Jacob Ranton Memorial Tournament Set For This Weekend

The 2nd annual Jacob Ranton Memorial Senior Boys Basketball Tournament (formerly the Knights-Vikings Classic) is set to tip off tomorrow at WCI and Bluevale.

The tournament was renamed before last year's event in honour of former WCI student-athlete standout Jacob Ranton, who took his own life while back home on Christmas break from Memorial University.

Ranton's parents, Doug (who is a guidance counsellor at WCI) and Sandra (who is also a teacher) have championed the important cause of mental health awareness, with the goal eliminating stigma attached to discussing mental health.

"Our number one priority is to talk about mental health and have people not being afraid to talk about mental health," Ranton told The Record earlier this week.

It was evident at last year's event that the message about mental health awareness resonated with the athletes, parents, and fans in attendance.

In addition to the dialogue about mental health, there is also a positive financial impact, with monies being raised to support the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council.  Last year's tournament was able to raise almost $20 000, and this year's event will easily surpass that amount once the vast array of silent auction items are factored in (for those interested, Mark Bryson's Blog has a list of what's available).

And, of course....there's a tournament to discuss, too!

The tourney itself features six teams that were ranked in the top 10 of my CWOSSA rankings (last week) -- you could argue that a couple others, including Cameron Heights and Huron Heights, are deserving of strong consideration for a top ten spot when the next ranking is released.

First Round Games (at WCI):
WCI vs. Southwood - Noon
St. James vs. Forest Hts. - 1:30pm
Huron Hts. vs. Resurrection - 3pm
Grand River vs. Welland Centennial - 4:30pm

First Round Games (at BCI):
Bluevale vs. St. David - Noon
Eastwood vs. Stratford Central - 1:30pm
KCI vs. Cameron Heights - 3pm
St. Mary's vs. SJAM - 4:30pm

....needless to say, there are a couple of very intriguing opening round matchups, most notably the SJAM vs. St. Mary's tilt at 4:30pm over at Bluevale.  The game immediately prior, between KCI and Cameron Heights, should also be a good one.

Over at WCI, the Huron Heights - Resurrection game might be closer than anticipated.  The Huskies have been playing well over the last couple of weeks in league play (beating Cameron Heights and Forest Heights in succession last week), and Kuel Thomas can put up some big numbers on occasion and keep his club in the game.

In terms of predictions, I'll go with the following for the championship-side semifinals:
WCI vs. Resurrection
Eastwood vs. SJAM

And, on the consolation side:
Huron Hts. vs. Forest Hts.
St. Mary's vs. Bluevale

....despite their loss on Tuesday to Cameron Heights (perhaps looking ahead to this tournament), I would expect WCI to make some noise.  Even with splitting their team (A & B) last year, their "B" team posted a couple of pretty impressive victories en route to the consolation title.  It was clear that they were all playing some inspired basketball, as you'd probably expect at a home tournament named for a former student.

At any rate, it should be an exciting weekend of basketball, which sees the semifinals played at noon (both WCI and BCI will host one for their "bracket") and the championship final go at 7:30pm (at WCI).

CWOSSA Senior Boys "Top 10" - December 8th, 2016

After seeing the majority of teams in early season tournaments, I think I have enough information to release the initial "CWOSSA Top 10", Senior Boys Edition.

I am in the process of (emphasis on that - it's not complete) updating team resumes with notable wins and losses.  You can check my progress by clicking the link at the top of the page.

Anyways, without further delay, here's the list:

1.  St. Benedict CSS / Cambridge
Pretty obvious choice for #1 here -- the Saints won the Heinbuch, won the Holy Trinity Tip-Off, and probably would have won the David Preston Memorial tournament if not for Zubair Seyed being dinged up and unable to play.  Even without him, the Saints were nearly able to get past hosts Pine Ridge SS.  With a veteran crew of fifth years, I think the Saints are provincial contenders.

Notable CWOSSA wins to date for the Saints include Brantford North Park, WCI, and Resurrection.

2.  Resurrection CSS / Kitchener
Winners of their home tournament last weekend, beating a tough North Park team in the final, the Phoenix come in at #2 in the initial CWOSSA rankings.

Like the Saints, this is a veteran bunch led by 5th years Muyang Iluya, Ali Rashid, and Eddie Omari.

Aside from the North Park win, the Phoenix also have wins over Eastwood (OT - Heinbuch), Centre Wellington (Tournament) and St. Mary's (D8 league play).

3.  Eastwood CI / Kitchener
The Rebels have gotten off to a strong start in WCSSAA play, scoring 71, 84, and 90 points through three games.  Sure, those games weren't against the league's elite, but the Rebs have also fared well in tournament play, posting a win over SJAM and losing in OT to Rez at the Heinbuch, while also taking the title at the Southwood Invitational this weekend -- a 12 team tournament.  Perhaps more impressively, they did it without the services of Kanayo Nnadi, who I noticed on crutches in the team picture.  Hopefully that's only a short term injury issue for him, as he's been one of the top players in CWOSSA to start the season.

4.  North Park CVS / Brantford
I've been very impressed by the Trojans to date.  They're a young bunch, with a core nucleus of grade eleven players.  They can shoot the lights out, and, given their youth, I expect them to continue to grow and develop through the season.

Cal Hager, Judah Stewart and Ethan Andrews are three in particular that I've enjoyed watching so far.

The Trojans defeated SJAM to win the Heinbuch Consolation bracket; they also took the Ed O'Leary Brantford tip-off tournament earlier in the season.  Close losses to St. Benedict (by 6) and Resurrection (by 10) are also notable.

5.  Waterloo CI / Waterloo
The Vikes have some size -- and solid guard play -- that will likely make them a tough out in the WCSSAA league and the CWOSSA playdowns.  6'8" Adam Piazza and 6'5" Antoney Bell anchor the frontcourt, while PG Aaron Grubb is a solid distributor and perimeter shooter.

Bell had injured his ankle in the Heinbuch tournament, which (I think) was a big factor in WCI not ending up with a better showing than their 1-2 mark, which did include a win over Bronze Champion St. Thomas More (Hamilton).

6.  St. Mary's HS / Kitchener
The Eagles don't rebuild -- they reload.  I'm not sure exactly where to slot the Eagles, who are a bit of a mystery with not as many games played as some of the other CWOSSA teams.

That said, they have a flux of grade elevens on the roster, including Michael Carali, and Jody Brown Jr., along with veteran forward Jason Jaros.  

A close loss to Resurrection shows this team has some promise, but we'll certainly find out much more next weekend at the Jacob Ranton Memorial.

7.  SJAM / Waterloo
Like North Park, the 'Landers are a youthful team that I expect to continue to grow and improve throughout the year.

There have been some bumps (a loss to North Park in the Heinbuch Consolation Final) and some bright spots (a win over GTA Ranked Brampton Notre Dame in tournament play).

Rookies Chris Bullock and Nino Spasik will anchor the charge alongside veteran guard Jordan Iwaniuk.

8.  St. David CSS / Waterloo
Winners of the Cameron Heights tournament, with impressive wins over KCI and Centennial in the final, the St. David Celtics don't quite have a "signature win" against some of the upper tier teams just yet -- but it does appear that they have the talent to compete in a very deep D8 league.

Brent Lasovich and Mason Cumming are combining for a 42 PPG clip through their first 3 D8 league games, albeit against PRDG, Mount Carmel, and Woodland.  The next three games for the Celts include St. Mary's, St. Benedict, and Resurrection -- so there's certainly room for the Celts to climb the rankings.

Regardless, SDCSS certainly looks like a heavy favourite to win "AA" CWOSSA at this point in the season.

9.  Centre Wellington DHS / Fergus
Cole Newton has made a solid transition to the senior ranks, averaging in the neighbourhood of 20 PPG in league play.  The Falcons and GCVI Gaels (so far) look like the top two teams out of Guelph this year -- and it should be an interesting season given that Bishop Mac lost almost all of their scoring from a season ago to graduation.

Again, with some youth on the roster, this is a team to keep an eye on throughout the season.

10.  St. John's College / Brantford
I could go any number of ways with the number 10 spot (see some of the HM entries below) but I think I'll give the edge right now to SJC out of Brantford, given their silver-medal effort at the Southwood Invitational last weekend -- a tournament that featured 8 CWOSSA entries.  

Their pool was (on paper) the toughest, featuring Cameron Heights and St. James, but the Eagles prevailed and advanced to the finals, losing a close one to Eastwood.

HM / Radar Teams:  Bluevale, Cameron Heights, GCVI, Centennial, St. James, Huron Heights, KCI, Forest Heights, Southwood.

Notable Games This Coming Week (Please E-mail or Tweet @CWOSSABball for omissions):
12/8 - Eastwood at KCI (WCSSAA)
12/8 - Huron Hts. at Forest Hts. (WCSSAA)
12/8 - SJAM at Southwood (WCSSAA)
12/8 - GCVI at CWDHS (D10)
12/12 - St. Benedict at St. David (D8)
12/13 - Southwood at KCI (WCSSAA)
12/13 - WCI at Cameron Hts (WCSSAA)
12/13 - St. James at CWDHS (D10)
12/13 - Centennial at GCVI (D10)
12/14 - St. David at St. Mary's (D8)
12/15 - SJAM at Eastwood (WCSSAA)
12/15 - Centennial at St. James (D10)

Next Weekend:  Jacob Ranton Memorial -- 6 Ranked Teams + 6 HMs!
Confirmed:  #2 Resurrection, #3 Eastwood, #5 WCI, #6 St. Mary's, #7 SJAM, #8 St. David; also HMs Bluevale, Cameron Hts, St. James, Huron Heights, Forest Heights, KCI.

First Round:
(HM) Southwood vs. (5) WCI
(HM) St. James vs. (HM) Forest Hts.
(2) Resurrection vs. (HM) Huron Hts.
Grand River vs. Welland Centennial
(HM) Bluevale vs. (8) St. David
(3) Eastwood vs. Stratford Central
(HM) KCI vs. (HM) Cameron Hts.
(7) SJAM vs. (6) St. Mary's

Follow on Twitter For Updates

I'll be on the road (and in the gym) today, so head over to my Twitter Feed to keep up to date on some of the happenings around CWOSSA basketball on what is a busy weekend!

SJAM Junior Hoopla Tourney - Today

The annual "SJAM Junior Hoopla" Tournament, which is (in my books) arguably the best junior tournament in the region, tips off today at SJAM and Forest Heights.

Annually, this tournament provides a glimpse as to who the top junior teams are -- for the most part, the winner of this tournament has historically gone on to further success in their season, often culminating with a CWOSSA championship.

Here's a look at the first-round games.  Winners play losers in the second round:

SJAM Bracket
SJAM vs. Orangeville
Resurrection vs. WCI
Grand River vs. Assumption
St. Benedict vs. Centennial

FHCI Bracket
Forest Hts. vs. St. David
Bluevale vs. CWDHS
Glenview Park vs. St. Mary's
Eastwood vs. Brantford CI

Tourney Time! Coming Weekend is Filled with High School Hoops

The start of December usually means an up-tick in tournament play, and this coming weekend is no exception.  I'll detail a few of the Senior Tournaments on the go this weekend; the SJAM "CWOSSA Hoopla" Junior tournament is also set to go, but we'll get to that separately.

Out Of Town in the GTA - SJAM & St. Benedict
Both the SJAM Highlanders and the St. Benedict Saints will be out of town this coming weekend, with the Highlanders travelling to Brampton to again participate in the Campion Showdown.  If you recall, SJAM had an impressive run at last year's tournament, making it all the way to the championship final.

This year, things might be a bit tougher as the two teams in their pool are Brampton Centennial, one of the top teams in ROPSAA, and Brampton Notre Dame, who will play SJAM during the school day on their home floor.

St. Benedict was initially slated to participate at the Campion Showdown as well, but have elected instead to go to the David Preston Memorial Tournament, hosted by Pine Ridge SS.

SBCSS will take on Pickering HS (GTA HM) in their opening game tonight.  A win, and they play either J. Clarke Richardson or Metro Prep, while a loss would pit them against either Notre Dame (Ajax) or Windsor Kennedy.  Hosts Pine Ridge and St. Mary's of Ajax are the other teams in the tournament.

RCSS Invitational
The Resurrection Phoenix are hosted their annual tournament this weekend, which is an 8-team draw with a modified "OFSAA-style" format (winners play losers in the second round).

CWOSSA teams North Park, Centre Wellington, and Guelph Lourdes are in the tournament alongside the host Phoenix, while out-of-town entrants include Christ The King (Georgetown), London Banting, Patrick Fogarty (Orillia) and Dundas Valley (Dundas).

First Round games tomorrow are as follows:
8:30am:  Resurrection vs. Lourdes
10am:  North Park vs. Christ The King
11:30am:  Centre Wellington vs. Banting
2:30pm:  Patrick Fogarty vs. Dundas Valley

Draw (click to enlarge)

Southwood Invitational
Games will be played at both Southwood and Jacob Hespeler tomorrow for the Southwood Invitational, which is a 12-team draw featuring four pools of three.

 8 of the 12 teams are CWOSSA-based (it's Assumption Burlington and not Brantford - FYI), so it should be a good measuring stick for the clubs involved.

The pools are as follows:
Pool A:  Eastwood, Galt, Southwood
Pool B:  Assumption, Ancaster, Woodstock
Pool C:  Grand River, East Elgin, Centre Dufferin
Pool D:  St. James, Cameron Hts., St. John's

The tournament wraps up on Saturday at Southwood, with the championship final at 7:30pm.