A.D. Ron Annear, Lyall Huggan, and our new A.D.O. Alf Blanchard, and am looking forward to the Tuesday May 15 meeting. A reminder that the meeting tomorrow is set for 7:00pm, and will be held in the Cari Centre Multi Purpose room.

I am looking forward to running a practice tonight for the Basketball P.E.I. U15 boys team! Coach Jason MacDonald invited me in for the evening, and I really appreciate it. I am also looking forward to attending the annual P.B.B.A. Tournament in Halifax this week… always some exciting games to be seen in this event.

We will have some more recruiting news to announce very shortly. We have a player on campus today, and we are making plans for another player to visit at the end of this month. I think that next season is going to be an exciting one for the U.P.E.I. Panthers!

Please see below the attached Pledge form for our U.P.E.I. Fiddler’s Dream Team weight loss fundraiser… any support you can give would be much appreciated.

GO PANTHERS GO!

Fiddler's Dream Team Pledge Form

I just wanted to take a minute to tell you about a basketball camp that I have been associated with for the better part of two decades. The Maine Gold Rush begins in late June with the Sr. Boys division, and runs through July with divisions for Sr. Girls, Jr. Girls, and Jr. Boys. I believe that it is the best team camp that I have ever had the privilege to be associated with! Camp Directors, Coaches Hunt & Poulin, do a fantastic job, and the energy and basketball experience at this event is second to none! I have been taking teams in all divisions to this camp for several years, and have always had a very positive response from both players and parents. I am very pleased to say that our U17 & U15 boys teams from P.E.I. will be attending this June! If you wish to learn more about Gold Rush, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Our weight loss program is officially underway. The next part of the plan is to meet with our team and go over our regular eating patterns, and then head out grocery shopping! I hope the girls understand how big a job they have taken on (no pun intended!).

Lots of positive chatter concerning the new and hopefully improved Green & White Club. Many great ideas coming forward, as well as a real eagerness on the part of all involved to continue to move in the right direction! Our next meeting is scheduled for May 15 at 7:00pm.

GO PANTHERS GO!

After three games have been played in our Men’s Spring League, it is very apparent to me that there are a number of solid basketball players here on the Island. I have seen almost every game in its entirety, and each of the six teams has its share of top players. The teams are competing hard against each other, and for the most part, games have been very competitive. I think that the top teams right now are White and Black. White team is made up of returning UPEI Panthers and new recruits, and Black team is led by Summerside Storm’s Doug McKinney, Ryan Keliher, and Jeff Walker. Green and Red teams could certainly cause some problems for the top two, and Blue and the U17 team are working hard every game! The league is running very smoothly, thanks to the efforts of Josh Whitty and our Island officials.

GO PANTHERS GO!

I am very pleased to announce that Brian Ofori has committed to the U.P.E.I. Panthers! A 6’5 forward out of Dawson College in Montreal, Brian was a CEGEP league leader in rebounding and blocked shots. He has tremendous potential, and is a most welcome addition to our Panther basketball family! Stay tuned for more recruiting news to follow in the next couple of weeks.

As many of you may have heard by now… it’s diet time for our entire men’s basketball coaching staff! My staff and I are attempting to lose 100 pounds by September. We have lots of help in place… Katie, Teri, Brittany, and Sarah are U.P.E.I. students with the task of keeping us on track, and I am quite certain that our Athletic Dept. staff will also help keep us in line! And if we need that extra push or prod, Fred “Fiddler” MacDonald will surely be there to make sure that “Fiddler’s Dream Team” gets the job done!

A very promising initial meeting this past Monday in the new beginning of our famed Green & White Club. I am very excited moving forward, and I am certain that we will have more great news to report after our May 15 meeting!

GO PANTHERS GO!

I am very excited about the Green & White Club meeting being held tonight at 7:00pm, here in our beautiful gym complex at UPEI! We have had some great interest shown from many people about getting involved with this club, and I am hoping that tonight’s meeting will be the first step in ushering in a new era of support for our Panther basketball program!

Our joint Spring League effort with Holland College began yesterday! It is a 6 team mens league, and is sponsored by Courtside Sneakers. Games will be played on Sunday and Wednesday, with the play-offs set for early June. Josh Whitty is the League Coordinator, and deserves a great deal of the credit for getting the league up and running!

GO PANTHERS GO!

As stated in my last blog, we entertained some recruits over this past weekend. It was great to have these young men on campus! I believe that our campus and the beautiful city of Charlottetown are second to none! The young men were certainly impressed with our facilities, and the genuine warmth of the people that they encountered throughout their visit! As has been the case throughout our season, our staff here at U.P.E.I. were very helpful leading up to and throughout the weekend. Our residence people, people in the dining hall, Student Services, athletic dept. staff, etc. all went out of their way to help out! Domino’s Pizza, one of our most loyal sponsors, certainly rose to the occasion. I also want to thank the referees, who volunteered their time to officiate the scrimmages.

Hopefully we will have some more great news to report soon on the recruiting front!

GO PANTHERS GO!

Another great weekend set for the U.P.E.I. Panthers basketball program! We are bringing in some recruits this weekend to see our beautiful Island community and campus, and to scrimmage with our current players that are finishing up exams. Some of these players coming in this weekend have already committed to us; Lorenzo Parker (Horton High School), D.J. Smith (Citadel High School & Metro Prep), & Lucas Coughlin (T.O.S.H.). We are also bringing in at least three others… two of which come from the Maritimes and one from Montreal. Along with the scrimmages on Friday & Saturday evening, these young men will also get a chance to meet with our team Academic Advisor, as well as receiving a campus tour, including of course, our fantastic gymnasium complex!

The response to an initiative to renew our legendary Green & White Club has been absolutely wonderful! As I have said previously, I believe that the restoration of this famed Club will be integral to our success as a basketball program. It has been absolutely thrilling for me to meet and talk with some of the former members of this club from our Alumni ranks and very supportive Island business community… as well as some of our former legendary players such as Curtis Robinson, Peter Gordon, Doug Newson, and Peter Lawlor (to name a few)!

WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE A PROUD U.P.E.I. PANTHER!

GO PANTHERS GO!

There will be a very important meeting for Green & White Club members Monday, April 30. The meeting will be held in the Board room of our UPEI Gym, at 7:00pm. Letters are in the process of being sent out to known members, and I would encourage anyone else wishing to get involved to contact me as soon as possible. As I have stated previously, I see the rebuilding of our Green & White Club as an absolute priority in helping to build our Panther basketball program to the status of being a perennial National power! I believe that our program is on the verge of great things…be a big part of it by committing to our Green & White Club!

A Mens Basketball Spring League is very close to becoming a reality! A joint effort between our great and willing friends at Holland College and ourselves is reaching fruition! Coaches Morrison, Whitty, and I have had a number of meetings and discussions about forming “off-season” leagues for players. We all agree that these leagues will very much help B.P.E.I. build the future for basketball on our Island. Stay tuned for more details…!

GO PANTHERS GO!