George Brown College's Men's basketball team couldn't have prepped for the start of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association any better than the show it put on in the Alex Barbier gym.
The Huskies whipped Manchester University Spartans, from North Manchester, Ind., 68-41 with 11 players scoring points and veteran guard Akai Nettey leading the way with 17 points – all in the first half.
In fairness to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division Three team, it was the fourth game in a four-day tour of OCAA teams, and all were defeats.
But George Brown, 1-7 against Colleges and Universities in the pre-season, couldn't have asked for a better prescription as several Huskies have been shuffling in-and-out of the lineup with various injuries.
"Pre-season games are practices and while some of the key players are dealing with a variety injuries, it gives others a chance to play, step up and the result is we all improve as a team," said George Brown head coach Jonathan Smith.
"You don't win championships before the season starts. I'm happy with what I saw in this win. We have depth and while we lack size, have speed. This is a different make-up from previous years – five rookies in our top 14."
George Brown started fast piling up a 23-5 first quarter lead, taking a 39-16 lead to the halftime dressing room. Then, increasing the lead to 53-28 with one quarter left in the game.
"I believe we were more athletic than (Manchester), got on them from the start and pressured," said Smith, who said he expected a full roster for the league opener. "(Manchester) started missing shots and our transition game got to them."
Kasey Morris, one of the Husky rookies, added 13 points while Ricardo Brown pumped in 12. George Brown also connected on 11-of-16 from the bonus line.
For Manchester, Brody Kirby scored 12 points and Brock Armstrong added 11 as the Spartans, with only three treys in the game missed a boatload of others. They also went 6-for-12 from the bonus line.
In previous games, Redeemer University College of Ancaster beat Manchester 70-47, Mohawk College of Hamilton won 90-77 and Durham College of Oshawa ended up with an 80-72 win.
George Brown opens its season on Wednesday hosting Seneca, a school the Huskies beat twice in league action last year.
