The WCSSAA regular season tips off with seven games on Thursday afternoon; Waterloo-Oxford has had a request approved to move their opener against Glenview Park back until January 10th due to an extended volleyball season.
So, with a full pack of 16 teams set to compete, let's take a look at how I see the season stacking up:
Mark's WCSSAA Projected Order of Finish
1. Forest Heights
2. Grand River
3. Cameron Heights
4. WCI
5. Jacob Hespeler
6. Bluevale
7. SJAM
8. Eastwood
9. Preston
10. Galt
11. Huron Heights
12. KCI
13. Glenview Park
14. WODSS
15. Southwood
16. Elmira
WCSSAA Preseason First-Team All-Stars
Javon Masters, 6'0" PG (4th Year) - Forest Hts.
Jacob Ranton, 6'7" SF (4th Year) - WCI
Vedran Dmitrovic, 6'0" PG/SG (4th Year) - CHCI
Filip Cvrkalj, 6'4" SF (4th Year) - Grand River
Jason Quiring, 6'6" PF (4th Year) - Jacob Hespeler
Ben Reyhani, 6'0" SG (5th Year) - SJAM
WCSSAA Preseason All-Rookie Team
Jason Thompson, 6'2" SF - Cameron Heights
Chuder Teny, 6'0" G - Grand River
Juwan Miller, 5'10" G - Forest Heights
Sean Davidson, 5'11" G - Glenview Park
Sayyad Bacchus, 6'1" G - SJAM
Best "pre-Christmas" game to catch: Forest Heights @ Cameron Heights, 12/8 (3:30pm)
Moving right along, let's have a detailed look at the teams that will be competing for the WCSSAA title this year:
Forest Heights Trojans
Last Season: WCSSAA Semifinalists (L to SJAM)
The Trojans will be a revamped squad this season, but still very talented. Gone are 6'7" F Gage Paquette and 5'11" G Kieran McAndrew to graduation, but they do return a WCSSAA first-team all-star in 6'0" G Javon Masters, last year's 2nd leading scorer in WCSSAA. Lightning quick 5'10" G Juwan Miller (who played tournaments and a playoff game with the senior squad) is arguably one of the top rookies in CWOSSA. Meanwhile, the backcourt is bolstered by junior grad Ian Anderson and athletic Rez transfer Adrian Russell.
Paul Anderson, Dylan George and Josh Falkenstern will look to solidify the frontcourt.
Javon Masters on the Trojans potentially taking the next step: "I really like our chances to take the next step. (I feel) Juwan and I provide a solid backcourt that can stretch the floor and make plays, and we also have 'bigs' that can score and be physical --- so we should do well".
Grand River Renegades
Last Season: WCSSAA Semifinalists (L to CHCI)
Bluevale did it a couple years ago, so could this finally be the year that the Grand River Renegades capture their first title in school history?
The Rens have the talent to be able to do it, including a loaded backcourt with 6'4" SF Filip Cvrkalj, 5'11" G Brodi Verbiski and 6'0" G Chuder Teny. Up front, 5th year forward Daniel Harun will hold things down with St. John's - Kilmarnock transfer Brandon Busuttil, among others.
Gone is WCSSAA all-star guard Osama Qahwash, but the Rens have quickly silenced some critics with a strong performance in the Heinbuch, including a close loss to runner-up Mother Teresa and a victory over CWOSSA OFSAA "AAAA" qualifier JF Ross. Look for the Rens to at least make a trip to semifinal Saturday, if not the championship final.
Filip Cvrkalj on their Heinbuch performance and the addition of Teny & Busuttil: "(The win over JF Ross and close loss to MT) definitely gives us confidence for the season, because we know we're right up there with the best teams and we can compete with them. (As for Teny & Busuttil), they're a great addition to our team. Chuder and Brandon are both solid players that can only help us towards our goals."
Cameron Heights Golden Gaels
Last Season: WCSSAA & CWOSSA Champions
Gone are four key members of the "Naz5" that captured the WCSSAA & CWOSSA "AAAA" championships last season --- forwards Nebojsa Djeric and Stefan Cucak, and guards Adnan Shah and (WCSSAA MVP) Amjed Osman.
So the Gaels are in rebuild mode, right? Not so fast.
The Gaels are again championship calibre, provided they get strong performances from their key returnees, 6'0" PG Vedran Dmitrovic and 6'0" SG Nem Simic. 6'2" Jason Thompson plays much bigger than his listed height with some serious hops and athleticism. Meanwhile, the Gaels also add in a key transfer --- 6'2" forward Terel Christian from Eastwood, who had some solid efforts last season for the Rebels.
Add it all up and you might see some impressive performances from this bunch this season, like their championship run through their 16-team tournament this past weekend (including a solid 19-point win over a very good WCI squad).
Vedran Dmitrovic on the prospects of a repeat and the addition of Christian: "Even though we lost a bunch of guys from last year's championship team, I think we still have a good squad this year. Our mindset is to have a winning year and to grow and develop as the season goes along. In terms of a repeat, it all really comes down to our defense, rebounding and toughness as we are one of the younger teams in the league. As for Terel, from the few games that I have played with him, I can already tell that I will enjoy having him on the team --- he is a great defensive and athletic player that really increases the depth of our team."
Waterloo CI Vikings
Last Season: WCSSAA Quarterfinalists (L to FHCI)
The Vikes have the majority of their roster back from a season ago, and have the advantage of being the biggest team in WCSSAA. They likely will start three players that are 6'6" or taller --- SF Jacob Ranton (6'7"), PF Dani Elgadi (6'6") and PF/C Malcolm Piazza (6'6"). Returning PG, 5'11" Adam Anagnostopoulos, played up with the senior squad last year in grade 10 so is a "veteran" grade 11.
Despite a 7th place finish in the WCSSAA standings last year, WCI had some tough battles with the top teams in the league (including a 1-point loss to Forest Heights). With their roster now acclimatized to playing at the senior level, this may be the year you see the Vikes vault up the WCSSAA standings.
Jacob Ranton on how the Vikes can have WCSSAA success: "We (obviously) have a strong inside presence and we need to utilize our big men to our advantage. We will also need to work on playing at our pace so we can slow down some of the guard-oriented teams in the league."
Jacob Hespeler Hawks
Last Season: Did Not Make Playoffs
I have the Jacob Hespeler Hawks making the biggest jump from a season ago, when they weren't even a WCSSAA playoff team (although they did have some very competitive games).
The main reason? Jason Quiring, one of the top junior players in 2009-10, has returned to the Hawks after spending a year at the REDA academy. With the re-addition of this 6'6" forward (considered one of the top 60 recruits in Canada in the 2013 class), it gives the Hawks an instant talent boost.
Keep in mind that the bulk of this club finished 3rd in the regular season junior standings just two years ago, and you can see why I am expecting some big things out of the Hawks this season.
Bluevale Knights
Last Season: WCSSAA Quarterfinalists (L to GRCI)
It will certainly be weird seeing the Bluevale Knights without a couple of key components from years previous, most notably 6'4" G Stefan Cvrkalj, who is now playing NCAA D-1 ball at Lehigh. Fellow guard Karsten Beney has moved on to OUA football, but the Knights shouldn't free-fall down the standings as some might expect.
Bluevale still has a couple of key returnees in 6'6" F Perrin Smith and 6'0" G Ian Farquaharson. Add in a very talented junior bunch (WCSSAA semifinalists) and you can see why the Knights should still remain among the top half of the teams in the league.
Bluevale Coach Doros Theodosiou on his Knights: "(We have) a great combination of youth and experience -- and (we are) a team that is not afraid to work hard."
SJAM Highlanders
Last Season: WCSSAA Finalists; CWOSSA Semifinalists
Granted, the 'Landers are dealing with a bit of a late start to their year after a very successful run by their senior football team, but there are still a number of unanswered questions surrounding the 2011-12 version of the Highlanders that will surely be answered as the season progresses.
First and foremost, SJAM will have to deal with the loss (graduation) of Edem Ame, who was a double-double beast last season despite barely topping the 6'0" mark. With his absence, teams will surely key on sharpshooter Ben Reyhani, so it will be intriguing to see how he handles the extra attention from WCSSAA teams this season.
The development of big-man Quinn Turner (another grade 11 who played up last season) and the injury status of Theshawn Barry (partially torn MCL in football) will surely determine SJAM's final place in the overall standings. With those two in the lineup and providing solid contributions, it is possible that the 'Landers could again find themselves playing on semifinal Saturday. As it is, these unanswered questions mean that I can't put them any higher than a "middle of the pack" squad to enter the season.
Ben Reyhani on what SJAM Needs to do to compete with the top teams in the league: "We're going to have to work hard in practice and focus more on the defensive end of the floor this year."
Eastwood Rebels
Last Season: 8th in WCSSAA; Lost QR Game to WODSS
Despite losing Terel Christian to Cameron as noted above, the Rebs still have a strong contingent of players that can hit the double-digit mark on any given night --- G Jerelle Vaughan, G/F Mirza Zahic, F Gondor Teny and G/F Djordje Govedarica.
Having played a tough early season schedule (including a trip to the Pinky Lewis tournament in Hamilton), the Rebs should have some tough games under their belt and should be competitive with the top few teams in the league.
Preston Panthers
Last Season: 10th in WCSSAA; Lost in Qualifying Round
Sharpshooting guard Wes Meertens, who had a great stretch drive of the 2010-11 season to help the Panthers snatch a WCSSAA (and CWOSSA) playoff spot, leads a solid group of returnees, while his backcourt mate Sean Holmes provides them with a solid backcourt. Sure, I have them as a "middle of the pack" squad to start the season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some good things from the Panthers this season.
Galt Ghosts
Last Season: 12th in WCSSAA; Lost in Qualifying Round
The Ghosts are another darkhorse team, thanks to the solid development of G Owais Khairi, who went off for a couple of nice performances this past weekend at the Cameron Tournament (20 vs. Windsor Riverside, 17 vs. WCI). G/F Jack Simmons is another key returnee. The Ghosts fell 56-42 to WCI, so they can possibly be competitive with some of the upper-tier squads.
Waterloo-Oxford Crusaders
Last Year: WCSSAA Quarterfinalists (L to CHCI)
The Crusaders should again be potential quarterfinalists, though they will have to offset the loss of Coulton Roe to graduation. They do, however, return all-star Kyle Weber and Chris Thomson, along with Patrick Connors. Don't overlook the boys from Baden this year, though they will have to overcome a potential slow start due to the success of their "AAA" volleyball squad.
Huron Heights Huskies
Last Year: 11th in WCSSAA; Lost in Qualifying Round
Big things were expected from the Huron Heights Huskies this season, but big news out of South Kitchener is that one of WCSSAA's top scorers, 6'0" 4th Year Guard Sean Samuel, will not be on this year's roster.
Picking up the slack will be sharpshooting three-point guard Darcy Jacobs and PF Eric Spinache, who provides a solid interior presence for triple-H. With those two leading the way, the Huskies could still find themselves making the WCSSAA (and potentially CWOSSA AAA) playoffs.
Glenview Park Panthers
Last Year: Did Not Make Playoffs
Despite the loss of their all-star, Mark Saris, to graduation, the Panthers could be on the upswing with the return of Erist Wame and Sean Davidson among the key juniors moving up from a very good junior team. Expect some early-season growing pains as they gel (the Panthers lost to St. Benedict 60-34 in tournament play this past weekend) but for this squad to improve as the season goes along.
KCI Raiders
Last Year: WCSSAA Quarterfinalists (lost to SJAM)
It's been a while since the KCI Raiders haven't been in the top half of the WCSSAA league; this could be the year that they come crashing down to earth after some underrated Raider squads did some big things over the past couple seasons.
Gone are a ton of players from last year's team, including SG Graham Notar-Maclean. Alex Galea returns, and of course you can never count out a Nick White-coached team so we'll see how the Raiders are playing come February.
Southwood Sabres
Last Year: Did Not Make Playoffs
The Sabres will be in tough to replace the tremendous production from graduated SG Brian Doran, a second team all-star and one of the top scorers in the league. Unfortunately, a couple lean years at the junior level will likely see the Sabres on the outside looking in come playoff time --- but they will be a scrappy bunch that could pull an upset or two if they are overlooked. Zac Sauer will be among the key players looking to make an impact.
Elmira Lancers
Last Year: Did Not Field Team
The Lancers are back after a one-year absence, and will be a youthful squad led by a bunch of players that have moved up from their junior squad. Among their key talent is G Walker Stuart.
Although they have a couple early-season tough games against WCI & BCI to start the year, games against Cambridge schools Southwood, Glenview and Preston may provide EDSS with a chance to put one or two in the win column before the Christmas break and build on things from there.
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So, with all that being said, let's get right to my Thursday selections/spreads:
Eastwood (by 6) over Preston
WCI (by 31) over Elmira
Bluevale (by 23) over Southwood
Forest Heights (by 27) over Huron Heights
Grand River (by 11) over Jacob Hespeler
SJAM (by 4) over Galt
Cameron Heights (by 29) over KCI
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