HALIFAX -- A quick look at Yoosrie Salhia's stats and one might think he's an ordinary CIS basketball player.
From the 7.1 boards he grabs a game to the 8.4 points he puts up a night, the 24-year-old Toronto native's numbers put him in the middle of a crowded CIS pack.
But take him off the court for any reason and the Lakehead Thunderwolves become a vastly different basketball team – and not nearly as good as when he's planting himself under the opposition basket, forcing them to pay him a little respect.
OK, a lot of respect.
Without their captain on the court, the Wolves outside game, perhaps the best in the country, doesn't find those wide-open shots from beyond the arc nearly as frequently; and when they do, there's usually a defender on his way a split second faster to disrupt the rhythm.
Just ask guard Ben Johnson, the nation's second best from long distance.
"It's great, and not only that, he's a great post passer so he's always looking to kick out. And anytime attention can be taken off me, it's a good thing. Anytime that shot can be a little more open, it's great," said Pictou, N.S. native Johnson.
Best friend and roommate Greg Carter, an OUA all-star and in the running for defensive player of the year honours, said the Wolves, plain and simple, wouldn't be at the CIS Final 8 for a third straight year if it wasn't for Salhia's presence on and off the court.
"He's a great player. He rebounds hard and he brings a lot of intensity to the team that we don't (always) have," Carter said Thursday after a one-hour practice at the Halifax Metro Centre, less than 24 hours ahead of the Final 8 opener against the University of Fraser Valley, the No. 5 seed in the tournament.
Unfortunately for the Lakehead squad, Salhia's availability has been spotty, at best, down the stretch. A wonky back has frustrated the fourth-year former all-star, keeping him on the sidelines for four games and forcing coach Scott Morrison to lean both lean on him less in games and rest him during practice to preserve his fragile health.
It's not the scenario the six-foot-five Salhia envisioned heading into 2011-12.
"It's been lingering for awhile now," Salhia said, a full participant in Thursday's warm-ups. "I hurt myself back in the summertime. I struggled a little bit. Early in the season I hurt myself again, but the good thing is we've been able to pick it up without me.
"I'm just happy to be playing right now."
Barring an inability to walk, there was no was missing this weekend, he added.
"For sure, I wouldn't miss this for anything, unless I really couldn't play, like I was a few weeks ago. But as long as I'm in good enough shape, I'm going to be out there."
It's music to Morrison's ears, who desperately wants to take the Thunderwolves over the opening-round hump in 2012, after losing their first game in each of their past two trips to nationals in 2010 and 2011.
"He's really the emotional leader of the team. He's not the most vocal guy, but when he speaks, everyone listens. As coaches, that's usually a good sign. If he decides to speak up, it means he's serious about leading the guys to wherever we want to go," Morrison said.
"Also the guys rally around him because he's a tough kid, they know he's playing with pain and the fact he can get out there and bang around with guys twice his size is very inspirational."
Beyond the arc: The Thunderwolves are expected to have one of the loudest out-of-province contingents at the Halifax Metro Centre on Friday ... Acadia guard Sean Stoqua completed a rare double-double this season, winning an Atlantic University Sport football crown with the Axemen last fall, then repeating the feat on the basketball court last weekend. Acadia takes on No.1-ranked Carleton on Friday afternoon, immediately following the Wolves and University of Fraser Valley tournament opener ... Game time between Lakehead and Fraser Valley Friday is 11 a.m. EST. The game can be seen on SSN Canada's website.
TB Newswatch.com editor Leith Dunick is in Halifax covering the Thunderwolves. Follow him on Twitter at: @LeithDunick
