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