The District 8 basketball season kicks off on Wednesday, with a couple of games --- including a very interesting matchup right off the bat in St. Mary's visiting St. David (3:30pm start). Monsignor Doyle and St. Benedict will meet in a Cambridge clash, while Rockway and Resurrection's Wednesday tilt has been postponed due to the Flames participation in "A" Volleyball.
Here's a quick run-down of the teams, in my predicted order of finish.
St. David Celtics
Last Year: D8 & CWOSSA "AAA" Champions
No Bryson? No problem. The Celtics, coached by Dave MacNeil, return a bunch of guys from last year's CWOSSA "AAA" Championship team, and they are expected to contend for the D8 title as well as the CWOSSA Crown.
Tyson Lavigne & (hopefully a healthy) Dan Hummel will lead the charge for the Celts --- keep in mind this team will be mostly comprised of guys that went undefeated in junior a couple years back.
St. David doesn't get much help from a third place junior squad, but rookie Nick Batten adds some size in the frontcourt.
St. Mary's Eagles
Last Year: D8 Finalists & CWOSSA "AAAA" Semifinalists
St. Mary's surprised a bunch of people, myself included, by managing not only to secure D8's "AAAA" CWOSSA berth, but by advancing to within one game of the OFSAA championships.
This year's squad returns some nice size in the frontcourt for coach Jason Hergott, including veteran Mike Kasunic.
The Eagles, who had arguably the second-best junior team in the region after Resurrection, will add a few solid rookies to the senior squad, incluing guard Alex Thompson, guard Isaac Lance, forward Daniel Harun and guard/forward Zak Hannah.
Resurrection Phoenix
Last Year: 3rd Place D8
Matt Kras' Phoenix get an influx of talent from their 48-2 junior "AAAA" CWOSSA championship team, but I still think they might be a year away from serious senior-level success.
Hoping to make that prediction wrong will be rookies Tyler Schneider, Andrew Mwangi, Cam Gibbs, John Moi, and Jamie Keil, to name a few. Brandon Lee will be called upon for leadership in the backcourt, while fellow fifth year veterans Mike Tyler and Matt Stocco will combine with Ryan Herron to provide some solid size in the frontcourt. It might be tough for some teams to handle, but will it be enough to get a CWOSSA berth? Time will tell.
St. Bendict Saints
Last Year: Did Not Make Playoffs
An interesting trivia question - what is the only D8 team to ever qualify for AAAA OFSAA? No, not St. Mary's or Resurrection ---- it's the St. Benedict Saints (2003).
The Saints are nowhere near OFSAA calibre this year, but they should be able to claim the 4th playoff spot in a deep D8 league.
Derrick Strickland, Tyrone Tyndale and Dane Osborne are key returnees for the Saints.
Rockway Flames
Last Year: 4th Place D8
The Flames lose Tim Minkarious, and, likely a spot in this year's D8 playoffs after a solid run over the last few years.
Veteran Zach Steckley will lead the charge for Rockway, who also add a prolific scorer from the junior ranks in Josh Klassen.
Monsignor Doyle Mustangs
Last Year: Did Not Make Playoffs
It is expected to be another long year for the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs --- but I will say that they are starting to build a program. Their junior team almost made the playoffs last year, while having a midget team as well over the last few years has further increased the number of kids playing basketball at the school. Hopefully they'll begin to see some dividends over the next couple of years.
As for their 09-10 squad, look for veterans Shane Teet, Brody Van Gestel and Corin Langille to lead the way offensively. Grade 11 rookie Tyler Declan will add some muscle up front for the 'Stangs.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
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