WATERLOO – The pressure was immense.
Stefan Cvrkalj felt as though his head was going to explode as he pondered his U.S. college options. There were many suitors, and understandably, they wanted an answer from the object of their affection.
What was the talented and versatile guard going to do?
The weight was lifted earlier this month when the fifth-year Bluevale student committed to play NCAA Division 1 basketball next year at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. The Mountain Hawks compete in the eight-team Patriot League in the U.S. northeast.
“It went from the worst feeling to the best feeling,” said the six-foot-four Cvrkalj.
“It was a tough decision because every school has its advantages and disadvantages, and then when you try to balance academics and basketball into that, it makes it even more difficult. But I’m comfortable that I made the right decision.”
In the end, Cvrkalj’s decision came down to Lehigh and Lafayette, another Patriot League school located in Easton, Pa. He had also made an unofficial visit to Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., during the decision-making process. There, he learned a great deal about the Patriot League from St. David graduate Bryson Johnson, who plays for the Bucknell Bison and is one of the league’s top players.
“It’s a very competitive league. I want to become an impact player as soon as I can and after college, if I still want to play basketball, my goal is to play professionally. And I think I have a shot at the national team in the future,” said Cvrkalj, who will study business at Lehigh.
As for the here and now, Cvrkalj is once again expected to be the best player in the Waterloo County league, which began play Tuesday with a seven-game schedule.
He is coming off a dream season in which he led Bluevale to its first-ever appearance at the Ontario championship tournament. The Knights won both the Waterloo County and Central Western Ontario titles, while Cvrkalj collected the Mike Moser Award as the league’s top player. He averaged 22.6 points per game as he established himself as one of the best high school guards in Canada.
The Knights are once again being touted as the team to beat this season, but will be challenged by the Forest Heights Trojans, Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders and Cameron Heights Golden Gaels. Other teams could also surprise but the Elmira Lancers won’t be one of them as the team pulled out last week due to a lack of players.
Don’t think for a second that Cvrkalj will take his foot off the gas in his final year of high school. Despite having his scholarship already secured, he plans on giving it everything he has as the Knights go for a second-straight OFSAA appearance.
“No chance. I’ve always loved playing at Bluevale. It’s where I’ve spent five years of my life, so I could never think that way,” he said.
“The goal is nothing short of what we did last year. It’s going to be a lot harder than it was last year, especially since we won last year and everyone wants to beat us. . . . It’s too soon to tell who is good, but we’re definitely looking to be the top team.”
In addition to helping the Knights win games, Cvrkalj plans on using the upcoming season to work on his game. He wants to improve his foot speed and to better use his size and strength to his advantage.
It might take him a while to get in the swing of things as he’s been nursing a “jumper’s knee” injury during the pre-season. It’s something that he first dealt with during the WCSSAA championship game last season and it flared up once again after he had earned a spot on the Canadian national junior team in June. He played through CWOSSA, OFSAA and the spring season with the Toronto 5.0 program before taking time off to heal.
Here is a team-by-team look at the 15 teams competing in the Waterloo County senior boys basketball league.
BLUEVALE KNIGHTS
Last year: WCSSAA/CWOSSA champions
Coach: Doros Theodosiou
Starting five: Stefan Cvrkalj G, Ian Farquharson F, Karsten Beney G, Fraser Voll G, Perrin Smith F
Six-man: Jamie Balsillie, Nikola Jovovic, Adam Zack
Key losses: Andrew Beney, Drew Ballak
Key rookie: Ian Farquharson
CAMERON HEIGHTS GOLDEN GAELS
Last year: Lost in semifinals
Coaches: Nazim Ramzan, Tim Weber, Mark Seupersaud
Starting five: Stefan Cucak F, Nebosja Djeric F, Amjed Osman G, Vedran Dmitrovic G, Adnan Shah F
Six-man: Nem Simic G
Key loss: Stefan Arezina
Key rookies: Vedran Dmitrovic, Nem Simic
EASTWOOD REBELS
Last year: Failed to make playoffs
Coaches: Steve Martin, Mike Reinhart
Starting five: Djordje Govedarica G, Steffon Heyligger G, Zaman Sindy F, Jerelle Vaughan F, Gondor Teny C
Six-man: Terel Christian
Key losses: None
Key rookie: Jerelle Vaughan
FOREST HEIGHTS TROJANS
Last year: Lost in quarter-finals
Coaches: Craig Wicken, Frank Bellissimo
Starting five: Kieran McAndrew G, Gage Paquette C, Srdjan Stanivuk F, Ben Nikkel F, Paul Anderson G
Six-man: Javon Masters, Dylan George, Mitch Peterson
Key loss: Taylor McNaughton
Key rookie: Javon Masters
GALT GHOSTS
Last Year: Lost in qualifying round
Coach: Jeff Dunning
Starting five: Leon Vilaysaeng G, Sherodan Burke G, Tyler Audet F, Nic Bradford F, Jack Simmons C
Six-man: Gabe Vidal
Key loss: None
Key rookie: Jack Simmons
GLENVIEW PARK PANTHERS
Last year: Failed to make playoffs
Coaches: Graham Jarman, Nathan Richmire
Starting five: Winston Karges G, Erist Wame G, Sean Dutton G, Mark Saris F, Garett Kivell F
Six-man: Jordan Kivell F
Key loss: Corey Prince
Key rookie: Erist Wame
GRAND RIVER RENEGADES
Last year: Lost in playoff qualifier
Coach: Scott Curtis
Starting five: Osama Qahwash G, Trevor Mclaughlin C, Brody Verbiski G, Michael Peters F, Daniel Harun F
Six-man: Filip Cvrkalj
Key losses: Miki Culum
Key rookie: Filip Cvrkalj
HURON HEIGHTS HUSKIES
Last year: Missed playoffs
Coach: Aaron Tomlin
Starting five: Sean Samuel G, Shayan Butt G, Ben Yorga F, Eric Spinache F, Hunter Jones C
Six-man: Scott Bailey
Key loss: Ogi Oroz
Key rookie: Sean Samuel
JACOB HESPELER HAWKS
Coach: Allen MacDougall
Last year: Missed playoffs
Starting five: Joel Perkins G, Sanam Arora G, Brendan Vandyken F, Josh Kirkham F, Lucas Marsden C
Six-man: TBD
Key rookies: Josh Kirkham, Lucas Marsden
Key losses: Connor Paddock, Jeremy Perkins
KCI RAIDERS
Last year: Lost in semifinal
Coach: Nick White
Starting five: Graham Notar G, Lazar Dabic G, Alex Galea G, Martin Bauman F, Dan Weber F
Six-man: Devan Bogart G
Key losses: Arban Kalaba, Tristan Ruddock
Key rookie: NA
PRESTON PANTHERS
Coaches: Mike Mack, Rob Boug
Last year: Lost in quarter-finals
Starting five: Wes Meertens G, Sean Holmes G, Chris Ackie F, Levi Kani F, Sohail Malik F
Six-man: Ryan Jones
Key losses: Jeff Robinson, Abe Upshaw
Key rookie: Wes Meertens
SIR JOHN A. MacDONALD HIGHLANDERS
Last year: Finalist
Coach: Steve Maloney
Starting five: Edem Ame, Ben Rehyani, Theshawn Barry, Kwame Botchway, Jordan James
Six-man: Connor Bradley
Key loss: Jake Robinet
Key rookie: Quinn Turner
SOUTHWOOD SABRES
Last year: Lost in quarter-finals
Coaches: Chuck Doran, Rob Baird
Starting five: Brian Doran G, Mack Collins F, Josh Parsons G, Greg Marjerrison F, Todd Hagedorn G
Six-man: Justin Boven
Key losses: Mark Stotesbury, Andrew Sauer
Key rookie: NA
WATERLOO COLLEGIATE VIKINGS
Last year: Lost in quarter-finals
Head coach: Craig Nickel
Starting five: Alex Copp G, Alex Despotovic G, Zach Totzke G, Alex Heap F, Malcolm Piazza F
Six-man: Jacob Ranton
Key losses: Jasper Wesson, Josh Forler, Scott Coghlin
Key rookies: Zach Totzke, Adam Anagnostopoulos, John McGowan, Malcolm Piazza, Jacob Ranton
WATERLOO-OXFORD CRUSADERS
Last year: Lost in playoff qualifier
Coach: Joe Cvetich
Starting five: Andy Trimmel G, Jesse Dodgson G, Mailik Morrison F, Kyle Weber F, Erich Wooley C.
Six-man: Tyler Bowman
Key loss: Patrick Connors
Key rookie: Chris Thompson
Retrieved From: http://news.therecord.com/Sports/article/822544
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