Waterloo Wildhawks: U19 Thunder Jam Champs

Here's the 4th quarter of the Thunder Jam Championship Game from last weekend, where the Waterloo Wildhawks won the battle of the "hawks", defeating the Burlington Skyhawks in a 72-69 thriller.

Team members include:  Javon Masters & Juwan Miller (FHCI); Adam Voll, Alex Thompson and Henry Bankazo (SMHS); Jacob Ranton and Malcolm Piazza (WCI); Cory Kenning (RCSS); Filip Cvrkalj (GRCI); Vedran Dmitrovic (CHCI); and Josh Johnson (Holy Trinity - Simcoe).

Coaches are Aaron Tomlin (HHSS coach) and Scott Reynolds (GRCI coach).

Brantford Expositor: Local Basketball Stars Set To Shine

Article By:  Darryl Smart

Local high school basketball players will take part in the 23rd annual All Star Boys' Basketball Classic in Hamilton.

Brant County's best, coached by Pete Lovett of Brantford Collegiate Institute, will take on the Hamilton Catholic All Stars on April 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Cardinal Newman Secondary School, 127 Grays Rd., Stoney Creek.

In the other game of a double-header, the Halton All Stars will take on the Hamilton Public All Stars at 5 p.m.

The consolation final is April 4, at 5 p.m., while the championship will follow at 6:30 p.m.

A slam-dunk contest will take place before the championship, while a three-point contest will take place during halftime of both Tuesday games.

Admission to the games is $2 for children and $5 for adults.

2012 Brant County All-Stars

Tyler Campbell, Pauline Johnson, Grade 12, Small forward

Ben Candy, Brantford Collegiate, Grade 12, Power forward

Tim Dawson, St. John's, Grade 11, Point guard

Chris Gorski, Brantford Collegiate, Grade 11, Power forward

Marcus Hamilton, North Park, Grade 12, Shooting guard

Marcus Jones, North Park, Grade 12, Point guard

Jake Kelley, Paris, Grade 12, Shooting guard

Nick Minutillo, North Park, Grade 12, Small forward

Andre Toic, Assumption College, Grade 10, Shooting guard

Mackenzie Mark, Brantford Collegiate, Grade 11, Small forward

Logan Varga, North Park, Grade 12, Centre

J.P. Yurcich, St. John's, Grade 12, Small forward

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2012/03/28/local-basketball-stars-set-to-shine

WCSSAA All-Star Game - Leading Scorers

Team White 130, Team Blue 111

Team White:  Filip Cvrkalj (GRCI) 36, Jack Simmons (Galt) 18, Javon Masters (FHCI) 16.

Team Blue:  Dani Elgadi (WCI) 23, Vedran Dmitrovic (CHCI) 21, Sean Holmes (PHS) 19.

Forest Heights' Masters Takes Home Mike Moser Award as WCSSAA MVP

In late February, Javon Masters took home the piece of hardware he really wanted this year when he and his Forest Heights Trojans captured the WCSSAA title.

On Wednesday, Masters added to his trophy case as he was named as the 2011-12 Mike Moser Award winner, presented annually to the MVP of the WCSSAA Senior Boys' Basketball league.

The announcement took place at halftime of the WCSSAA Senior All-Star Game at Waterloo Collegiate, which was won by Masters' team, Team White, 130-111 over Team Blue.

Despite the individual accomplishment, the 6'0" guard was quick to point out his Trojan teammates for helping in his success.

"I couldn't have done this without (them)," Masters noted, before also specifically mentioning his FHCI coach, Craig Wicken, as an instrumental part of his success.

"It's great to be recognized as MVP," Masters continued, "I put in a lot of hard work this season and beforehand in the off-season, and it's great to see it pay off."

"My parents have also been supportive this entire time, so I have to thank them as well," he added.

Masters' hard work has already drawn the attention of numerous NCAA D-1 coaches, including Cornell, Bucknell, Lehigh and Lafayette in particular, but I would expect that list to continue to grow throughout the summer during his club season.

Masters and his FHCI backcourt mate, Juwan Miller (also a first-team all-star selection) formed the most dynamic backcourt in the CWOSSA region.  Masters averaged 20.1 PPG during the regular season, and upped his average to 22.7 during the Trojan playoff run, including a 23-point effort in the championship final despite turning an ankle early in the contest.

Naturally, Masters listed championship night as his favourite moment of the season.

"It was a lot of work that we had put in as a team to achieve our goal," Masters said.

When I pressed him to give me his favourite "individual" memory from the season, he listed his dunk against Cameron Heights (below) as tops in that category:

"Just the way everyone reacted after was priceless, nothing was better," Masters said.

Except, just maybe, being named as the WCSSAA MVP.

Guelph's Achonwa Helps Power Irish to Final Four

RALEIGH, N.C. —Guelph’s Natalie Achonwa and her Notre Dame Fighting Irish will try to take care of unfinished business this weekend.

The Fighting Irish, who lost in last year’s NCAA women’s basketball title game, earned a repeat trip to the Final Four by knocking off Maryland 80-49 on Tuesday night in the Raleigh Regional at PNC Arena behind a triple-double from All-America point guard Skylar Diggins.

Diggins had 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds before leaving the game with just under two minutes to play. Achonwa, a sophomore post, came off the bench to add 18 points and seven rebounds and key a big run in the first half when Notre Dame (34-3) took control.

“I thought she was the player of the game,” Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said of Achonwa. “It was the best game she’s played all year.”

The six-foot three-inch Achonwa was a big difference, giving the Fighting Irish a larger presence up front.

“Natalie Achonwa did a good job of cutting off the ball screens and getting layups,” Diggins said.

For her part, Achonwa said she was the last option because the Irish guards were attracting so much attention on the perimeter.

“I was just open because I was the last person to guard,” said Achonwa, who was named to the all-region team.

In the Final Four on Sunday, Notre Dame will play Big East rival Connecticut, an 80-65 winner over Kentucky, in Denver. It will be the fourth meeting of the Irish and Huskies this season. Notre Dame won the two regular-season games but lost in the conference tournament final.

Baylor and Stanford will meet in the other national semifinal. This is only the second time in the 31-year history of the NCAA tournament that all four No. 1 women’s seeds made the Final Four. The other time was in 1989.

Retrieved From Guelph Mercury. 

CWOSSA End of Season Awards: Senior Rookie and Newcomers of The Year

Continuing on with our "end of season" awards, here's a look at the winners of my CWOSSA-wide "Rookie of the Year" and "Newcomer of the Year" awards:

Senior CWOSSA "Rookie of the Year"

Juwan Miller - Forest Heights CI, 5'10" G

Again, no real surprise here as Miller was dynamic this past season, and a big reason as to why the Trojans won a WCSSAA title and held the #1 CWOSSA ranking for the majority of the season.

Obviously, he presents a dual threat to opponents as he has the quickness to get to the rim, but also the ability to hit from deep --- essentially, pick your poison.  

Although it is his offensive exploits that generally garner attention (he was the top grade 11 scorer in CWOSSA), he's certainly one of the better defenders (particularly on-ball) in CWOSSA as well.  He can certainly get after and harass ball-handlers, and I'm sure he'd be among the CWOSSA-wide leaders in steals if stats were kept.  

Further evidence of the above could be seen this past weekend, where Miller locked down Grant Mullins (who scored 42 against St. Mary's in the SBCSS tournament final) and held him to 15 points as the Waterloo Wildhawks defeated Burlington in the finals of the Thunder Jam tournament.  Based upon the tweets that I saw come from there, he certainly impressed those in attendance.

Keep in mind he's only grade eleven right now, so we have at least another year of him to enjoy watching here locally!

Senior CWOSSA "Newcomer of the Year"

Nathaniel Ellis - SJAM (Waterloo), 6'2" G/F

Ellis, who moved to Waterloo from Tillsonburg, was a 2nd team WCSSAA all-star selection, and certainly made a huge impact in his first year of CWOSSA basketball.  He was instrumental in helping his Highlanders make an impressive playoff run through WCSSAA and advancing to the CWOSSA "AAAA" championships.

He certainly turned a lot of heads with his play during the playoffs, and was tremendous defensively, helping shut down a couple of Grand River's top guns in a road playoff upset, and then was also given top defensive assignments in the WCSSAA semfinals and finals.  

Of course, he was also a double-digit scorer for the Highlanders, and had timely baskets as well during their playoff run.  In particular, he hit for 6 of the final 7 SJAM points (back-to-back three-pointers) against WCI to help the 'Landers earn that hard-fought victory.  A dunk against CWDHS in CWOSSA put the 'Landers in position for a victory, though CW would tie on a buzzer-beating three before SJAM prevailed in OT.

CWOSSA End of Season Awards: Junior Rookie and Newcomers of The Year

We'll start our "end of season awards" by announcing the "Rookie of the Year" and "Newcomer of the Year" award winners (CWOSSA-wide) in both the junior and senior basketball divisions (senior to be posted separately).

The difference between a "rookie" and a "newcomer" would be that a "newcomer" has played in another school district before transferring to a CWOSSA school, whereas a rookie has not.

Let's get right to it:

Junior CWOSSA "Rookie of the Year"

Jamal Murray - Grand River, 6'2" G/F

No doubt about this one.  Murray was sensational throughout this past season, not only pouring in the points but also coming up with timely baskets, including several buzzer beaters during the season.  He keyed a 10-point comeback early in the season against St. Mary's, then would go on to hit two buzzer-beaters against Cameron Heights, the latter in the WCSSAA semifinals that advanced the Rens through to CWOSSA.

Murray is a smooth shooter who can "pull up and pop" with the best of them.  He's also gifted on the defensive end, where his length and wingspan can make things difficult for opponents.  I've been hearing rumblings that Murray may be moved up to the senior level next season at Grand River, so his one season of junior basketball may also have been his last.  That said, he certainly left a mark on WCSSAA and CWOSSA courts this season.

Junior CWOSSA "Newcomer of the Year"

Michael Ganson - Bishop Macdonell, 5'10" G

Ganson, who attended provincial powerhouse (and current OFSAA "AAAA" reigning back-to-back champions) Vaughan SS before moving to Guelph this year for grade ten, was a straight up scoring machine in games this season.

In fact, Ganson hit for 40+ points three times in league play, and he didn't do it against slouches either --- 44 against Lourdes ("AA" CWOSSA champions) and 44 against CWDHS (D10 finalists).  He added 42 against GCVI, 37 against Ross and another 36 against Lourdes in other league games.  Yikes!

Ganson is a great shooter, but also has an excellent mid-range game, which can be attributed to his shooting regimen of taking about 500 shots a day.  He's had some interest stateside from prep schools, so it will be interesting to see if he sticks around the CWOSSA region over the next year or two --- if he does, he will make a youthful Bishop Mac senior squad even better next season.  

He's a pleasure to watch, so obviously I'm hoping that he does.

Guelph Mercury: D10 MVP Sterne Will Be Returning For Another Year

Article By:  Rob Massey

GUELPH — Erik Sterne of the Centennial Spartans picked up one District 10 high school senior boys’ basketball award last night, but the Grade 12 student said he’ll be back next season to try to win the one he really wants.

“I will be returning for another year,” Sterne said. He was presented with the D10 league MVP award prior to Friday night’s D10-D8 all-star game at the Mitchell Athletics Centre, won 88-87 by D8.

“It’s great to get the MVP award, but I’m always looking for a championship. All I hope is that for next year, my final year, I can pull out a championship for my team.”

This season, Centennial was knocked out of the D10 playoffs in the semifinals. Sterne played in the 2011 D10 final, but the Spartans were defeated by the Ross Royals in that game.

In Friday’s all-star game, D8 led 24-19 at the end of the first quarter and 44-42 at the half and 68-64 after the third quarter.

Mike Friesen of Ross led D10 with 13 points including four on a pair of monster dunks while Evan Karl of Ross and Mike Finoro of Lourdes netted 12 apiece. Reid Goindi of Centre Wellington and Sterne had 10 each while Aleks Kludjerovic of Centennial and Shamlo Saeed of Ross collected eight apiece, Tim Francis of Centre Wellington and Ben King of Lourdes had four each, Maximillian Raab of Lourdes had three and Jesse Kendall of Bishop Macdonell had two. Also playing in the game were Justin Levesque of Orangeville, Nick Pellizzari of St. James and Andrew Hood of Guelph CVI.

“I know a lot of these guys from playing with them in club ball or anywhere else,” Sterne said of playing in the all-star game. “We all know each other. We know what our strengths are, but we come to have fun. If things go wrong, we’re not too worried. We’re just having fun.”

“It’s easy (to coach in the all-star game),” D10 coach Scott Robinson of the champion Lourdes Crusaders said. “I can sit back and enjoy the game and see some of the best players in our league all come together.”

Cam Gibbs of Resurrection collected 18 points for D8 while Alex Thompson of St. Mary’s had 14, Santo 

Dak of St. Benedict 12 and Cory Kenning of Resurrection 10.

Game MVPs were Saeed for D10 and Thompson for D8.

The game featured the 24-second clock, something that could be brought into the high school game in the next year or two. Currently there is no time limit other than 10 seconds to get the ball out of your own end.

“I like the 24-second clock,” Sterne said. “I believe it speeds the game up and that’s the way basketball was meant to be played.”

For most of the players in the all-star game, the 24-second clock was nothing new. Most play club ball and the clock and FIBA rules are used there. They’re also used in Canadian university play.

“It totally changes the strategy,” Robinson said. “A lot of the time if you’re playing with a 24-second clock, you have to design your plays to get quicker scores. You can’t run a clock for 40, 50 seconds trying to get one good layup or one good three-point shot.”

D10 won the junior all-star match 93-62. The hosts held quarter leads of 21-12, 45-31 and 68-49.

Michael Ganson of Bishop Mac was presented with the D10 league MVP award before the game.

Mo Hussien of Ross led D10 in the game with 21 points while Ganson had 16 and Tommy Yanchus of Ross 14.

Nathan Riley of St. Mary’s had 17 points for D8 while schoolmate Mike Blumel added 12.

Game MVPs were Hussien of D10 and Riley of D8.

Retrieved From:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/sports/highschool/article/693246--d10-mvp-sterne-will-return-for-another-shot-at-title

Video Archive: Cam Fletcher, 2011 BAA All-Star Game Dunk Contest

Speaking of the BAA All-Star festivities and dunk contest (as mentioned below), here's a look at Cam Fletcher (Georgian Bay SS)'s winning effort from last year:

Owen Sound Sun-Times: All-Star Games Taken Seriously

Article By:  Bill Walker

Peter Campbell got an eyeful of the Bluewater Athletic Association's basketball all-stars.

The long-time coach at Wilfrid Laurier University came north to scout West Hill's Nick Lau at the second-annual BAA senior boys all-star game on Thursday.

"I came up to watch one guy and I saw a bunch more worth looking at," Campbell told the players during the half-time break of the senior game. "This is a great time for you. You get to play basketball. But if you want to play in university, you're going to have to work hard in the summer to get ready. It's like anything in life. You have to work harder than anybody else and then things will open up for you."

What Campbell saw on Thursday was a little more than your average all-star game.

While the defence was a little loose, players were still hitting the floor for loose balls and making their opponents pay to drive the lane.

"It's fairly competitive," said Kevin Matheson, president of the Grey-Bruce Association of Basketball Officials, which organized the junior and senior all-star games on Thursday at OSCVI. "Certainly the junior game showed that."

The junior contest saw the North squad erase an 18-point half-time deficit only to miss a defensive assignment in the final minute.

That allowed Kincardine District's Logan Shewfelt an uncontested layup in the South's 72-70 win.

Sacred Heart's Mitch Eckert and Shewfelt led the South with 12 points each.

Georgian Bay's Kahler Thacker led all scorers with 19 points, while OSCVI's Matt Wardrop added 11 for the North.

"In the last 10 minutes we started hitting our shots and pressuring the ball and everyone was playing great," said Thacker, a 15- year-old Grade 10 student.

"We had a bit of a defensive breakdown (on the winning basket). We had a bit of a mishap and left someone open. The guys had a great effort and hustled back and made it close. Overall it was a great experience. I loved it."

St. Mary's Jacob Hill won the junior three-point shooting competition while the OSCVI team of Braden Boley and Matt Wardrop won the two-ball event.

Saugeen District's Jacob Darlington hit 13 three-pointers in the senior competition while OSCVI's Kevin Bunn and Dustin Boley won the two-ball competition.

Grey Highlands' Sheldon Morris won the dunk competition by leaping over a teammate, who was seated in a chair in front of the basket, and taking a pass from another player for the dunk.

Lau had 22 points as the North seniors cruised to a 79-47 win. Sacred Heart's Riley Knox led the South with 16 points.

The all-star game is staged by the officials association. It raised more than $300 to go to the SUDEP Foundation (Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy) in memory of Grey Highlands girls player Jordan Fawcett, who died suddenly from the condition in November 2010.

The association has established a scholarship in her name.

Retrieved From:  http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3510274

BAA: All-Star Game Details

The annual "North vs. South" Bluewater Athletic Association all-star game is set to go this Thursday (March 22nd) at OSCVI.

The junior game is slated for 6pm, and the senior showdown at 8pm.  There will be a skills showdown as well during each halftime.

Here are the rosters for the game:

Senior - North Team

Kevin Bunn - OSCVI

Jason McMullin - OSCVI

Dustin Boley - OSCVI

Nick Lau - West Hill

Chris Stewart - West Hill

Nick Murphy - St. Mary's

Adam McArthur - St. Mary's

Sam Symons - Grey Highlands

Sheldon Morris - Grey Highlands

Eric Lewis - Georgian Bay

Cody Gibbons - Peninsula Shores

Coaches:  LT Jacques & Berry Boley (OSCVI); Perry Quinlan (St. Mary's)

Senior - South Team

Ben Carroll, Sacred Heart

Mitch Bamsey, Sacred Heart

Riley Knox, Sacred Heart

JD West, Walkerton DSS

Coulton Fischer, Walkerton DSS

Calvin Robinson, Walkerton DSS

Wes Edwards, John Diefenbaker

Alex Grierson, John Diefenbaker

Jamie Waring, Kincardine

Gerrit Satosek, Kincardine

Keving Ensing, Saugeen

Jacob Darlington, Saugeen

Coaches:  Mark Dunn & Daryll Striukas, Sacred Heart

On the junior side of the things:

South Team

Mitch Eckert, JP Catelo and Tristen Senra (Sacred Heart); Harry Weichel and Stew Ensing (Saugeen); Jesse Jacobs and Josh Hopkin (John Diefenbaker); Rob Colquhoun and Logan Shewfelt (Kincardine); Will Finlayson (Walkerton).

Coaches:  Dan Gray & Scott Mahood (Kincardine)

North Team

Matt Wardop, Jeremy Waterton and Braden Boley (OSCVI); Zach Crockford and Ryan Campbell (Grey Highlands); Jared Perry and Kahler Thacker (Georgian Bay); Lucas Rintoul (St. Mary's); Geordan Stephens (West Hill); Jack Nadjiwon (Peninsula Shores).

Coach:  Jason Playter (OSCVI)

D8: League Releases All-Star Information (Junior and Senior); Eagles Sweep MVP Awards

As an FYI to those who might be wondering after reading this press release, Mike Pereira and John Moi of Resurrection (two players that surely would have been on the D8 all-star team) were not eligible for the squad as they are no longer enrolled at RCSS.

------------

WATERLOO REGION (March 20, 2012) – Adam Voll of St. Mary’s High School was named most valuable player as the District 8 Athletic Association announced its senior and junior boys basketball all-star team on Tuesday.

Voll had an outstanding season scoring a game-high 19 points in the District 8 championship as the Eagles capped a perfect season claiming their second league title since 1990. He also picked up a second team all-star mention at the prestigious Heinbuch Classic back in November and helped the Eagles to their first OFSAA win in school history (60-59 over Hamilton Westmount) earlier in March.

Rounding out the first team all-star selections were Issac Lance (St. Mary’s HS), Tyler Schneider (Resurrection CSS), Cory Kenning (Resurrection CSS), Santo Dak (St. Benedict CSS) and Kueth Geng (St. Benedict CSS). Last year’s most valuable player Alex Thompson (St. Mary’s CSS) earned a second team selection

The District 8 All-Stars will clash with the District 10 (Guelph) All-Stars on Friday, March 23rd at the University of Guelph. Both the junior and senior teams will take part with the junior’s kicking off the event at 6:00pm followed by the senior game at 8:00pm. District 10 will host the event with tickets priced at $6.00 for adults and $4.00 for a student.

NOTES: Voll’s selection as team MVP sees St. Mary’s sweep both ends of the senior basketball awards; Eagles’ Kaitlyn Schenck captured MVP honours in senior girls’ basketball in November... St. Mary’s Mike Blumel was named the top junior boy’s player.

SENIOR BOYS

Most Valuable Player

Adam Voll (St. Mary’s HS)

First Team All-Stars

Santo Dak (St. Benedict CSS)

Kueth Geng (St. Benedict CSS)

Cory Kenning (Resurrection CSS) 

Isaac Lance (St. Mary’s HS)

Tyler Schneider (Resurrection CSS) 

Adam Voll (St. Mary’s HS)

Second Team All-Stars

Henry Bankazo (St. Mary’s HS)

Josh Edwards (St. Benedict CSS)

Cam Gibbs (Resurrection CSS) 

Uzair Khan (Monsignor Doyle CSS)

Alex Thompson (St. Mary’s HS)

Steven Veltri (Rockway MC) 

Jake Winter (St. David’s CSS)

JUNIOR BOYS

Most Valuable Player

Mike Blumel (St. Mary’s HS)

All-Stars

Mike Blumel (St. Mary’s HS) 

Michael Born (Rockway MC) 

Bronson Bothelo (St. Mary’s HS) 

Omar Camanto (St. Benedict CSS) 

George Dumitru (St. David CSS) 

Sebastian Grasso (Monsignor Doyle CSS) 

Dashaun Lalor (St. David CSS) 

Jermaine Lyle (St. Mary’s HS) 

James McBride (St. David CSS) 

Nathan Riley (St. Mary’s HS) 

Mac Smith (Resurrection CSS) 

Nathan Timmerman (Woodland Christian HS) 

Mark Wylie (Resurrection CSS) 

Aaron Zammit (St. Benedict CSS)

D8 vs. D10 All-Star Games This Friday in Guelph

The annual "D8 vs. D10" junior and senior all-star games will be taking place this Friday at the University of Guelph.  

Tip-times are 6pm (junior) and 8pm (senior).  Expect a nominal admission fee in the $5 range.

We'll have further information, including the all-stars, later on!

Julie Devenny Passes Away

Some sad news to pass along from local basketball circles as former WCI and University of Waterloo star Julie Devenny passed away after a long and hard-fought battle with cancer last night.  

She was 30 years old.

Devenny, WCI's graduating athlete of the year in 2001, would go on to a stellar career in Waterloo; in fact, she was named as the CIS Rookie of the Year in the 2001-02 season.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Devenny family.

Alumni: Lane, Mountaineers Capture CCAA Championship

Hamilton's Mohawk College took home the CCAA (Canadian Colleges Athletic Assocation) National Championship this past weekend in Nova Scotia, defeating Mount Royal (Alberta) 88-73 in the championship final.

Former CWOSSA star Tanner Lane (Bishop Mac '09) contributed 12 points for the Mountaineers in the championship final, all being accounted for from beyond the three-point arc (4 three-pointers).

The win ended a fabulous --- and perhaps surprsing --- playoff run for Mohawk.  The Mountaineers were 13-5 during the OCAA regular season and had to win a qualifying game just to make it to the Ontario playoffs (they also won the OCAA title, the school's first in 40 years).

They advanced to the nationals as the #4 seed before continuing their great late season play out east.

CWOSSA Alumni: Patriot League Teams Come Up Just Short in Respective Tournaments

There was certainly some CWOSSA flavour in NCAA arenas on Sunday as both Bryson Johnson (Bucknell - NIT) and Stefan Cvrkalj (Lehigh - NCAA) were in action.

Johnson's Bison were first up with a 3:00pm second-round NIT game against the University of Nevada.  Though Nevada held a double-digit lead (as many as 12) in the second half, Bucknell battled back to get things within 3 points (70-67) and :44 remaining in the game.  Unfortunately, they would not score again and the 'Pack hit five free-throws down the stretch for the final margin.

Johnson played 31 minutes, scoring 6 points (1-8 FG, 1-7 3PT, 3-4 FT), and adding 3 rebounds, 2 assists and one steal.

Meanwhile, later in the evening, Stefan Cvrkalj (Lehigh) became the first CWOSSA player -- to my knowledge -- to participate in the NCAA's second round since Cameron Heights grad Dave Kipfer was a key member of Providence's Final Four team back in 1987 as a senior (11.3 PPG).

Cvrkalj saw action late in Lehigh's game against Xavier as part of Coach Brett Reed's "offensive substitution" package.  Cvrkalj went 0-1 from the floor and grabbed an offensive rebound during his on-court appearance.

As most of you know, Lehigh dropped the game 70-58, though it was tied at 52-52 before Xavier closed on an 18-6 run.

Despite the losses, both teams obviously did their respective schools proud by pulling a couple of upsets --- Lehigh's 75-70 win over Duke obviously being the more impressive of the two.  That fact wasn't lost on LU students, who lined up to welcome the team back to campus early this morning at 2:45am (!).  Here's the video, courtesy of LehighValleyLive.com:

We can look forward to another year of great opportunities for both of these players; Johnson, a junior, will have one more year of eligibility at Bucknell while Cvrkalj still has another three years to play at Lehigh.

NCAA: Johnson's Three Ball Helps Seal Bucknell's NIT Upset of Arizona

Bucknell's Bryson Johnson (St. David '09) hit a clutch three-pointer with just under 1:00 to play in regulation as the Bucknell Bison travelled to Arizona and pulled off a 65-54 upset over the Arizona Wildcats, the top-ranked team in that quadrant of the bracket.

Johnson's three came with the game very much in doubt, and the Bison leading 58-54.  His shot gave Bucknell a 7-point lead and they would add four free-throws (Johnson hitting 2 of them) for the final 11-point margin.

Johnson logged 30 minutes of action, finishing with 14 points (4-8 FG, 4-7 3PT, 2-2 FT) and added 1 rebound and 2 assists.

"It felt better when it went in," Johnson said with a smile about his clutch shot. "All we worried about was getting stops and moving on to the next play so I knew it wasn't over, but I definitely felt better when it went in."

Bucknell will travel to the University of Nevada to play the Wolfpack in their next NIT game, scheduled for this Sunday at 3:00pm Eastern.

Cvrkalj, Lehigh Get To Face Duke in NCAA Tournament "Second Round"

Playing Duke in the NCAA Tournament is becoming a regular occurrence for former CWOSSA players.

For the third time in 5 years, a CWOSSA alum will suit up on the opposite side of the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Stefan Cvrkalj and Lehigh were awarded the #15 seed, and will face #2 Duke in South Region action on Friday in Greensboro, NC.  This comes three years after Jaan Montgomery and his Binghamton Bearcats dropped an 86-62 decision in similar circumstances; the Bearcats were also a #15 seed and the game was played at Greensboro Coliseum.

Of course, it's also the 4-year anniversary (has it been that long?) of Jon House and the Belmont Bruins (a #15 seed in 2008) nearly pulling a stunning upset of Duke --- it took a Gerald Henderson coast-to-coast drive to allow Duke to pull out the 71-70 victory (House is #13 on Belmont):

Here are the stat lines for the former CWOSSA players in tournament games against Duke:

Montgomery (SR in 09) - 5 Min, 0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.

House (FR in 08) - 12 Min, 1-2 FG, 2-2 FT, 3 Reb, 1 Ast - 4 Pts.

WCSSAA: Junior All-Stars Announced; HM Senior All-Stars As Well

League officials at WCSSAA have announced a "junior all-star" listing that comprises 7 names (2 co-MVPs and 5 all-star selections), as voted on by league coaches.

To nobody's surprise, the Grand River Renegades lead the way with the "co-MVPs" --- grade 9 sensation Jamal Murray and grade 10 point guard Murtada Khamis.

The all-stars are Sasha Simic (CHCI), Stefan Simic (KCI), Nick Johnny (WCI), Ousmane Kromah (ECI) and TJ Lall (Galt).

Meanwhile, details about the WCSSAA all-star game and teams have now been finalized.  The game will go Wednesday, March 28th, at 7:00pm.  

To recap, the first team all-stars are Javon Masters (FHCI), Juwan Miller (FHCI), Jacob Ranton (WCI), Ben Reyhani (SJAM) and Jason Quiring (JHSS).

Second-team selections are Nathaniel Ellis (SJAM), Filip Cvrkalj (GRCI), Vedran Dmitrovic (CHCI), Dani Elgadi (WCI) and Jack Simmons (GCI).

Being named as "honourable mention" all-stars and participating in the all-star game as well will be Dylan George (FHCI), Owais Khairi (GCI), Erist Wame (GPSS), Sean Samuel (HHHS), Alex Galea (KCI), Zach Sauer (SSS), Jesse Dodgson (WODSS), Theshawn Barry (SJAM), Nem Simic (CHCI), Sean Holmes and Wes Meertens (PHS), Perrin Smith (BCI), Patric Pintea (ECI) and Walker Stuart (EDSS).

The "home team" will feature the players from FHCI, Galt, Glenview Park, Grand River, Huron Heights, Jacob Hespeler, KCI, Southwood and Waterloo-Oxford.

The "visiting team" will have all three Waterloo schools (SJAM, Bluevale, WCI) as well as Cameron Heights, Eastwood, Preston and Elmira.

CWOSSA Teams: OFSAA Summary

A (16 teams) - Walkerton (16 seed)

Opening Round:  L 50-38 to #6 London Christian

Round of 16:  L 56-31 to #1 ES Algonquin

Cons. QF:  W 54-24 vs. #14 STA (Kenora)

Cons. SF:  L 46-33 to #11 Runnymede

AA (18 teams) - Lourdes (15 seed)

Opening Round:  W 54-45 vs. #4 ACMT

Round of 16:  W 66-60 (OT) vs. #13 St. Mike's (STR)

Quarterfinal:  L 72-56 to #5 Vaughan Road

AAA (16 teams) - Jacob Hespeler (13 seed)

Opening Round:  L 69-49 to #7 Sherwood

Round of 16:  L 68-55 to #4 Windsor Herman

AAAA (18 teams) - St. Mary's (10 seed)

Opening Round:  W 60-59 vs. #9 Westmount

Round of 16:  L 69-58 to #8 St. Patrick's

AAAA (18 teams) - JF Ross (13 seed)

Opening Round:  L 56-45 to #7 HB Beal

Round of 16:  L 52-40 to #4 Pine Ridge

The Elite 8: Top CWOSSA 4th & 5th Year Recruits

With the season winding down, it unfortunately means that the careers of some top-flight CWOSSA players have also come to a close.

With that in mind, I'm going to take a look at my "elite 8" CWOSSA recruits --- grade 12 or 5th year players that are currently on the radar of NCAA, CIS, and OCAA programs.  I'll also throw in a few more names for good measure.

Keep in mind that this is just my opinion, and I'm not looking at "who the best player is right now" --- there's an element of how they will project at "the next level" involved, as well.

I've also included their "tentative" plans for next year.

1.  Adam Voll, 6'7" PF - St. Mary's (4th Year)

2012-13:  Returning to SMHS for 5th Year

Voll looks like he's returning to St. Mary's for a 5th year, but his life is going to get crazy in the meantime with numerous NCAA programs having started to show interest.  His length, athleticism, and range out to the three-point line are already drawing the attention of NCAA coaches.

Teams already confirmed with having interest in Voll include South Dakota and Oakland University from the Summit League; Bucknell, Lehigh and Lafayette from the Patriot League, as well as Davidson and James Madison, among others.

2.  Javon Masters, 6'0" G - Forest Heights (4th Year)

2012-13:  Returning to FHCI for 5th Year

The fourth-year guard, a first-team WCSSAA all-star and thus a finalist for the Mike Moser (WCSSAA MVP) award, had a tremendous season with the Trojans.  He's got nice shooting ability, is solid on the defensive side of the floor, and can finish at the rim ---- as evidenced by the clip below.

Masters' recruiting interest is sure to rise this coming club season, but current NCAA schools with interest include Cornell, Bucknell, Lehigh and Lafayette.  Of course, many CIS schools are eager and hoping that they can lure him into staying on this side of the border as well.

3.  Shamlo Saeed, 5'10" PG, JF Ross (5th Year)

2012-13:  Committed to McMaster University (CIS)

Word is out that this quick-as-lightning PG has committed to the OUA's McMaster University, which would be another huge CWOSSA pick-up for the Marauders (in addition to 6'6" JHSS forward Jason Quiring, who committed prior to Christmas).

Saeed is an absolute gym-rat --- and I can confirm this based upon my brief coaching experience a few years' ago at Ross with their junior girls program.  He would always be looking to get some extra shots up after school.  That practice has paid off, as he's made tremendous strides from beyond the three-point arc (about 43% in the CWOSSA tournament).  By the way, he's also one of the quickest players in CWOSSA and can get into the lane and do some damage there, either finishing with contact or dropping dimes to his teammates.

Saeed finished with a near triple-double in the CWOSSA final below, going for 30 points while adding 8 rebounds and 9 assists!

4.  Alex Thompson, 6'1" G, St. Mary's (5th Year)

2012-13:  Uncommitted

Thompson is probably the top CWOSSA unsigned talent that is graduating this year.  The 5th year guard isn't

afraid of the spotlight, as evidenced by his game-winning shot at OFSAA against Hamilton Westmount.

With one of the best first-steps in the region, and the unique ability to create space to get his shot off, he's drawn the attention of all kinds of coaches (one recruiting website had him listed as a top-35 Canadian talent in this year's class). 

It appears that Thompson will take his game south of the border next year, either via the Prep route or at one of his potential suitors.  The most recent school to express interest in Thompson was Hartford University, out of the America East conference.

He's featured above in the CWOSSA finals video, but here's a look at the damage he did last year (2010-11 season) at the Hoopdome tournament:

5.  Jacob Ranton, 6'7" SF - Waterloo CI (4th Year)

2012-13:  Returning to WCI for 5th Year

A 6'7" guy that can shoot the three, isn't afraid to work on the inside and has great length --- not to mention a solid fundamental base.  What's not to like?  

Despite his squad coming up short, Ranton did everything he could in the WCSSAA semifinals against SJAM, pouring in 21 points (7-14 from the floor; 2-2 from three) and adding in 12 rebounds in the 41-40 contest.

With another year to go at WCI, he could be downright scary next season.  In the meantime, he's on the radar of virtually every CIS school (Windsor, Laurier, Guelph, York, Queen's, Western, etc.) and has attracted interest south of the border (James Madison) as well. 

6.  Dani Elgadi, 6'6" SF-PF, Waterloo CI (4th Year)

2012-13:  Returning to WCI for 5th Year

Nobody --- and I mean nobody --- has shot up the CWOSSA recruiting list faster than Dani Elgadi. 

He's only been playing organized basketball for a few years now, and has gone from a 7th man on WCI's junior team to a WCSSAA all-star in the matter of 2 years.  Oh yeah, he poured in 33 points in a game against CWOSSA champion St. Mary's earlier this season, too.

Sure, Elgadi is still working on some consistent habits that will make him very successful at the next level, but it goes without saying that the sky is the limit for this kid.  He's got a nice mid-range game, and his length causes havoc on defense --- I've seen him block many three point attempts when opponents think that they're "open" (he closes quickly + tremendous wingspan).

Western, York, Queen's (CIS) and James Madison (NCAA) are among the schools that have expressed legitimate interest in Elgadi at this point.

7.  Jason Quiring, 6'6" PF, Jacob Hespeler (4th Year)

2012-13:  Committed to McMaster University

Returning to Jacob Hespeler after a stint at REDA, Quiring was instrumental in leading the Hawks to their first-ever OFSAA berth.

He can do things inside and out, as evidenced by a great stretch during JHSS' second OFSAA game against Windsor Herman (three-pointer, defensive rebound, offensive rebound and put-back in the matter of about :30 of game clock).  

With good strength inside, he's a regular double-double threat (24 and 11 in the WCSSAA semis against Forest Heights), and his ability to his the three is big as a CIS-level forward.  Sure, I would have loved to see him on the CWOSSA courts next season, but I look forward to continuing to see good things in the future from this (now) Marauder!

8.  Mike Friesen, 6'3" SG, JF Ross (4th Year)

2012-13:  TBD

At this point, despite a flurry of interest from CIS coaches, it looks as though Friesen will be returning to JF Ross for a 5th season.

A tremendous shooter, Friesen isn't afraid to get dirty either (great post-up skills for a guard) and already has a "next level body" with great strength and springs --- this is further evidenced by the fact that Ross enjoyed running a set play for him (alley-oop from Saeed to Friesen) several times during this past season.  He nearly cocked one down one-handed against St. Mary's, which surely would have brought the house down!

After a great performance at the CWOSSA championships, look for the interest in Friesen to continue to grow!

Other CWOSSA Prospects

Here's a brief look at some other 4th and 5th year CWOSSA prospects that are drawing attention from coaches in the CIS, OCAA and even NCAA.  A "*" means that the individual is in 5th year, all other players are in 4th year and are eligible to return next season. 

Filip Cvrkalj, Grand River - 6'4" G/F with the type of game that CIS schools covet.  Only in grade 12, he was drawing significant CIS interest last season.

Vedran Dmitrovic, Cameron Heights - 6'0" G who is slightly undersized but makes up for it with a tremendous work ethic --- and is arguably one of the smartest players on the court in CWOSSA!

Jack Simmons, Galt - 6'7" F with strong CIS interest from Western and Laurier, but may return for a 5th year at GCI.

*Mike Pereira, Rez - 6'4/6'5" F with tremendous length and ability to finish at the rim.  Memorial University (NF) was involved early, while other CIS programs quickly followed suit. 

Cory Kenning, Rez - 6'7" F that will be returning for a 5th year of high school.  Hard not to like his size; good mid-range game as well.

Malcolm Piazza, Waterloo CI - 6'6" F, and as we all know, you can't teach size.  He's a very good passer for a big man, and WCI wasn't shy to put him out on the perimeter on offense either.  Already with CIS interest from U of T and York and has a few OCAA schools in the mix as well (Lambton College).

*Mike Finoro, Lourdes - 6'0" sharpshooting guard that can go off ---- just ask Stratford St. Mike's after he hit double-digit points in the last 4:00 of the game to help force overtime.

*Evan Karl, JF Ross - 6'4" forward that has tremendous fundamentals, as well as the ability to step out and hit from three.  Underrated but certainly would make for a good CIS pick-up.

Marco & Carlo Zanette, Centre Dufferin - 6'3"/6'4" forwards that will be returning for a 5th year at CDDHS.  Keep an eye on these guys next year; they have a tremendous understanding of the game and use their bodies well inside.  Underrated abilities to hit shots out to the three-point line.  Some coaches will have to put "Shelburne" in their GPS next season, for sure.

Josh Johnson, Holy Trinity - Speaking of players from the "exterior" regions of CWOSSA, Johnson is a Waterloo Wildhawk player that has some CIS interest, as well as interest from at least one school south of the border at this time.  He's back for a 5th year next season.

*Reid Goindi, Centre Wellington - Heady player, great passer, great shooter.  CIS potential, certainly, for this 6'0" guard.

*Ben Reyhani, SJAM - 6'0" guard who has had injury issues, but you have to admire his determination to move forward while basically playing on "one good leg" the latter part of the season.  "In the gym range"; deferred his admission to UW for one year to return to SJAM, so that's likely where he'll end up.

*John Moi, Rez  - 5'9" guard, so undersized, but I can see him making serious contributions on an OCAA squad.  Vastly improved three-point shooter and has a motor that just doesn't stop.  I'd be surprised if he's not named as a D8 first-team all-star, based upon what he did for Rez this year.

*Serge Khayipangi, Centennial - This athletic combo guard suffered an early-season knee injury which put a wrinkle in his season this year.  Still a tremendous talent and can score in a variety of ways.

Sean Samuel, Huron Heights - You can't stop him, you can just slow him down.  Since his days at junior, he's always been a threat to put up 30, even 40 points any time he steps on the court.

Nathaniel Ellis, SJAM - Tillsonburg transfer burst onto the scene especially late in the year; arguably one of the better defenders in the league and on the offensive end he can step out and hit the three.  Also threw down a nice dunk in transition at CWOSSA that showed that the 6'2" G/F has also got some "hops".  4th year player is eligible to return next season, too.


Marcus Hamilton, North Park - This fifth year guard had an unbelievable run in BCSSAA play, going undefeated and winning three consecutive championships as a senior.  Talented on both ends of the floor, he's signed with Lambton College (OCAA). 

Perrin Smith, Bluevale - The 6'6" forward can play inside and out and is generally considered one of the top perimeter big-men in the region.  He recently committed to the University of Guelph. 

Stay tuned as we're going to do up a girls' post at sometime in the next few days, too!