Yul Michel who has been named Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the
Year by Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Michel, a native of Montreal,
Quebec, is a 6’1” Guard with the Bobcats in his fifth and final year of
eligibility, and his completing his Bachelor of Physical Education at
BU. He was named the Canada West Conference Defensive Player of the
Year in 2007 and again this season.
Known for his leadership on the court, Michel posted season stats of an average of 22 points per game in conference play (9 per game in non-conference play), a total of 66 defensive rebounds in conference play (22 in non-conference play), and 40 steals in conference play (6 in non-conference play).
“Yul Michel is a tremendous competitor, leader, and defender,” says Bobcats men’s basketball Head Coach Mike Raimbault. “He plays the game with a great deal of emotion and is one of the premier defensive stoppers in the country.”
“I couldn’t be happier for Yul,” he continues, “as he is most deserving of this great honour.”
Coach Raimbault and BU Athletic Director Kirk DeFazio both attended the awards presentation in Ottawa with Michel on March 13.
“Yul is such a classy individual and positive ambassador for BU,” says DeFazio, “and we wanted to be there to support his outstanding achievement.”
Following a stellar season that saw the Bobcats finish with a 28-8 record and a number-three national ranking, the team’s playoff hopes were dashed by a loss to the University of Alberta Goldenbears in semi-final play and a wild-card berth pass over in favor of the Acadia University Axemen.
Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. The original CIAU Central was founded in 1906 and was composed only of universities from Ontario and Quebec. In the East, the Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association (AIAA) was founded in 1910, with members from Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. The Western Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WIAA) was founded in 1920 and included members from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. With the rapid development of interuniversity sport in the late 1950s, it became quite apparent any future successful development needed to be coordinated and administered in a centralized location. Athletic Associations across the country found that there was a need for discussion on common issues pertinent to athletics and the provision for a communication vehicle among teachers, coaches, athletes and researchers. Thus, the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) was reconstituted in 1961 and was represented by the various universities from coast to coast. It continued until 2001, when the name was changed to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).
For more on the BU Bobcats, please go to:
http://www.brandonu.ca/Athletics/
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For further information, please contact:
Kelly Stifora
Communications Officer
Brandon University
Phone: (204) 727-9762
Email: communications@brandonu.ca