He sounded dejected, he sounded angry and he sounded like a man relieved the season – that went horribly wrong for the Brandon University Bobcats' men's basketball team – is finally over.

The Bobcats' finished in sixth place in the Canada West Prairie Division (7-13) and missed the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.

“I think overall, the actual record itself, I think was disappointing,” said head coach Keith Vassell. “We just didn't play well in certain games. We weren't really outmatched; we just weren't ready to go and that would have to be my fault,” said Vassell. “I thought that the preparation was always there but for whatever reason, we just weren't able to compete against the teams that were more disciplined in certain areas. Those were the games that we kind of struggled in.”

Unfortunately for Vassell, he doesn't only have the team to worry about this offseason but rather his time as head coach. Vassell's 24-month probation period will be coming to a head and he will soon have to make arrangements to sit down with BU Athletics Director Kirk De Fazio and the physical education department where his evaluation on his progress as head coach will take place.

Vassell is by no means out of the woods in terms of being behind the bench next season and he could conceivably be looking for work soon.

“I think it's kind of like a basketball game – you expect a good outcome at the beginning of the game but until the fat lady sings and until the game is finished, you don't exactly know what the results are going to be,” said Vassell. “Right now, I'm just doing what I'm supposed to be doing and that's recruiting and preparing for next season and hopefully everything will work itself out.”

If that indeed is the case and Vassell is back for a third season as the 'Cats bench boss, he will have to work without the services of the team's top two players next season. Forward Dany Charlery and guard Tarik Tokar led the team in scoring respectively and both just wrapped up their fifth and final years of CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) play.

“Dany (Charlery) and Tarik (Tokar) can't be replaced,” said Vassell. “We'll have different systems and we'll have different players next season but you can't replace them.”

Charlery led the Bobcats in scoring this season (21.1 ppg) despite not being completely healthy. He suffered a groin injury in the summer and has never been able to fully recover. Charlery was a key cog in the offensive attack for the 'Cats for most of his tenure in a Bobcat uniform.

“I still think he's the top player in the country,” said Vassell. “Unfortunately, he just wasn't 100 per cent this year.”

Meanwhile Vassell described Tokar as the “unsung hero” on the team this season.

“Tarik (Tokar) was an iron man for us. He played 40 minutes a night some games and those were the tougher games on the schedule,” said Vassell. “He really should have gotten more attention than he received. If we had a better record, that probably would've come.”

So without Charlery and Tokar, who steps up? Will Vassell recruit some high-end scoring to replace the void left by Charlery's departure?

Expect Kyle Vince, a forward, to see plenty of minutes on the floor next season. The Winnipeg product was expected by many within Bobcats' circles to break out this season but could not find the consistency in order to do so. Vince did show flashes of brilliance with two 20-point plus performances however.

“Kyle showed what he can do at times,” said Vassell. “He'll definitely be one of the important guys next year.”

One young player Vassell speaks highly of is Kyrie Coleman, a first-year forward from Washington, D.C., who played sparingly but did average 5.6 points per game. Vassell firmly believes Coleman will be a force to be reckoned with in the CIS sooner rather than later.

“I'll say it now and I'll say it again, by my expectations, looking at the rest of the players in the league, Kyrie (Coleman) should be a star player by the time his third season rolls around. He'll be a more effective scorer next season and hopefully put more points in the basket.”

Overall, despite the ups and downs, Vassell likes the way many of his younger players have emerged and believes with more time on the court for his youth and with a few tweaks to the roster recruiting-wise, things are looking up next season.

“At the beginning of the year I knew it would be a bit of a transition and learning curve for some of the younger players,” said Vassell. “I think just bringing in a few key pieces is going to help them immensely. I think that we'll be able to definitely put forward a stronger team next season, plus the players will be more familiar with my coaching style and what we need to do.”