Former NPC Star Jones Accepts NCAA D2 Scholarship

Brantford Expositor Photo

Former North Park Trojan Marcus Jones (6'0" PG), who spent his 5th year of high school eligibility playing for the Athlete Institute Academy (Orangeville, ON), has accepted a full scholarship to NCAA Division 2 school Gannon University in Erie, PA.

The Knights have a history of recruiting Canadians and have one other Canadian (senior to be 6'2" G Jabs Newby from Toronto) on their roster.

Gannon went 22-7 this past season, including a 16-6 conference mark before being upset in their conference quarterfinals by Slippery Rock University 62-58 in overtime.

Congratulations, Marcus!

GoBadgers.ca: Brock Men's Basketball Adds Johnson for 2013-14 Season

Photo From GoBadgers.ca

(Text and photo from GoBadgers.ca)

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - Brock University men's basketball head coach Brad Rootes is pleased to announce the addition of 6-foot-1 guard Josh Johnson (Simcoe, Ont.).

"We are very excited to have Josh become part of the Men's Basketball program at Brock," said head coach Brad Rootes. "He is an all around talented basketball player, a dedicated student, and has a solid character. We look forward to him contributing positively to our teams success on the court, in the classroom and in the community."

"Josh is a pass first point guard that has a good handle and great court vision. He can score well from the perimeter, but his best quality is getting into the key to make plays. Josh fits the type of teammate, student and all around person we were trying to recruit. He is going to have a very good career at Brock."

Johnson played five seasons at Holy Trinity Catholic in Simcoe and played club for the Waterloo Wildhawks U19 the past two years. He also played club with the Norfolk Nets leading them to two OBA Silver Medals.

At Holy Trinity, Johnson was a standout four-sport athlete competing in basketball, volleyball, tennis and badminton. In 2011-12 he was named Senior Boy's Male Athlete of the Year and in 2009-10 he was the Titans Junior Male Athlete of the Year.

In basketball, Johnson was named Holy Trinity's Most Valuable Player four consecutive seasons (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) and was team captain his final three years. In his final season with the Titans, Johnson averaged 17.9 points, 4.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game.

In 2013, he was selected to the Brant/Norfolk All Star team and played in the Hamilton Spectator All Star Classic. Johnson was also a four-time NSSAA Simcoe Reformer All-Star. In 2011, he was a 2nd Team CWOSSA All-Rookie selection and was a Tournament All Star at the 2011 Simcoe Composite School Shootout.

In 2011 and 2012 he led Holy Trinity senior boy's volleyball team to back-to-back CWOSSA title. In 2013 he was crowned NSSAA Boy's Badminton Singles Champion and in 2011 was the NSSAA Senior Boy's Doubles Badminton Champions. He was also crowned NSSAA Boy's Doubles Tennis Champion in 2012.

The fifth sport Johnson excelled at was baseball as a member of the Port Dover Sailors. With the Sailors, he earned MVP honours three straight seasons. In 2010 he received the Fred Bridgewater Award (MVP) for the best all round player in the association. He led Port Dover to back-to-back provincial silver medals in 2011 and 2012.

"I chose Brock because I've heard nothing but good things from students that are currently there, also when I visited I felt at home and from there I knew it was the perfect place for me to continue my education and basketball career," said Johnson.

"I love the fact that it is a young coaching staff that is ready to do what it takes to take our team to the next level and bring great success now and for years to come. Also with a lot of players moving on, it gives us a special opportunity to grow as a young team and become very close with one another building a competitive program that will competing for years to come."

"I am looking forward to this opportunity of playing for Brad Rootes and the Brock basketball program. I will contribute to there success by working hard and doing whatever it takes to help reach our goals. I would like to thank all my former coach's and mentors for helping me reach my goal of playing CIS basketball."

For the upcoming season the Badgers have now added Johnson and 6-foot-7 forward Rashad Morley (Nassau, Bahamas). In 2011-2012 with Niagara College, Morley averaged 10.1 ppg and 11.6 rpg, leading the OCAA in total rebounds. He was also the OCAA West Defensive Player of the Year.

Grand River's Murray Scores Game High 24; Takes Home JBC MVP

Another solid international performance by Grade 10 Grand River CI student Jamal Murray over the weekend, as the 6'4" guard pumped home a game-high 24 points in the Jordan Brand Classic International Game, earning his team's MVP honours.

Murray's White Team fell in a tight 76-72 final, but he certainly impressed, particularly in the second half where he netted 16 of his 24 points.

Here's a look at NorthPoleHoops.com's interview with Murray down in NYC:



Congratulations, Jamal, on a tremendous accomplishment!

CWOSSA News and Notes

A couple of things to bring to your attention over the past week or so....

Murray Earns JBC Invite
Firstly, congrats to Grand River's Jamal Murray, who was selected to participate in the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic International Game to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, next week.  Certainly an impressive add to his already heavy resumé!

Achonwa, Irish, Fall in National Semifinal
Junior forward Natalie Achonwa and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish saw their 30-game win streak come to an end on Sunday evening against a fellow #1 seed, the UConn Huskies (83-65), in one of the two "Final Four" semifinals that were played in New Orleans.

Achonwa contributed 10 points and 6 rebounds in the loss; for the season she nearly averaged a double-double (13.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG), along with 2.3 APG and 1.1 SPG.  She started all 37 of Notre Dame's games, playing an average of 27.1 minutes per contest.

CWOSSA Commitment List: Class of 2013

Any additions, corrections, etc., can be e-mailed to mark @ cwossabasketball.com. 

Updated May 1st, 2013

Women

NCAA D1
Alex Klein, 6'2" F / Waterloo CI (Bryant University)

CIS
Lindsay Taylor, 5'6" G / Waterloo CI (Memorial U)
Brooklyn Wright, 6'2" F / Jacob Hespeler (Memorial U)
Blair McNaughton, F / Forest Heights (Lakehead U)
Liz McLellan, 6'0" F / Cameron Heights (McGill U)

OCAA


Men

CIS
Mike Friesen, 6'4" G / John F. Ross (McGill U)
Adam Voll, 6'7" F / SJK via St. Mary's (Ryerson U)
Jacob Ranton, 6'7" F / Waterloo CI (Memorial U)
Vlad Matovic, 6'6" F / Cameron Hts. (Wilfrid Laurier)
Josh Johnson, 6'1" G / Simcoe HT (Brock University)

OCAA