Marauders Air Force coach Rich Goulet is expecting a successful season, even though the team didn't make it to the finals of a tournament that they hosted on the weekend.

Most of the Pitt Meadows Secondary senior basketball boys basketball team is new, Goulet explained.

"We've got 12 guys that can come off the bench and play. Do we have a go-to guy? No, not yet," he added.

"The basketball team is competitive. We can give anyone a game. We hope to get even tougher as the season goes on," he said.

But Goulet said the team has already been plagued with illness and injury.

"Being healthy is part of moving forward, particularly to our 6'8" kid Jordan Rich, who had a groin injury and a concussion," noted Goulet.

There is one returning player from last season - guard Sebastien Marshall, who was awarded a scholarship from Telus.

Telus gave each team that participated in the Telus Basketball Classic on the weekend a $1,000 scholarship. Marshall, 17, was selected from the Marauders because "he's the most academic."

The Telus tournament featured teams from around the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. Marauders were bumped out of the tourney by Sardis by a mere six points.

Kitsilano Secondary went on to beat White Rock Christian in the final.

In other basketball news the junior Marauders Air Force team played in the Kwantlen Polytechnic University tournament on the weekend.

"It was a good weekend for our juniors. They went triple overtime and came up short to Vancouver College 76-79," said Goulet, who added that 15-yearold Graham Smith earned 30 points.

smclaren@mrtimes.com