Nutbrown's Axemen surprise all & return to Nationals

When the twenty-seventh edition of the CIAU men's basketball Final Eight kicked off in Halifax in March of 1989, that the Acadia Axemen were part of the field was no doubt a surprise to many.

The Axemen had begun the 1988-1989 season minus the services of two-time conference MVP Peter Morris, who had graduated and completed his eligibility. Kevin Veinot, expected to be a team leader in his fifth season, ended up missing the entire season following a devastating cancer diagnosis.

The Axemen finished second in the regular season with a 14-4 record, and made it to the conference final before dropping a 76-56 decision to defending-champion UPEI. Their success was due in large part to the emergence of 6'7” forward Grant McDonald as a team leader.

McDonald, playing his fifth and final season, was among the conference leaders in scoring (16.4 points per game), rebounding (10.4) and field goal percentage (54.8 per cent), and was rewarded with an all-Canadian selection.

Despite their loss in the conference final, Acadia's 23-9 record earned the Axemen a spot at nationals as a wildcard for a second straight year. Their first-round opponent was Victoria, upset losers to the Axemen the previous year. Unfortunately for Acadia, this time, there would be no upsets.

The Axemen were within two points, 34-32, at halftime, but the Vikings pulled away in the third quarter en route to an 86-63 win. McDonald led Acadia with 20 points and 12 rebounds, Charles Ikejiani added 16 points and Clive Anderson 12.

The loss relegated Acadia to consolation play and another meeting with UPEI, upset 86-78 losers to sixth-seed Regina in their quarter-final. The Panthers had won their last three meetings with the Axemen, and easily made it four straight by scoring an 88-65 victory.

McDonald, in his final game for Acadia, finished with 17 points and nine rebounds before fouling out late in the game. The Cole Harbour native got a well-deserved ovation from the Halifax faithful.

Ted Byrne added 15 points, Anderson 11 and Ikejiani 10. Peter Gordon, an Axemen nemesis for several seasons, had 31 and Mark Roberts 26 for UPEI, which went on to claim the consolation championship with a 107-82 victory over Concordia.

Several Axemen, including McDonald, Anderson, Ikejiani and Wayne Taylor, saw their Acadia careers come to an end. One player who would be returning for 1989-1990, though, was Kevin Veinot, who had persevered through three surgeries and whose cancer was now in remission.