Kitsilano Blue Demons

Kitsilano Blue Demons Preview

The first of the top 4 seeds to be previewed this week. The Blue Demons won the Lower Mainland Championships in dramatic fashion coming back to beat the high-flying top-ranked St. George's Saints with a buzzer-beating 3 pointer (controversial maybe, but still dramatic). The Blue Demons have been playing at a very high level all season long. They've beaten the other 2 main contenders in St. George's and Handsworth so far this season. But they've also lost to them as well.

The Blue Demons have the most balanced lineup and are the deepest team in the Province with Centennial a close 2nd. I say that because all of Kitsilano's best players are better than Centennials best. They have a deeper bench than St. George's and Handsworth as well. Ty Nurse, Niko Cochran and Paul Woodham make up the best threesome I've seen yet. What has surprised me the most is the improvement in Woodham over the season. Physically, it looks like he's gotten a lot stronger especially in his upper body. I've also noticed how the rest of the team has really stepped up, Chase Larson, Bill Lee, Davor Isic, Yassine Ghomari. All guys most people including myself have never heard of but can flat out play. Coach Randy Coutts trusts his bench a lot more than other teams do, most teams play 6 or 7 players the whole game when playoffs start.

The 3 pointer will win or lose the Provincials for the Blue Demons this year. They are the best 3 point shooting team I've seen in the Province, and they shoot it a lot. I'd like to see at end of the tournament if this team will set some kind of record for most 3 pointers attempted/made. But we all know that shooters are streaky and an unlucky streak can have some very bad results. If the Blue Demons can manage to shoot 40% or better from beyond, they should win the whole thing. They do everything else very well too, fast break, post play, passing, and their very patient and disciplined. On the down side, because they shoot from outside a lot, they tend to take some bad shots (exasperated more when they miss). The Blue Demons defense could be the most underrated part of their game. Nurse has one of the quickest hands I've ever seen, he'll pick your pocket and score faster than you can start that cross-over. Woodham is an absolute beast in the paint, rebounding and blocking shots.

Players to Watch for: Paul Woodham, Niko Cochran, Ty Nurse
Outlook: By winning the Lower Mainlands, they've got the favorable draw to the Finals. But they will need to beat some good teams to get there, Centennial, Maple Ridge, Oak Bay, Brookswood just to name a few.