THUNDER BAY – His coach thinks he’s the best defensive player in the country.
His teammates think he might be the best all-around player in the OUA.
He’s long, he’s lean and he’s a shot-blocking machine.
And when Lock Lam isn’t in the Lakehead Thunderwolves lineup, their level of play definitely takes a hit at both ends of the basketball court.
On Friday night, the Ottawa native drew two quick fouls and was forced to the sidelines for extended periods of play.
The No. 6 Wolves scraped out a two-point win over the cellar-dwelling York Lions.
A night later he stayed out of foul trouble and was a dominant force for Lakehead, leading all players with 25 points, while hauling in 15 rebounds and blocking six shots in a 91-63 triumph.
“Lock Lam is probably, to me, the most talented, blessed player when it comes to size and ability in the OUA, period – maybe in the country,” said fifth-year guard Isaiah Traylor.
“He’s huge and when he plays like that and other guys get rolling we feed off of that. The blocked shots, he saved us on a lot of straight line drives and things like that. Lock Lam is huge.”
Thunderwolves coach Ryan Thomson said the 6-foot-9 Lam, who easily leads the OUA with 3.2 blocks a night, is a game-changer.
“The difference he makes defensively, guys stop short, they’re not all the way to the rim, they see him and they’re trying to kick and we do a pretty good job of scrambling all around him,” Thomson said.
“Offensively he’s starting to get more confident and understanding where his shots are going to come from.”
Take the third quarter on Saturday night.
Down eight at the half, the Lions hung around in the early going after the break. A quick five points from Traylor upped the LU lead to 10, then Lam slammed home a dunk after blocking a shot by York’s Yacine Loe. He’d add a three-pointer and a pair of free throws and the Wolves hit the fourth with an 18-point advantage.
Another block early in the fourth and the lead was 23, the closest the Lions would get the rest of the night.
The soft-spoken Ottawa native, said Saturday’s game was a stark turnaround from Friday night’s narrow victory.
“Yesterday we took them lightly, but today was different. We knew to come in with the energy. We need to come in with the right focus. Everything worked out for us,” Lam said.
The second-year forwards isn’t too keen to talk about his own game and how it’s improving as the season goes on.
“It just comes with the focus,” he said.
Asked which side of the court he likes better though, and his answer was adamant.
“I like the defence better because when I block shots, it’s just nice,” said Lam, 11th in the league with 8.3 rebounds a game.
Traylor also had a strong night, finishing with 21 points and eight boards, while Laoui Msambya also hit double digits with 10 points.
Defensively, the Thunderwolves did a fantastic job defending York’s Prince Kamunga, who burned LU for 27 points on Friday, but was held scoreless in Saturday’s rematch. The Lions, who hit less than 30 per cent of their shots, were led by Nick Russell’s 17.
Court shorts: The Wolves don’t play again until Jan. 17, when they travel to Sault Ste. Marie for a date with the Algoma Thunderbirds. Their next home game is Jan. 24 against Kadre Gray and the Laurentian Voyageurs.
