U15 Lightning Girls Take Ontario Cup; Will Play in Florida This Summer

Recently, the KW Lightning Girls Midget (U15 team) travelled to Sault Ste. Marie to compete in Division I of the 2013 version of the OBA Ontario Cup.

The Lightning, ranked 4th at the outset of the tournament, breezed through pool play with a 3-0 record, including a 48-45 victory over #1-ranked Scarborough.

This advanced the Lightning through to the semifinals, where they comfortably defeated North Toronto (31-point margin).  The championship final was a back-and-forth affair, but the Lightning pulled out a 56-46 win over the Advantage Titans.

To nobody's surprise, six members of the Lightning are from the KCI Raiders and the Grand River Renegades, the top two teams in the WCSSAA junior circuit last fall.

Members of the team include:
Nina Farkic, Cameron Heights
Andjela Stankovic, Cameron Heights
Milica Koprivica, SJAM
Julianna Thomson, Woodland Christian
Olivia Mickie, KCI
Michaela Schlumberger, KCI
Thea Taylor, KCI
Maya Day, Grand River
Nyamuoch Teny, Grand River
Nyasha Mombeshora, Grand River
Megan Reid, Bluevale
Rachael Hamm, Bluevale

Coach:  Kerri Jilesen (Asst - Laurier)

With the victory, the team will now represent Ontario at the AAU National Championship in Orlando, Florida (ESPN Wide World of Sports Facility) this coming July 8th-13th.  Day, Thomson and Teny have also been selected to attend the Team Ontario Top 80 tryout, which takes place this coming weekend (May 18th & 19th).

Congratulations!

Several Local Teams Medal at U15, U16 Ontario Cup Tournaments

The U16 and U15 Ontario Cup (OBA) tournaments took place this weekend in Ottawa and Windsor respectively, and several CWOSSA-area teams came away with some hardware.

Here's a look at the medal winners, starting with U15:

U15
Guelph CYO Knights (D3) - Gold
KW Vipers #1 (D3) - Bronze
Wildhawk Basketball (D4) - Silver
KW Vipers #2 (D7) - Gold
Brantford Rep (D11) - Bronze

U16
Guelph Phoenix - Pankerichan (D3) - Bronze
Brantford Rep (D4) - Silver
Wildhawk Basketball (D6) - Silver
Cambridge Centaurs (D10) - Silver

The KW Vipers #1 team, meanwhile, turned in a stellar performance in U16 Division 1 play, losing out in the championship game to a stacked Burlington Skyhawks team 76-47.  The Skyhawks, who have seven players between 6'4"-6'9", won all five of their games by an average of 32.4 PPG.

That being said, the interesting storyline is that the Skyhawks actually had a MAJORITY of CWOSSA-based players on their roster, including:

Ivan Bilandzic (SJK via WCI)
Ivan Cucak (Cameron Heights)
Korbil Gany (Cameron Heights)
Savo Krajisnik (Bluevale)
Simon Petrov (SJAM)
Sasha Simic (Cameron Hts.)
Stefan Simic (KCI)

As for the The Vipers defeated the Brampton Warriors (48-43) and Ottawa Next Level (64-62) while losing to Burlington in pool play; they then snuck past Motion West 66-65 in their semifinal game.

Players from the U16 Vipers are:
Heanok Abara (St. Mary's)
Keith Hummel (Forest Heights)
Ayana Kawe (Eastwood)
Mohammed Kawe (Eastwood)
Ousmane Kromah (Eastwood)
Griffin Large (Bluevale)
Amir Meftuh (Forest Heights)
Patrick Odouk (Grand River)
Matt Quiring (Jacob Hespeler)
Jan Willem Scheele (SJAM)
Mack Smith (Resurrection)
Sam Sutherland (WCI)

NorthPoleHoops.com: Video Recap of "Top 40" Camp

The folks over at NorthPoleHoops.com were in Kitchener last weekend, taking in the events at the 2nd annual Junior Boys' "Adidas Top 40 Camp".  They did a nice video recap of things, which I've attached below.

Leading the way during the three-day event were Sasha Simic (Gr. 10 / G / 6'4" - Cameron Heights) and Nedim Hodzic (Gr. 10 / F / 6'4" - SJAM) who were named co-MVP's of the event.

Other "all-stars" that were recognized included Shamar Decoteau (Gr. 10 / F / 6'5" - WCI); Craig Valeriote (Gr. 10 / G / 6'0" - Lourdes); Miro Iliev (Gr. 10 / G / 5'7" - Grand River); Heanok Abara (Gr. 10 / G / 6'0" - St. Mary's) and Adham Eleeda (Gr. 9 / G / 6'1" - St. Mary's).

Junior: Adidas Top 40 Camp Rosters Released

Camp director Imad Qahwash has released rosters for the four teams that will compete at his 2nd annual "Tri City Top 40 Camp" this weekend in Kitchener at the CORE Sports facility.

The camp goes Friday evening, Saturday (with games 4pm-8pm) and Sunday.  For those interested in watching, admission is free.

Qahwash, who played professionally in China this past season, has secured a sponsorship from Adidas for the event, meaning that each player "will receive an Adidas Drill Packet, Dri-Fit Jersey (Number and Last name on back), Customized Adidas Shoes (matching each team's colour) as well as an Adidas Gym Bag," he said.

Along with an upgrade in gear from last year's event, the calibre of the coaching staff has improved as well.  Joining Qahwash will be former pro basketballer (and one of the all-time area HS greats) Shane Nicely, former Galt standout Nick Yule, Ro Russell (Owner & Founder of Grassroots AAU) and Anthony "Huggy" Otto (VP Grassroots AAU).

Four players will be making their second appearance at the invite-only camp, led by Craig Valeriote (Lourdes), George Dumitru (St. David), Nedim Hodzic (SJAM), and Adrian Mendoza (St. John's).

"I am depending on all these young men to be leaders at camp and veterans for the new guys. I am sure with them going through it once, it will definitely help all of them play well and have a good showing hopefully," noted Qahwash.

NorthPoleHoops.com will be in attendance as well, and will again be posting a recap on their site --- as well as adding any deserving players to their national rankings (such as Grand River's Jamal Murray last year).

The team rosters are:

TEAM PROVIDENCE: Coach Shane Nicely (Former International Professional)
4 Chris Poloniato (Bishop Mac) 5'10" Guard
10 Harman Goyal (Centennial) 5'5" Guard
12 Adrian Mendoza (St. John's) 5'6" Guard
13 Ryan Stafford (Monsignor Doyle) 5'10" Guard
16 James Gerstenkorn (Lourdes) 6'5" Forward
23 Tyson Dusselier (Jacob Hespeler) 5'6" Guard
35 Alan MacIntosh (St. Benedict) 6'0" Guard
36 Korbil Gany (Cameron Heights) 6'1" Guard
38 Evan Hosker (Bishop MacDonnell) 6'2" Guard
39 Minas Abara (St. Mary's) 5'10" Guard

TEAM DUKE: Coach - Nicholas Yule (Cambridge Centaurs-Juvenile)
1 Craig Valeriote (Lourdes) 6'0" Guard
3 Chris Jin (Centennial) 6'1" Guard
15 Ty Uhrig (CWDHS) 6'6" Forward
19 Ayana Kawe (Eastwood) 6'1" Guard
20 Heanok Abara (St. Mary's) 6'0" Guard
22 David Nguyen (St. Mary's) 5'10" Guard
27 Ali Rashid (Resurrection) 5'9" Guard
32 Mike Heron (Assumption) 6'1" Guard
33 Sasha Simic (Cameron Heights) 6'4" Guard
37 Alex Arcega (Lourdes) 5'6" Guard

TEAM ARKANSAS:  Coach - Ro Russell (Founder - Grassroots AAU)
2 George Dumitru (St. David) 5'10" Guard
5 Alex Mackeigan (St. James) 6'1" Guard
6 Adham Eleeda (St. Mary's) 6'1" Guard
7 Matt Minitullo (North Park) 5'8" Guard
14 Jake Rush (Resurrection) 6'1" Guard
24 Chris Phomsouvanh (Cameron Heights) 5'10" Guard
28 Shamar Bailey (WCI) 6'5" Forward
29 Andrew Allison (Galt) 6'4" Guard
31 Matt Woeller (Galt) 5'10" Guard
34 Barnaba Neil (St. Mary's) 6'4" Forward

TEAM NOTRE DAME: Coach Anthony “Huggy” Otto (VP GrassRoots AAU)
8 Eddie Omari (St. Mary's) 5'7" Guard
9 Nedim Hodzic (SJAM) 6'5" Forward
11 Alex Donnachie (Galt) 6'0" Guard
17 Mike King (Assumption) 6'4" Forward
18 Jake Chaput (Bishop Mac) 5'9" Guard
21 Jasmer Brar (Centennial) 5'10" Guard
25 Romy Simpson (Eastwood) 5'7" Guard
26 Mohamed Kawe (Eastwood) 5'11" Guard
30 Andy Ly (Centennial) 5'9" Guard
40 Miro Iliev (Grand River) 5'7" Guard

Galt's Simmons Stays Close To Home; Commits to Laurier

Photo Rights:  Jordan Paolucci / Etobicoke Elite

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks have picked up their second "CWOSSA commitment" of the season, signing 6'7" SF Jack Simmons from Galt Collegiate (Cambridge) last week.

Simmons was instrumental in helping turn around some lean years on the GCI basketball court; he led the Ghosts to a #1 CWOSSA "AAA" ranking last season.

This year, the Ghosts were among the "AAA" favourites again before their season was cut short with the absence of extracurricular activities at many public schools.  Despite that, Simmons made a mark at the Heinbuch tournament by pouring in 30 points in a 71-65 Galt loss to Mother Teresa (Scarborough).

The 6'7" Simmons has a nice mid-range game and can also step out and hit the three-pointer.  Certainly a nice CIS prospect, and he will team with another 6'6"+ forward, Cameron Heights' Vlad Matovic, as two CWOSSA recruits that we can keep an eye on locally over the coming years.

Congratulations, Jack!


Two of WCSSAA's Top Senior Girls Find CIS Homes

Two of the top offensive threats this past season in WCSSAA Senior Girls' Basketball have made their respective commitments to CIS postsecondary institutions.

It goes without saying that Forest Heights' Blair McNaughton, WCSSAA's top scorer this past season at just under 20 PPG, and Cameron Heights' Liz McLellan, WCSSAA's second leading scorer at a shade under 19 PPG, won't be sorely missed by opposing coaches that had a tough time trying to stop them this past season.

McLellan, a F from Cameron Heights, will be attending McGill University in Montreal.  She is the second CWOSSA player to announce a commitment to the Quebec school this season, after JF Ross' Mike Friesen earlier announced his intention to play for McGill's men's program.

The Martlets are coming off a very successful season, going 13-3 in the RSEQ and advancing to the CIS "Final 8".

McLellan had been a key member of the Golden Gaels for the past few seasons, but she took on a leadership role the past two years after the graduation of a couple notable Cameron players to CIS programs (Siki Jez & Erin Robbins).  A first-team WCSSAA all-star, she went off for 24, 29, and 21 points in three consecutive league games last October.

McNaughton will join a Lakehead team that is seeking to improve upon it's 7-14 record in the OUA West this past season.  The Thunderwolves also have another CWOSSA grad, former OSCVI centre Erika French, on their roster.

Blair was certainly one of WCSSAA's elite scorers this past season; in FHCI's final two league games she knocked in a remarkable 52 points (72% of the Trojans' total) --- single-handedly keeping the Trojans in those games.  Again, pretty remarkable considering coaches knew she was the one to stop!

Congratulations and good luck in your University careers!

Former NPC Star Jones Accepts NCAA D2 Scholarship

Brantford Expositor Photo

Former North Park Trojan Marcus Jones (6'0" PG), who spent his 5th year of high school eligibility playing for the Athlete Institute Academy (Orangeville, ON), has accepted a full scholarship to NCAA Division 2 school Gannon University in Erie, PA.

The Knights have a history of recruiting Canadians and have one other Canadian (senior to be 6'2" G Jabs Newby from Toronto) on their roster.

Gannon went 22-7 this past season, including a 16-6 conference mark before being upset in their conference quarterfinals by Slippery Rock University 62-58 in overtime.

Congratulations, Marcus!

GoBadgers.ca: Brock Men's Basketball Adds Johnson for 2013-14 Season

Photo From GoBadgers.ca

(Text and photo from GoBadgers.ca)

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - Brock University men's basketball head coach Brad Rootes is pleased to announce the addition of 6-foot-1 guard Josh Johnson (Simcoe, Ont.).

"We are very excited to have Josh become part of the Men's Basketball program at Brock," said head coach Brad Rootes. "He is an all around talented basketball player, a dedicated student, and has a solid character. We look forward to him contributing positively to our teams success on the court, in the classroom and in the community."

"Josh is a pass first point guard that has a good handle and great court vision. He can score well from the perimeter, but his best quality is getting into the key to make plays. Josh fits the type of teammate, student and all around person we were trying to recruit. He is going to have a very good career at Brock."

Johnson played five seasons at Holy Trinity Catholic in Simcoe and played club for the Waterloo Wildhawks U19 the past two years. He also played club with the Norfolk Nets leading them to two OBA Silver Medals.

At Holy Trinity, Johnson was a standout four-sport athlete competing in basketball, volleyball, tennis and badminton. In 2011-12 he was named Senior Boy's Male Athlete of the Year and in 2009-10 he was the Titans Junior Male Athlete of the Year.

In basketball, Johnson was named Holy Trinity's Most Valuable Player four consecutive seasons (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) and was team captain his final three years. In his final season with the Titans, Johnson averaged 17.9 points, 4.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game.

In 2013, he was selected to the Brant/Norfolk All Star team and played in the Hamilton Spectator All Star Classic. Johnson was also a four-time NSSAA Simcoe Reformer All-Star. In 2011, he was a 2nd Team CWOSSA All-Rookie selection and was a Tournament All Star at the 2011 Simcoe Composite School Shootout.

In 2011 and 2012 he led Holy Trinity senior boy's volleyball team to back-to-back CWOSSA title. In 2013 he was crowned NSSAA Boy's Badminton Singles Champion and in 2011 was the NSSAA Senior Boy's Doubles Badminton Champions. He was also crowned NSSAA Boy's Doubles Tennis Champion in 2012.

The fifth sport Johnson excelled at was baseball as a member of the Port Dover Sailors. With the Sailors, he earned MVP honours three straight seasons. In 2010 he received the Fred Bridgewater Award (MVP) for the best all round player in the association. He led Port Dover to back-to-back provincial silver medals in 2011 and 2012.

"I chose Brock because I've heard nothing but good things from students that are currently there, also when I visited I felt at home and from there I knew it was the perfect place for me to continue my education and basketball career," said Johnson.

"I love the fact that it is a young coaching staff that is ready to do what it takes to take our team to the next level and bring great success now and for years to come. Also with a lot of players moving on, it gives us a special opportunity to grow as a young team and become very close with one another building a competitive program that will competing for years to come."

"I am looking forward to this opportunity of playing for Brad Rootes and the Brock basketball program. I will contribute to there success by working hard and doing whatever it takes to help reach our goals. I would like to thank all my former coach's and mentors for helping me reach my goal of playing CIS basketball."

For the upcoming season the Badgers have now added Johnson and 6-foot-7 forward Rashad Morley (Nassau, Bahamas). In 2011-2012 with Niagara College, Morley averaged 10.1 ppg and 11.6 rpg, leading the OCAA in total rebounds. He was also the OCAA West Defensive Player of the Year.

Grand River's Murray Scores Game High 24; Takes Home JBC MVP

Another solid international performance by Grade 10 Grand River CI student Jamal Murray over the weekend, as the 6'4" guard pumped home a game-high 24 points in the Jordan Brand Classic International Game, earning his team's MVP honours.

Murray's White Team fell in a tight 76-72 final, but he certainly impressed, particularly in the second half where he netted 16 of his 24 points.

Here's a look at NorthPoleHoops.com's interview with Murray down in NYC:



Congratulations, Jamal, on a tremendous accomplishment!

CWOSSA News and Notes

A couple of things to bring to your attention over the past week or so....

Murray Earns JBC Invite
Firstly, congrats to Grand River's Jamal Murray, who was selected to participate in the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic International Game to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, next week.  Certainly an impressive add to his already heavy resumé!

Achonwa, Irish, Fall in National Semifinal
Junior forward Natalie Achonwa and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish saw their 30-game win streak come to an end on Sunday evening against a fellow #1 seed, the UConn Huskies (83-65), in one of the two "Final Four" semifinals that were played in New Orleans.

Achonwa contributed 10 points and 6 rebounds in the loss; for the season she nearly averaged a double-double (13.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG), along with 2.3 APG and 1.1 SPG.  She started all 37 of Notre Dame's games, playing an average of 27.1 minutes per contest.