The annual Court Heinbuch Tournament tips off today at St. Mary's High School in Kitchener.
Today's games feature half the draw, including:
3pm - Guelph Centennial vs. Toronto Oakwood
4:30pm - Toronto Emery vs. Waterloo St. David
6:15pm - Waterloo SJAM vs. London Westminster
7:45pm - London HB Beal vs. Waterloo Bluevale
The other CWOSSA participant, KCI, plays tomorrow at noon against Scarborough Mother Teresa. Given the OFSAA schedule in London, I would think that KCI will be without head coach Nick White, who is down there with the KCI Senior Girls.
At any rate, over on the right side of the blog, there is a poll (still open for voting) on who you think will have the best performance of the local (CWOSSA) teams.
Thus far, 32 votes have been cast. Results to date:
Centennial - 11 (34%)
SJAM - 10 (31%)
Bluevale - 7 (22%)
KCI - 4 (13%)
St. David - 1 (3%)
Can't say I disagree with our readers, who have picked the veteran Centennial Spartans to this point. I'm a little surprised with SJAM coming in second, however, given the fact that a couple key players (i.e. Jake Robinet) will be away at OFSAA volleyball.
As per the hooptowngta.com website's "Super 16" ranking of GTA teams, they have Oakwood at #3 and Mother Teresa at #5. Toronto Emery is not in the top 16, but is an honourable mention.
Needless to say, looks like a tough opening round for our local teams, but the funny thing with the Heinbuch is that it seems to bring out the best in our CWOSSA guys. Who can forget a couple of years back when Mary's lost a close game to Carr (I believe) by 2 on their home court? Last year saw a bunch of tight games as well......perhaps the trend will continue.
Another trend that will continue, in my opinion, will be the WCSSAA/D8 championship drought, as it doesn't look like this will be the year for any of our locals to pull out the victory.
Showing posts with label St. David. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. David. Show all posts
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
D8 Senior Basketball Preview - 2009/10
Labels:
Monsignor Doyle,
Resurrection,
Rockway,
St. Benedict,
St. David,
St. Mary's
The District 8 basketball season kicks off on Wednesday, with a couple of games --- including a very interesting matchup right off the bat in St. Mary's visiting St. David (3:30pm start). Monsignor Doyle and St. Benedict will meet in a Cambridge clash, while Rockway and Resurrection's Wednesday tilt has been postponed due to the Flames participation in "A" Volleyball.
Here's a quick run-down of the teams, in my predicted order of finish.
St. David Celtics
Last Year: D8 & CWOSSA "AAA" Champions
No Bryson? No problem. The Celtics, coached by Dave MacNeil, return a bunch of guys from last year's CWOSSA "AAA" Championship team, and they are expected to contend for the D8 title as well as the CWOSSA Crown.
Tyson Lavigne & (hopefully a healthy) Dan Hummel will lead the charge for the Celts --- keep in mind this team will be mostly comprised of guys that went undefeated in junior a couple years back.
St. David doesn't get much help from a third place junior squad, but rookie Nick Batten adds some size in the frontcourt.
St. Mary's Eagles
Last Year: D8 Finalists & CWOSSA "AAAA" Semifinalists
St. Mary's surprised a bunch of people, myself included, by managing not only to secure D8's "AAAA" CWOSSA berth, but by advancing to within one game of the OFSAA championships.
This year's squad returns some nice size in the frontcourt for coach Jason Hergott, including veteran Mike Kasunic.
The Eagles, who had arguably the second-best junior team in the region after Resurrection, will add a few solid rookies to the senior squad, incluing guard Alex Thompson, guard Isaac Lance, forward Daniel Harun and guard/forward Zak Hannah.
Resurrection Phoenix
Last Year: 3rd Place D8
Matt Kras' Phoenix get an influx of talent from their 48-2 junior "AAAA" CWOSSA championship team, but I still think they might be a year away from serious senior-level success.
Hoping to make that prediction wrong will be rookies Tyler Schneider, Andrew Mwangi, Cam Gibbs, John Moi, and Jamie Keil, to name a few. Brandon Lee will be called upon for leadership in the backcourt, while fellow fifth year veterans Mike Tyler and Matt Stocco will combine with Ryan Herron to provide some solid size in the frontcourt. It might be tough for some teams to handle, but will it be enough to get a CWOSSA berth? Time will tell.
St. Bendict Saints
Last Year: Did Not Make Playoffs
An interesting trivia question - what is the only D8 team to ever qualify for AAAA OFSAA? No, not St. Mary's or Resurrection ---- it's the St. Benedict Saints (2003).
The Saints are nowhere near OFSAA calibre this year, but they should be able to claim the 4th playoff spot in a deep D8 league.
Derrick Strickland, Tyrone Tyndale and Dane Osborne are key returnees for the Saints.
Rockway Flames
Last Year: 4th Place D8
The Flames lose Tim Minkarious, and, likely a spot in this year's D8 playoffs after a solid run over the last few years.
Veteran Zach Steckley will lead the charge for Rockway, who also add a prolific scorer from the junior ranks in Josh Klassen.
Monsignor Doyle Mustangs
Last Year: Did Not Make Playoffs
It is expected to be another long year for the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs --- but I will say that they are starting to build a program. Their junior team almost made the playoffs last year, while having a midget team as well over the last few years has further increased the number of kids playing basketball at the school. Hopefully they'll begin to see some dividends over the next couple of years.
As for their 09-10 squad, look for veterans Shane Teet, Brody Van Gestel and Corin Langille to lead the way offensively. Grade 11 rookie Tyler Declan will add some muscle up front for the 'Stangs.
Here's a quick run-down of the teams, in my predicted order of finish.
St. David Celtics
Last Year: D8 & CWOSSA "AAA" Champions
No Bryson? No problem. The Celtics, coached by Dave MacNeil, return a bunch of guys from last year's CWOSSA "AAA" Championship team, and they are expected to contend for the D8 title as well as the CWOSSA Crown.
Tyson Lavigne & (hopefully a healthy) Dan Hummel will lead the charge for the Celts --- keep in mind this team will be mostly comprised of guys that went undefeated in junior a couple years back.
St. David doesn't get much help from a third place junior squad, but rookie Nick Batten adds some size in the frontcourt.
St. Mary's Eagles
Last Year: D8 Finalists & CWOSSA "AAAA" Semifinalists
St. Mary's surprised a bunch of people, myself included, by managing not only to secure D8's "AAAA" CWOSSA berth, but by advancing to within one game of the OFSAA championships.
This year's squad returns some nice size in the frontcourt for coach Jason Hergott, including veteran Mike Kasunic.
The Eagles, who had arguably the second-best junior team in the region after Resurrection, will add a few solid rookies to the senior squad, incluing guard Alex Thompson, guard Isaac Lance, forward Daniel Harun and guard/forward Zak Hannah.
Resurrection Phoenix
Last Year: 3rd Place D8
Matt Kras' Phoenix get an influx of talent from their 48-2 junior "AAAA" CWOSSA championship team, but I still think they might be a year away from serious senior-level success.
Hoping to make that prediction wrong will be rookies Tyler Schneider, Andrew Mwangi, Cam Gibbs, John Moi, and Jamie Keil, to name a few. Brandon Lee will be called upon for leadership in the backcourt, while fellow fifth year veterans Mike Tyler and Matt Stocco will combine with Ryan Herron to provide some solid size in the frontcourt. It might be tough for some teams to handle, but will it be enough to get a CWOSSA berth? Time will tell.
St. Bendict Saints
Last Year: Did Not Make Playoffs
An interesting trivia question - what is the only D8 team to ever qualify for AAAA OFSAA? No, not St. Mary's or Resurrection ---- it's the St. Benedict Saints (2003).
The Saints are nowhere near OFSAA calibre this year, but they should be able to claim the 4th playoff spot in a deep D8 league.
Derrick Strickland, Tyrone Tyndale and Dane Osborne are key returnees for the Saints.
Rockway Flames
Last Year: 4th Place D8
The Flames lose Tim Minkarious, and, likely a spot in this year's D8 playoffs after a solid run over the last few years.
Veteran Zach Steckley will lead the charge for Rockway, who also add a prolific scorer from the junior ranks in Josh Klassen.
Monsignor Doyle Mustangs
Last Year: Did Not Make Playoffs
It is expected to be another long year for the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs --- but I will say that they are starting to build a program. Their junior team almost made the playoffs last year, while having a midget team as well over the last few years has further increased the number of kids playing basketball at the school. Hopefully they'll begin to see some dividends over the next couple of years.
As for their 09-10 squad, look for veterans Shane Teet, Brody Van Gestel and Corin Langille to lead the way offensively. Grade 11 rookie Tyler Declan will add some muscle up front for the 'Stangs.
Friday, November 20, 2009
AAA CWOSSA Rankings & Picks
Labels:
Brantford CI,
Centre Dufferin,
Elmira,
Galt,
Grey Highlands,
Jacob Hespeler,
KCI,
Monsignor Doyle,
North Park,
Pauline Johnson,
Southwood,
St. David,
St. James,
West Hill
Rankings are as follows:
JUNIOR
1. North Park (Brantford - D5 Champions)
2. Southwood (WCSSAA Finalist)
3. St. James (D10 Champions)
4. Jacob Hespeler (WCSSAA Semifinalist)
5. KCI
6. Monsignor Doyle
7. Pauline Johnson
8. Grey Highlands
Thoughts: It gets pretty weak after the top 5. Monsignor Doyle didn't even make the D8 playoffs this year, so I think we'll see some first round blowouts. JHSS should handle KCI with ease as well in the 4/5 game.
St. James is a team to watch. They've beaten Bishop Mac in the playoffs (perhaps one of the top 2 junior teams in CWOSSA), and won the final over JF Ross. They're peaking at the right time, and have hit 16 threes in their last 2 games. Impressive stuff at the junior level.
My picks:
(1) North Park over (8) Grey Highlands
(2) SSS over (7) PJ
(3) St. James over (6) MDCSS
(4) JHSS over (5) KCI
Semifinals:
(3) St. James over (2) SSS
(1) North Park over (4) JHSS
Final:
(1) North Park over (3) St. James
SENIOR
1. North Park (D5 Finalist)
2. KCI (WCSSAA Champions)
3. Brantford CI
4. St. David (D8 Champions)
5. Galt
6. Elmira
7. West Hill
8. Centre Dufferin
Thoughts: Surprised that North Park takes the #1 spot over KCI, but both teams should likely make the final.
My picks:
(1) NP over (8) CDDHS
(2) KCI over (7) West Hill
(3) Brantford CI over (6) Elmira
(4) St. David over (5) Galt
Semifinals:
(1) NP over (4) St. David
(2) KCI over (3) Brantford
Final:
(2) KCI over (1) North Park
Typo of the Day
Mark Bryson's K-W Record article on the KCI victory says that KCI will be taking on "Toronto's West Hill Collegiate" in the first round of the CWOSSA championship.
See his article here.
Toronto's West Hill does come up first on a google search, but the team actually participating at CWOSSA will be West Hill Secondary School of Owen Sound. West Hill is the largest school in the Bluewater board, with approximately 1200 students.
JUNIOR
1. North Park (Brantford - D5 Champions)
2. Southwood (WCSSAA Finalist)
3. St. James (D10 Champions)
4. Jacob Hespeler (WCSSAA Semifinalist)
5. KCI
6. Monsignor Doyle
7. Pauline Johnson
8. Grey Highlands
Thoughts: It gets pretty weak after the top 5. Monsignor Doyle didn't even make the D8 playoffs this year, so I think we'll see some first round blowouts. JHSS should handle KCI with ease as well in the 4/5 game.
St. James is a team to watch. They've beaten Bishop Mac in the playoffs (perhaps one of the top 2 junior teams in CWOSSA), and won the final over JF Ross. They're peaking at the right time, and have hit 16 threes in their last 2 games. Impressive stuff at the junior level.
My picks:
(1) North Park over (8) Grey Highlands
(2) SSS over (7) PJ
(3) St. James over (6) MDCSS
(4) JHSS over (5) KCI
Semifinals:
(3) St. James over (2) SSS
(1) North Park over (4) JHSS
Final:
(1) North Park over (3) St. James
SENIOR
1. North Park (D5 Finalist)
2. KCI (WCSSAA Champions)
3. Brantford CI
4. St. David (D8 Champions)
5. Galt
6. Elmira
7. West Hill
8. Centre Dufferin
Thoughts: Surprised that North Park takes the #1 spot over KCI, but both teams should likely make the final.
My picks:
(1) NP over (8) CDDHS
(2) KCI over (7) West Hill
(3) Brantford CI over (6) Elmira
(4) St. David over (5) Galt
Semifinals:
(1) NP over (4) St. David
(2) KCI over (3) Brantford
Final:
(2) KCI over (1) North Park
Typo of the Day
Mark Bryson's K-W Record article on the KCI victory says that KCI will be taking on "Toronto's West Hill Collegiate" in the first round of the CWOSSA championship.
See his article here.
Toronto's West Hill does come up first on a google search, but the team actually participating at CWOSSA will be West Hill Secondary School of Owen Sound. West Hill is the largest school in the Bluewater board, with approximately 1200 students.
Around The Horn - Friday, November 20th
Labels:
Bishop Mac,
Bluevale,
Centennial,
Galt,
Huron Heights,
Monsignor Doyle,
North Park,
PRDG,
Resurrection,
Rockway,
St. David,
St. Mary's
District 8 Sweeps "A" CWOSSA
The D8 league came away with both "A" CWOSSA titles yesterday afternoon.
In the junior league, the PRDG Chevaliers from Cambridge took the crown with a 31-22 victory over Delhi DHS. PRDG earlier defeated Waterford by a 46-41 count in the semifinals.
On the senior girls side, the Rockway Flames won yet another title with relative ease. The Flames doused Delhi 64-26 in their semifinal game, and then took down Walkerton in the final, 46-20.
The Flames now advance to the Senior Girls "A" OFSAA Championships, which take place next week in Cornwall.
St. Mary's Senior Boys Beat Bluevale, Junior Huskies beat Eagles
The St. Mary's Eagles defeated Bluevale CI in an OT thriller yesterday evening. Don't have any more details at this time, but the few exhibition games that have been played between "top tier" teams thus far have all been close. Yes, it's early, and some teams are still missing guys with fall sports going on.....but hoepfully that's a sign of parity and will lead to an exciting race for the CWOSSA crown and the OFSAA berths.
In junior action, Huron Heights dumped St. Mary's --- is this a sign that Huron is up this year or that Mary's is down? Time will tell.
Forest Heights Senior Boys off to Hamilton
The Senior FHCI Trojans will be making a visit to Hamilton this weekend to participate in the Parkside Senior Boys Tournament.
The 8 team tournament is as follows:
(Today - Nov 20th)
10am - St. Mary's (Hamilton) vs Parkside
11:30am - Forest Hts vs Holy Trinity (Oakville)
1pm - Cathedral vs Westdale
2:30pm - St. Christopher's (Sarnia) vs Nelson
....needless to say, a tough draw for the Trojans. The Titans of Holy Trinity are one of the better teams in the Golden Horseshoe, so it will be a tough one to win. That said, it's nice to see them challenging themselves against high-calibre competition in an early season tourney after not being selected for the Heinbuch.
D10, D8 Schedules Start Next Week
The D10 league schedule is set for tip-off next week, with a key game almost right off the bat on Wednesday, November 25th. The Centennial Spartans will travel down the Hanlon to battle the Bishop Macdonell Celtics in a battle of two teams that many predict will battle for the league crown.
The D8 schedule has 3 games on Wednesday the 25th as well --- Resurrection @ Rockway, St. Mary's @ St. David (in a key early season Senior match-up), and a Cambridge clash between St. Bendict and Monsignor Doyle.
The D8 league came away with both "A" CWOSSA titles yesterday afternoon.
In the junior league, the PRDG Chevaliers from Cambridge took the crown with a 31-22 victory over Delhi DHS. PRDG earlier defeated Waterford by a 46-41 count in the semifinals.
On the senior girls side, the Rockway Flames won yet another title with relative ease. The Flames doused Delhi 64-26 in their semifinal game, and then took down Walkerton in the final, 46-20.
The Flames now advance to the Senior Girls "A" OFSAA Championships, which take place next week in Cornwall.
St. Mary's Senior Boys Beat Bluevale, Junior Huskies beat Eagles
The St. Mary's Eagles defeated Bluevale CI in an OT thriller yesterday evening. Don't have any more details at this time, but the few exhibition games that have been played between "top tier" teams thus far have all been close. Yes, it's early, and some teams are still missing guys with fall sports going on.....but hoepfully that's a sign of parity and will lead to an exciting race for the CWOSSA crown and the OFSAA berths.
In junior action, Huron Heights dumped St. Mary's --- is this a sign that Huron is up this year or that Mary's is down? Time will tell.
Forest Heights Senior Boys off to Hamilton
The Senior FHCI Trojans will be making a visit to Hamilton this weekend to participate in the Parkside Senior Boys Tournament.
The 8 team tournament is as follows:
(Today - Nov 20th)
10am - St. Mary's (Hamilton) vs Parkside
11:30am - Forest Hts vs Holy Trinity (Oakville)
1pm - Cathedral vs Westdale
2:30pm - St. Christopher's (Sarnia) vs Nelson
....needless to say, a tough draw for the Trojans. The Titans of Holy Trinity are one of the better teams in the Golden Horseshoe, so it will be a tough one to win. That said, it's nice to see them challenging themselves against high-calibre competition in an early season tourney after not being selected for the Heinbuch.
D10, D8 Schedules Start Next Week
The D10 league schedule is set for tip-off next week, with a key game almost right off the bat on Wednesday, November 25th. The Centennial Spartans will travel down the Hanlon to battle the Bishop Macdonell Celtics in a battle of two teams that many predict will battle for the league crown.
The D8 schedule has 3 games on Wednesday the 25th as well --- Resurrection @ Rockway, St. Mary's @ St. David (in a key early season Senior match-up), and a Cambridge clash between St. Bendict and Monsignor Doyle.
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