WCSSAA: KCI's Darnell Simpson Heads to OCAA

KCI 5th Year Guard/Forward Darnell Simpson, who had a breakout season highlighted by a WCSSAA All-Star selection, has committed to attend St. Clair College (Sarnia/OCAA) next season.

He enjoyed a rebirth in 1 1/2 seasons at KCI (he transferred from Resurrection midway through grade 12).  Believe it or not, Simpson was actually cut from the Resurrection senior team in both grade 11 & 12, and as such was eligible to play immediately when he transferred to KCI last season.

He threw down a few ferocious dunks during league play and had to be among the league leaders in blocked shots.  However, he definitely improved his outside shooting (and all-around game in general) which caught the eye of a few colleges ---- including St. Clair and Mohawk among others.

All the best, Darnell!

Queen's University Lands 4 CWOSSA Grads in Recruiting Class

Last week, Queen's University women's basketball coach Dave Wilson announced his recruiting class for 2010.  Interestingly enough, he was able to wrestle four quality CWOSSA players out of Southwestern Ontario.

Please click here for the news release.

"This is one of the strongest recruiting classes in Queen's women's basketball history,” said Wilson. “We were looking at addressing three specific areas through our recruiting; improving our perimeter shooting skills, improving our perimeter ball handling/play-making capability, and adding some size/scoring punch to our post play. The (recruits) have allowed us to meet these goals."

Aside from Kingston local PG Liz Boag, all other recruits were members of CWOSSA schools --- and actually four members of the KW Lightning's Division I OBA champions.  They include:


Rachael Urosevic, 5'8" PG - Kitchener CI
Queens on Urosevic:   "Urosevic, a 5'8 guard who graduated from Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate, was the floor general for the Lightning's run to the OBA Championship. A knock-down three point shooter, she also possess excellent ball handling, passing and leadership skills. Aside from winning the OBA Championship, Urosevic has twice played in the OFSAA Championship, played for the renowned A-Game program for three years under coach Yaw Afful and was a member of U15 provincial team that won the national championship in 2006.  Urosevic was also just named as one of the participants in the 10th annual All-Canada Classic high school all-star game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto."

Lisa Minutillo, 5'9" G - Brantford North Park
Queens on Minutillo:  "The third guard to join the Gaels is Minutillo, who was a graduate of North Park Collegiate in Brantford. At 5'9", she is another outstanding three-point shooter whose knowledge of the game, combined with excellent court vision play-making capabilities will make her an instant asset to the Gaels. Last year, she was a tournament all-star at the Queen's Tindall Invitational Tournament."

Gemma Bullard, 5'10" G/F - Guelph JF Ross
Queens on Bullard:  "Bullard, a 5'10 forward from John F. Ross High School in Guelph, is a current member of England's U18 National Team that will compete at the European Division B Championships in Romania later this summer. She is described by Coach Wilson as a multi-dimensional player who can handle the ball, attack the basket and knock down shots from beyond the three-point arc."

Jordan Tomas, 6'0" F - Waterloo SJAM
Queens on Tomas:  "Tomas is a 6'0 post player from Sir John A. MacDonald High School in Waterloo. Coach Wilson describes her as having a tenacious competitive spirit that allows her to be an excellent rebounder that can finish around the hoop. Tomas joined Urosevic in capturing the 2006 U15 national championship where she was the team captain for Team Ontario. She has also been involved in both the Canada Basketball Centre of Performance program and the Ontario Performance Enhancement Program."


It will definitely be interesting to keep an eye on the Queen's program over the next few years.  Congratulations to all and best wishes for the future!

National Team: 4 Locals Earn Camp Bids

Four CWOSSA-area players have received invitations to tryouts for the Canadian National U18 and U17 teams respectively.

On the men's side, 6'4" Bluevale guard Stefan Cvrkalj is one of 17 invitees competing for a roster spot with the U18 squad (junior team).  The CWOSSA area has had some good representation on the U18 team in previous years, with Rob Dewar (NEDA via JF Ross) and Murphy Burnatowski (NEDA via SJAM) making last year's team.  The last players from an actual CWOSSA high school to crack the roster were Zach Nagtzaam (Southwood) and Jon House (Centennial) back in 2006-07.

The U18 team will be competing at the FIBA Americas tournament in San Antonio, Texas later this month.

The women's U18 team has 14 invitees for roster spots, and Forest Heights' 6'2" forward Jenn Lennox is one of them.  Lennox will be heading across the border to NCAA Division I school Canisius College in September.

The FIBA Americas U18 women's tournament kicks off in Colorado Springs, CO on June 23rd.

Meanwhile, the U17 girls roster has 28 selections for training camp.  Not surprisingly, the St. John's Green Eagles, the 2009 OFSAA AAAA champions, are well represented with two selections.  5'9" guard Kelly VanLeeuwen and 6'0" wing Kelly Polischuk are two of only 8 Ontarians slated to try out.

The FIBA women's world U17 championships are to take place in France come mid-July.

For full rosters, the following are links to Canada Basketball's website:

U18 Men

U18 Women

U17 Women

WCSSAA: Bluevale, SJAM Secure Other Local Heinbuch Bids

WCSSAA's loss is the D8's gain.

After it was previously revealed that Kitchener D8 high schools St. Mary's and Resurrection received Heinbuch bids, it has been brought to my attention that the other Waterloo Region schools that will play in the prestigious tournament are a pair of Waterloo schools --- and this past year's WCSSAA finalists --- Bluevale CI and SJAM.

In years previous, WCSSAA received 3 entries but this year it appears as though only 2 WCSSAA clubs will participate.  Now, this isn't to say that WCSSAA has dropped off (this past year, 50% of AAAA semifinalists in both junior & senior were WCSSAA schools); but the other WCSSAA contenders for a spot may have just fallen short.  I'm just guessing here, but I would think Southwood, who finished 5th in WCSSAA this past year with a young squad, likely just fell short in consideration. 

The Heinbuch has gained a reputation as one of the top early-season tournaments in all of Ontario.  Last year, all three OFSAA AAAA medalists participated in the tournament.

3 CWOSSA-Area Players Selected for National High School All-Star Game

How good is girls high school basketball in the CWOSSA region?

Well, if the three medals earned by CWOSSA clubs at OFSAA [Brantford St. John's (OFSAA AAAA Champions), Guelph Bishop Mac (OFSAA AA Champions), Kitchener Collegiate (OFSAA AAA Antique Bronze)] weren't enough, three CWOSSA-area players have been selected to participate in a national high school all-star game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to take place on Monday, June 14th at 5pm.

The local selections include:

Shelby Kurt (6'1" G/F - Waterloo CI)

Natalie Achonwa (6'3" F - Hamilton St. Mary's via Guelph, ON)

Rachael Urosevic (5'8" G - Kitchener CI)

Full rosters can be found here.  Achonwa and Urosevic are on "team red", while Kurt is on "team white".

No CWOSSA-area boys players were selected for that game, which takes place following the girls game (7pm).

Proposed Boundary Changes May Affect Several WCSSAA Clubs

In an article in the Waterloo Region Record last week, it was noted that educational consultants have suggested that local high school boundaries be "reworked" ---- and have even suggested the construction of a new high school in west Kitchener.

Not surprisingly, one of the recommendations was to see all students within walking distance of Huron Heights SS in Kitchener attend HHHS.  Currently, the boundary is strict and some who could walk to Huron are instead bussed to Preston HS in Cambridge.

It is recommended that Preston, in turn, would receive students from the current (and expanding) Jacob Hespeler encatchment area.

Meanwhile, the basketball hotbed of West Kitchener (and Waterloo) may also see some changes.

Students residing in the Westvale neighbourhood of Waterloo (currently about 250 students) would go back to attending KCI instead of SJAM.  Some of you may recall that kids in that area went to KCI until the time that SJAM was opened.

The consultants' report also suggested the board think about building a brand-new high school in west Kitchener (current Forest Heights encatchment area) to accomodate future long-term growth in the area.  If you've been for a drive out Ottawa Street lately, as I was a few weeks back to attend a friend's housewarming, plenty of "growth" has already been evidenced.

This proposed "Trussler Heights High School" (thought I'd keep the "Heights" theme) wouldn't be for a few years at the earliest, if at all.

What does this all mean for WCSSAA basketball?

Well, once these changes are implemented (probably 2011-12 at earliest), you could see KCI and/or HHHS soon make the jump up to AAAA.  It is a matter of time (in my opinion) before we see HHHS hit that AAAA mark, especially with the growth in that area.  KCI is a different story; yes, they will be getting added students but one must keep in mind that their encatchment area is seeing declining enrolment --- so these "added students" will likely be offset to some degree by this.

Still a lot of discussions to take place and work to be done; nothing is "in stone" as of yet.  It will be something to keep an eye on anyways as the proposals progress.

Heinbuch 2010: D8 Receives Two Local Bids

For the first time in a long time, two District 8 teams will participate in the Heinbuch Classic high school basketball tournament in Kitchener-Waterloo this coming November.

The Resurrection Phoenix and St. Mary's Eagles have both apparently received bids to attend ---- which isn't much of a surprise considering both schools have combined for the last three junior CWOSSA AAAA titles and each school is seeking a breakout season at the senior level with most of their core players now entering grade 12.

The prestigious sixteen team tournament generally limits itself to about 5-6 local entries. Although the field is far from certain, JF Ross & St. James (Guelph), North Park (Brantford), and WCSSAA schools Bluevale, Grand River, Cameron Heights, Southwood & SJAM would appear to be the other CWOSSA potential entries.

How good a tournament is this? Three of last year's participants swept the medals at AAAA OFSAA --- Oakwood (Gold); St. Thomas More (Silver); Mother Teresa (Bronze).

Contrary to popular belief, this isn't the first time that the D8 will have two entries in the Heinbuch. A quick search of past results at the Heinbuch's great site (http://www.heinbuchclassic.ca/) shows that two D8 schools met in the 1996 Bronze final ---- with Resurrection beating St. Benedict by a 52-40 score behind star forward Andy Kwiatkowski.

2010 All-Ontario Teams: Higgins, Cvrkalj Receive Honours

Courtesy of Jim Thomas.  Full list can also be accessed at Thehoop-la.com. 


2010 All Ontario H.S. Teams

First Team
C Stefan Nastic 6'11" Thornhill H.S. Thorhill
F Anthony Ottley 6'5" Emery H.S. Toronto
F Manny Sahota 6'6" d'Youville H.S. Brampton
G Julian Clarke 6'3" Oakwood H.S. Toronto
G Kevin Pangos 6'1" Dr. Dennison H.S. Newmarket

Seond Team
C Chris McLaughlin 6'9" Abbey Park H.S. Oakville
F Taylor Black 6'7" Orchard Park H.S. Stoney Creek
F Leon Alexander 6'3" JC Richardson H.S. Ajax
G Jehenns Manigat 6'2" REDA Hamilton
G Jahmal Jones 6'0" Mississauga H.S. Mississauga

Third Team
C Lucas Nugteren 6'10" REDA Hamilton
F Justin Shaver 6'6" Nepean H.S. Ottawa
F Satar Wahidi 6'6" Orchard Park H.S. Stoney Creek
G Aaron Redpath 6'4" JC Richardson H.S. Ajax
G Mike L'Africain 5'11" Loyola H.S. Oakville

Fourth Team
F Nick Tufegdzich 6'7" Riverside H.S. Windsor
F Cameron Robertson 6'5" Eastern Commerce H.S. Toronto
F Ryan Higgins 6'4" St. James H.S. Guelph
G Stefan Cvrkalj 6'4" Bluevale H.S. Waterloo
G Jordan Gauthier 6'2" Herman H.S. Windsor

Fifth Team
F Eric Ducharme 6'4" Timmins H.S. Timmons
F Tyshon Carter 6'3" Campion H.S. Brampton
F Bikram Gill 6'7" Ascension H.S. Mississauga
G Justin Edwards 6'1" Anderson H.S. Whitby
G Quinn Henderson 6'3" Parkside H.S. Dundas

Sixth Team
F Peter Boateng 6'4" d'Youville H.S. Brampton
F Cedric Kasongo 6'4" Notre Dame H.S. Welland
G Daniel Mullings 6'3" Laurier H.S. Toronto
G Adam Presutti 6'1" Loyola H.S. Oakville
G Brandon Bos 6'0" Markham H.S. Markham

All Ontario Academic Team

First Team
C Stefan Nastic 6'11" Thornhill H.S. Thornhill 87%
F Manny Sahota 6'6" d"Youville H.S. Brampton 88%
G Julian Clarke 6'3" Oakwood H.S. Toronto 91%
G Aaron Redpath 6'4" JC Richardson H.S. Ajax 88%
G Stefan Cvrkalj 6'4" Bluevale H.S. Waterloo 93%

Second Team
F Peter Boateng 6'4" d'Youville H.S. Brampton 88%
G Brandon Bos 6'0" Markham H.S. Markham 89%
G Kyle Gedreitis 6'0" Parkside H.S. Dundas 92%
G Adam Presutti 6'1" Loyola H.S. Oakville 86%
G Micheal Grasic 6'4" Gonzaga H.S. Mississauga 91%

WCSSAA: Cvrkalj To Return To Bluevale for 5th Year

As many people expected, Waterloo Bluevale guard (and now reigning WCSSAA MVP) Stefan Cvrkalj will be returning to Bluevale for a 5th year of high school.

To update his NCAA recruiting situation, we can also add Davidson (Southern Conference) and Penn (Ivy) to the list of schools mentioned a few weeks back.

Along with the club basketball and AAU circuit, Cvrkalj has been invited to participate in summer workouts with the Canadian National Team ---- essentially training and competing with other professional and university/college players that have returned for the summer.

Guelph Tribune: Hoops Star Stepping Away From The Game

Article By: Ned Bekavac

Retrieved From: http://www.guelphtribune.ca/sports/article/210794

The city’s top high school basketball player is stepping away from the game.

Rob House, who has earned District 10 senior boys basketball MVP honours the last two seasons, is on his way to the University of Western Ontario in the fall.

There, he was to suit up for the school’s basketball Mustangs, but the local cager has now changed his mind on the matter.

“Just recently, I’ve decided not to play basketball next year,” House said this week. “Just (for) personal reasons, I kind of wanted to take a break and check out any other options. I’ve been playing basketball my whole life.”

The Centennial Spartans star says those “other options” aren’t anything specific.

“Whatever arises,” he said. “It’s a big commitment, so I’d like to focus on the school first.”

House, the younger brother of Jon House –a former Centennial star as well who just finished his third year with NCAA Division I basketball's Belmont Bruins –said that while he's walking away from hoops, he’s not ruling out a return at some point.

“I definitely wouldn’t take out the option of playing again,” he said.

The 19-year-old will attend Western as a management and organizational studies student.

CWOSSA All-Stars: Third Team

3rd Team CWOSSABasketball.com All-Stars

Taylor McNaughton, Forest Heights CI

Position:  G/F

Season Highlights:  Put in a season-high 39 points in a nail-biting 1 point victory over KCI in league play.  Solid "all-round" performer also had 3 other 20+ outings in league play, and was named as a WCSSAA all-star.

Up Next:  Will be attending University next year, and most likely staying local.

Arben Kalaba, KCI

Position:  G

Season Highlights:  Put up some huge games against top opposition (37 against Cameron Heights, 34 vs Forest Heights and 34 in the CWOSSA final against North Park).  He added 25 in a Heinbuch game against Mother Teresa.  In league play, he was the engine that made KCI go ---- helping them to another WCSSAA "final four" appearance and almost helped them upset North Park in the CWOSSA final, taking that game to overtime.  He was named as a WCSSAA first-team all-star.

Up Next:  Arben will be attending Wilfrid Laurier University next year, majoring in English.

Cale McDonald, North Park

Position:  G

Season Highlights:  Key member of North Park's OFSAA "AAA" participating team.  Named as a D5 all-star.  Scored a season-high 27 points against rival Brantford St. John's in a key early season victory.

Up Next:  TBD

Jay Francis, CCVI
Position:  G/F

Season Highlights:  5th year veteran member of Centennial team; named as a D10 all-star.  Scored 23 points against JF Ross in the D10 championship game.  Solid slasher and shooter had a good all-around game in helping Centennial knock off eventual CWOSSA champion Bluevale in pool play at CWOSSA (if I'm not mistaken, BCI's only CWOSSA loss?).

Up Next:  TBD

Ben Reyhani, SJAM
Position:  G

Season Highlights:  Lights out shooter had eight games of 20+ points including a solid 33 point effort against a very good Brampton Notre Dame team in the WCI/BCI tournament.  Added another 29 points against Burlington Nelson in the SOSI.  Named as a WCSSAA all-star.

Up Next:  Returns to SJAM for Grade 12 (4th year).

Honourable Mention Considerations:
Tyler Schneider, Resurrection
Alex Thompson, St. Mary's
Mike Couperus, Waterford
Mat West, Walkerton DSS
Jeff Robinson, Preston
Mark Dickens, North Park
Josh Loehle, Monsignor Doyle
Edem Ame, SJAM
Shamlo Saeed, JF Ross
Adrian Varilla, Centennial

GRCI Backwards Halfcourt Shot

Gotta keep some posts up from time to time during the off-season, so here's one purely for entertainment purposes.

Looks like some joking around during gym class ---- but this kid apparently went 3 for 10 shooting like this.  Not too shabby!

CWOSSA AAA/AAAA Championship History - Last 20 Years

*AAA was the highest level until 2002
*Does not include titles/medals won by teams that stayed or went back down to AAA after 2002.

Senior:
1991: JF Ross 66, Galt 60
1992: North Park 41, St. John's 37
1993: St. John's 58, North Park 54
1994: Cameron 58, Glenview Pk 44
1995: JF Ross 49, Waterloo CI 48
1996: JF Ross 52, Centennial CVI 51
1997: St. James 64, Centennial CVI 46
1998: St. James 55, Guelph CVI 48
1999: St. James 71, St. John's 57
2000: Assumption 93, Centennial CVI 89 (OT)
2001: Centennial 59, Brantford CI 46
2002: Assumption 67, Kitchener CI 41 (26 - largest margin of victory)
2003: Kitchener CI 58, St. Benedict 44
2004: Kitchener CI 58, Waterloo CI 56
2005: Waterloo CI 59, KCI 45
2006: Kitchener CI 59, Grand River 53
2007: Centennial 60, SJAM 43
2008: Centennial 68, Forest Heights 63 (OT)
2009: SJAM 53, Centennial CVI 48
2010: Bluevale 54, JF Ross 42

Most titles Won:
Centennial CVI (3 - 2001, 2007, 2008)
Kitchener CI (3 - 2003, 2004, 2006)
St. James CHS (3 - 1997, 1998, 1999)
JF Ross CVI (3 - 1991, 1995, 1996)
Assumption CS (2 - 2000, 2002)

Most CWOSSA Medals:
Centennial CVI (7) - 3 Gold, 4 Silver
Kitchener CI (5) - 3 Gold, 2 Silver
JF Ross CVI (4) - 3 Gold, 1 Silver
St. James (3) - 3 Gold, 0 Silver
Waterloo CI (3) - 1 Gold, 2 Silver
St. John's (3) - 1 Gold, 2 Silver


Junior:
1991: North Park 50, St. John's 47
1992: St. John's 62, Centennial 41
1993: St. John's 66, North Park 64
1994: St. John's 91, Centennial 63 (28 - largest margin of victory)
1995: North Park 67, Brantford 51
1996: Grand River 57, St. Benedict 40
1997: St. James 51, Assumption 45
1998: Centennial 48, Grand River 47
1999: St. James 43, Brantford CI 41
2000: Assumption 65, Preston 43
2001: Unavailable:  St. James vs. ????
2002: Waterloo CI 49, North Park 37
2003: Kitchener CI 63, St. John's 46
2004: Kitchener CI 49, Centennial CVI 32
2005: Forest Heights over North Park (Score ?)
2006: Centennial CVI 62, Forest Heights CI 50
2007: JF Ross 46, Centennial CVI 44
2008: St. Mary's 56, Grand River 46
2009: Resurrection CSS 54, Grand River 50
2010: Resurrection CSS 42, Waterloo CI 39

Most titles won:
St. John's (3 - 1992, 1993, 1994)
Kitchener CI (2 - 2003, 2004)
Resurrection CSS (2 - 2009, 2010)
Centennial CVI (2 - 1998, 2006)
North Park (2 - 1991, 1995)
St. James CHS (2 - 1997, 1999) *pending 2001 confirmation - the article I found showed them winning their semifinal game*

Most CWOSSA Medals:
Centennial CVI (6) - 2 Gold, 4 Silver
St. John's (5) - 3 Gold, 2 Silver
North Park (5) - 2 Gold, 3 Silver
Grand River (4) - 1 Gold, 3 Silver

All-CWOSSA Second Team All-Stars

I fractured my wrist while playing some basketball about a week ago ---- but it's not affecting most of my daily tasks, including typing.

Here goes with my "All-CWOSSA" second team all-stars.....

Andrew Mwangi, Resurrection CSS
Position:  F

Season Highlights:  Impressed for a grade 11 "rookie".  A double-double machine who, at 6'4"+, can also step outside and hit jumpshots with regularity.  Put up 23 points and 12 rebounds in an extremely efficient D8 championship game victory over St. Mary's (7-9 FG, 7-8 FT, 2-2 3PT).  Also named as the D8 league MVP for the 09-10 season. Finished things off with 33 points (on 13/22 shooting, 5/9 3PT) in the D8 vs D10 all-star game. 

Up Next:  Returns next year to Resurrection for grade 12 (4th year of high school).

Mike Finoro, Our Lady of Lourdes
Position:  G

Season Highlights:  Helped lead the Crusaders to the "AA" CWOSSA championship game.  Named as a D10 all-star, and was the top scorer in D10 league play --- 11 games of 20+ points including a 27 point effort against AA rival Bishop Mac.  Outstanding shooter that can heat up in a hurry (16 second half points in the D8/D10 all-star game).    

Up Next:  Returns next year to Lourdes for grade 12 (4th year of high school).

Jake Robinet, SJAM
Position:  F

Season Highlights:  Key member of SJAM's WCSSAA finalist squad that also came up just short of qualifying for OFSAA.  At 6'7", created all kinds of match-up troubles for opponents --- especially with his ability to hit the outside shot as well.  Scored a season high 27 points against Cameron Heights during the regular season, then finished the Gaels off with a massive two-handed dunk in the waning moments on WCSSAA Semifinal Saturday.  Named as a first-team WCSSAA all-star.

Up Next:  Robinet will be attending the University of Waterloo and playing varsity basketball.

Andrew Beney, Bluevale CI
Position:  F/C

Season Highlights:  This forward/centre was tough to root out of the middle for many opponents, and was extremely active on the offensive glass.  Had his best games during the WCSSAA championship game (22 vs. SJAM) and in the CWOSSA final (25 vs. JF Ross) --- as the Knights won those championships for the first time in school history.  Named as a second-team WCSSAA all-star.

Up Next:  Beney will be taking Engineering at the University of Guelph and playing varsity basketball.

Ryan Cook, JF Ross CVI
Position:  G/F

Season Highlights:  High-flying 6'4" G/F who had numerous huge slams during the season, including a ridiculous dunk (quite literally) on Centennial in the D10 championship final --- only to have it waived off by a charge call.  D10 all-star who helped the Royals end Centennial's run atop the D10 league, and helped JF Ross earn their first "AAAA" OFSAA berth in school history by beating Centennial for the second time in a week.  Had a season-high 27 points in a league victory over GCVI.

Up Next:  No word as of yet where Cook will go, but there are a few interested schools including his hometown University of Guelph Gryphons.

Recruiting Trail: Preston's Robinson to Suit up for Falcons

In recruiting news, it would appear as though Preston's Jeff Robinson has continued the CWOSSA "recruiting pipeline" to London's Fanshawe College; he will be the latest local player to suit up for the Fanshawe College Falcons.

Robinson, a WCSSAA second team all-star, had some big efforts this past year.  Among his more memorable efforts were 28 points in a playoff victory over Grand River, and 18 points (despite tweaking an ankle on a dunk) in an early season 38-37 upset win over KCI.  He helped the Panthers advance to the AAA CWOSSA championship where they were narrowly defeated by Guelph St. James.

Robinson will be following a course program of study with the end goal of being a Certified Electrician.

At the start of the 2009-10 season, the Falcons had 5 other CWOSSA alumns on the roster (Andy Campbell, Will Bradbury, Brandon Cato, Jordan Dixon, Chyro Blackwood).

Early in the year, Fanshawe narrowly fell to Wilfrid Laurier University during exhibition play by a 73-69 final.  The Falcons went on to advance to the CCAA national championships, where they finished 4th overall.