Winnipeg Wesmen basketball team kick off the second half of the season

The Winnipeg Wesmen men’s basketball had a good first half of the season, overcoming several injuries en route to a 7-1 record, tied for first in the Prairie Division.

Now the team is kicking off the second half with a pair of non-conference games against powerhouse Lakehead University.

“Yeah I mean the first half was full of some challenges for us, we dealt with a lot of injuries, a lot of inconsistencies in terms of where we were, but we were super pleased with how we handled the adversity, you know second semester we want to try and find out momentum, and we still feel like there’s a lot of work to do in terms of playing our best basketball,” said Mike Raimbault, head coach.

Star guard Shawn Maranan, who hails from Winnipeg, is a senior, meaning this is his last season in a Wesmen jersey, and he says he’s just trying to soak in every moment, in his final collegiate run playing in his hometown.

“It starts today, and I think we’re all just excited,” said Maranan.

“I try not to think about it, and I always just tell myself to enjoy it while I can. Not take any day for granted, because this is all going to end really soon so, just trying to do everything I can for myself, and most importantly for my teammates.”

Maranan, along with his teammates are confident as they begin the second half of the season, that they can compete not only with anyone in Canada West, but from coast to coast.

“Obviously, our end goal is to make it back to the playoffs, make a deep run, and then again head back to nationals so, that’s just our team goal right now, and it starts right now, so we’re all excited for sure.”