Olynyk weighs in on first half of TRU season

Pessimism, apparently, isn’t a word that is found in Ken Olynyk’s vocabulary.

Olynyk, the athletic director for the TRU WolfPack, isn’t worried about his four Canada West teams, despite their combined 6-30 record midway through the season.

“The playoffs definitely aren’t out of reach for any of our teams right now,” the ever-optimistic Olynyk said Wednesday.

The WolfPack — and the rest of the CIS — is on a month-long hiatus for exams and Christmas. The next conference action for any WolfPack team is Jan. 8, when Canada West resumes play.

It really wasn’t a banner semester for the WolfPack teams: the women’s basketball won its first two games, but now is 2-6; the men’s volleyball team has been up-and-down in going 4-6; the women’s volleyball team has yet to win in 10 tries; and the men’s basketball team is 0-for-8.

But Olynyk doesn’t see any of this as a problem. Steps are being made, he insists.

“Overall, I would say it’s a little bit disappointing,” he said. “Not in where we’re at, but that we haven’t been rewarded for our good efforts.

“That will come — the coaches are working hard and the players are working hard.”

The WolfPack women’s basketball team came out of the gates well, winning twice over the visiting Fraser Valley Cascades on opening weekend. But TRU has slid since, losing six in a row, including an 84-75 loss Friday to the host Brandon Bobcats, who hadn’t won in more than a year.

Olynyk said that Scott Reeves, who is 8-69 in his three-plus seasons as the WolfPack’s head coach, is doing a good job. Olynyk thinks the WolfPack is starting to turn a corner.

“They’ve had a couple of heartbreakers,” he said. “I think after Christmas, they’ll be rested, they’ll be ready for the second half. They have a great future . . . ”

The men’s basketball team has played well at times, but has little to show for its efforts. Of its eight losses, five have been by fewer than 10 points.

“They’ve had five games that they’ve led with under two minutes to go, and two (leading) under a minute to go,” Olynyk said. “That experience of winning that game, not letting it get away . . . isn’t there yet.

“They’re 0-8, but they could be 5-3 — there would be no qualms about that.”

The WolfPack hasn’t won a game in more than a year — its last victory was on Nov. 7, 2008, against the host Winnipeg Wesmen — a span of 25 games. WolfPack interim head coach Thom Gillespie is 2-29 in his season-and-a-half with TRU.

“I expected more, and Thom would agree that he expected more, and I think the players expected that,” Olynyk said. “They’ve had great opportunities . . . and they deserve some wins.”

The WolfPack women’s volleyball players should rest comfortably in the fact that the toughest part of their schedule is behind them. Of the WolfPack’s first 10 matches, eight were against four of the country’s top 10 teams — UBC (1), Regina (4), Alberta (5), and Calgary (9).

TRU, which went 6-14 in Cal Wohlford’s first season as interim head coach, won five of its last 12 games last season. Another strong finish isn’t out of the cards, Olynyk said.

“They could win eight games after Christmas,” Olynyk said. “That would put them in the playoffs and give them the most wins since we’ve been in the CIS.

“If they can get some consistency in their play, I think they have a great chance to get into the playoffs.”

The WolfPack men’s volleyball team is the lone TRU squad with any tangible measure of success in the first half — Pat Hennelly’s boys have been swept three weekends, but also were perfect on two others.

Hennelly is into his fifth season as WolfPack head coach and is 31-56 in conference play. Olynyk feels Hennelly is doing a fine job with the players he has.

“They’re playing with a first-year setter (Colin Carson) and they’re doing well,” Olynyk said. “I was hoping they would be .500 or above . . . but I think the key for them is to maintain focus.”

That focus, Olynyk said, should remain on the CIS championship, to which TRU is playing host in March.

“When they get to nationals, if they win three (matches), they’re the national champions,” Olynyk said. “That is what their focus has to be.

“We’re excited — it’s going to be a great tournament.”

mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca

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