oPORTS Tough Friday night at the Sportsplex iain Foscay, November 14", the Royals basketball teams headed over the Burrard Inlet to battle and leave with the Blues. The women, coming off from a promising opening weekend, faced a Capilano team that took two points from Kwantlen Polytechnic to start their season. The lady Royals were able to handle the full court pressure that Capilano has deployed effectively for the last few years, but were forced into several turnovers in the offensive end. Despite giving up only two field goals in the final 10 minutes, the Royals could not convert their opportunities, and this, coupled with Capilano being awarded 23 more free throws, led to a 53-47 Capilano victory. Tonia Ghattas (Vernon, W.L. Seaton) led the team with 14 points, while Patti Olsen (Chilliwack, Chilliwack Secondary) added 10 of her own. Natasha Maat (Surrey, Pacific Academy) had another solid game, dropping nine points and pulling in 12 rebounds. The men, also trying to build off a strong showing in week one, were dealt a nasty surprise when team leading scorer, Jawauwn States (Halifax, N.S., St. Patrick’s Secondary), could not play due to bruised ribs. This might have been a problem versus the high-octane Blues men, but several players stepped up and allowed the Royals a 56-44 halftime lead. Rebounding again though turned out to be their bane, as the game was tied with 90 seconds left, but key offensive rebounds secured by Capilano allowed them to eke out a 101-96 victory. First-year shooter, Matt Sacks (N. Vancouver, Collingwood Secondary), led the team with 24 points, going 5-12 from beyond the arc. Clayton Crellis nearly had a triple-double with 13 points, 12 boards, and seven assists. This weekend, the teams wrap up their 2008 calendar league schedule, traveling up to Squamish to play first-year BCCAA team Quest University Friday and Saturday night. Building a blueline By Garth McLennan O.. of the most important aspects of building any team is putting together a strong defence corps. In very few places has that been done better then in Nashville. The Predators, under the leadership of General Manager, David Poile, currently has a system that is home to one of the NHL’s most talented, versatile and young groups of defensemen. Their best and brightest is B.C. boy, Shea Weber, 23, who, after being drafted in the second round, 49" overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft, is emerging into one of the league’s most talented defensemen. Weber, who played his junior years as a superstar |. with the Kelowna Rockets, stands an imposing 6’3 and weighs a solid 210 pounds. He is a perfect example of developing a player » , right. After taking him, Inajor junior for two more seasons. He won a World Junior championship gold with Canada along the way, and then completed a half-year of seasoning in the minors with the Milwaukee Admirals. He is in his fourth year with the Predators and is already among the NHL's highest scorers from the back end. He is a swift skater who excels | at every aspect of the game and has virtually no weaknesses. He is one of the most mobile defenders in the league and has absolute cannon from the point. He can quarterback the power play and play a strong, physical game. Weber played on the gold medal-winning Canadian squad at the World Championships in 2007 and so far has NHL totals of 32 goals, 52 assists and 84 points in 175 games. He recently signed a three-year, $13.5 million deal with Nashville that is a steal for the Predators. Ryan Suter, 23, is another well developed defenseman from Nashville and is a fixture on the Predators’ back end. He was taken in the first round of the 2003 draft, seventh overall, and like Weber, the Predators took their time with Nashville sent him back to him. He played a year of high-level university hockey before suiting up for a full season with Milwaukee. He also suited up for the United States in seven different international competitions before going pro, including a gold medal effort at the 2004 World Juniors. After that, he began his freshman year in the NHL, and was ready for it. He’s currently in his fourth full campaign in Nashville, and has become a strong two-way defenseman who can deliver punishing hits but still has a good offensive component to his game. Currently with Milwaukee is former Vancouver Giant, Cody Franson. Franson, 21, played four superb years with the Giants before turning pro. Like Weber and Suter, Franson won gold with Canada at the World Juniors, although his came in 2007. Nashville drafted him in the third round, 79" overall, and again like Weber and Suter, has taken their time with him. After getting drafted, Franson returned to Vancouver for two seasons. In his first professional season with the Admirals, Franson played 76 games, scoring 11 goals and added 25 assists for 36 points; excellent numbers for a first year player. Franson is another PP quarterback. He has an incredibly powerful shot and at 6’4, he has good size. He’s a real leader on and off the ice and has a high skill level. Jonathon Blum plays for the Giants right now, but that won’t last much longer. He was selected in the first round of this year’s draft, 23" overall, and smartly, the Predators returned him to junior, even while tons of other 18 and 19- year-olds were making their respective NHL clubs. With Vancouver, Blum has demonstrated an NHL-level passing ability. He can fire long-bomb passes with pinpoint accuracy. Blum, 19, is an explosive skater with excellent speed. He can rush the puck almost as well as he can pass it, and he is one of the WHL’s best defensemen positionally and in overall skating ability. The Predators have put together an incredible crop of defensemen. They all have tremendous mobility, hockey sense and other promising attributes. It is because of the way they have been developed though, and not rushed, that they will all be NHL stars in the very near future.