Monday News: St. James Update

A couple worthwhile notes on two St. James stars from this past weekend's Guelph Tribune:

Firstly, senior girls' star Katie Mora has agreed to play hockey for the University of Guelph.  Mora was a D10 all-star in all three sports that she played (basketball, hockey, soccer), and according to the article, St. James staff have compared her with a couple of the all-time great athletes that the east-side Guelph high school has produced.

On the basketball court, Mora hit double figures in 10 of 14 D10 regular season games, with 7 games of 18+ points.  Her loss will be partially offset by some quality junior talent moving up from the 2009 D10 junior girls championship team.

Meanwhile, the article confirms an earlier note that we had listed here ---- St. James senior boys star Ryan Higgins will be returning for a 5th year.  The article notes that Higgins, who was STJ's senior athlete of the year this year, will return to St. James for one semester to suit up for the Lions.  Higgins has "recently wrote his SATs and he expects he'll be playing NCAA ball in September of 2011".

See full details from the article here. 

The Record: Mono Cancels Waterloo Basketball Player's Big Plans

Article By:  Mark Bryson

Murphy Burnatowski was just days away from representing Canada.

Then the blood tests came back.

Mononucleosis.

Once that 13-letter word was uttered on Wednesday morning, Burnatowski was packing up and heading home to Waterloo. His spot on Canada Basketball’s Development Men’s National Team was gone. A two-week trip to Europe for a series of exhibition games was gone with it.

“Oh man, I can’t describe what I’m feeling . . . it sucks,” Burnatowski said on Thursday.

“I still feel fine, which makes it even harder.”

The six-foot-seven forward from the University of Maine had locked up a roster spot with the development team that is currently working out at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Not only was he going to be making the July 17 to Aug. 2 trip to Belgium, England, Spain and the Netherlands, he was going to see significant playing time.

However, he’d been struggling with what he thought was strep throat. He’d taken medication and was feeling fine. No shortage of energy. Nothing. The blood tests were taken Saturday as a precaution.

But instead of crossing the Atlantic, Burnatowski has been told to shut it down for three weeks and relax.

“I have to lay low for a little bit, which is going to be hard because I don’t feel like lying low,” said Burnatowski, who turns 19 on Sunday.

Nineteen players had been invited to the Toronto camp to audition for 14 available roster spots. Following the eight-game tour of Europe, it was possible a player or players could be selected to stay on with the Senior Men’s National Team.

Burnatowski wasn’t the only one to be shocked with the diagnosis. National team coach Leo Rautins was stunned to find out and had the tough task of breaking the news to Burnatowski at Wednesday’s workout.

“There was just no indication he had mono; he was just tremendous,” said Rautins.

“It’s unfortunate because he played extremely well. We’re definitely going to be keeping an eye on him for the future.”

Burnatowski is a graduate of Canada Basketball’s National Elite Development Academy who spent two years at Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School. He has represented Canada several times on the international stage, including last summer’s FIBA under-19 world championship in New Zealand.

Burnatowski earned himself an invitation to this week’s camp by impressing Rautins during voluntary workouts in April and May at York University.

He came every day, said Rautins, and impressed with his rugged style of play, determination and willingness to learn.

“Initially he wasn’t on the list, but through those workouts, I said I’ve got to give this guy an opportunity. And he came into camp here and played extremely well,” said Rautins.

Burnatowski enjoyed an outstanding freshman season at Maine. He was warming the bench at the beginning of the NCAA schedule on Nov. 13 against Fordham, seeing just three minutes of floor time. Just five games later, he was a Black Bears starter, playing 29 minutes against Colgate.

Maine finished with a 19-11 record after its season ended with an upset loss to New Hampshire in the American East quarter-finals.

Burnatowski finished the season averaging 21.8 minutes per game, averaging 6.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

(Retrieved From:  http://news.therecord.com/Sports/article/746148)

2009-10 Boys 20+ Club: A Look Back

At some point over the summer, I'll be archiving the 20+ club in some manner (don't worry, it will still be viewable on the site).

At any rate, here's a look back at the top 10 junior and senior scoring performances on the season:

Junior
42 - Javon Masters, FHCI (vs. WODSS, 1/5)
40 - Jason Quiring, JHSS (vs. BCI, 1/7)
40 - Sean Samuel, HHHS (vs. FHCI 2/18)
39 - Sean Samuel, HHHS (vs. WODSS 1/21)
38 - Sean Samuel, HHHS (vs. GCI 1/12)
37 - Carlo Zanette, CDDHS (vs. WSS 12/7)
35 - Marco Zanette, CDDHS (vs. CCVI 2/6)
33 - George Stankovic, BCI (vs. SDCSS 11/28)
32 - Brennan Senra, SHHS (vs. KDSS 2/8)
32 - Michael Friesen, JFR (vs. OLOL 12/17)

Senior
40 - Stefan Arezina, CHCI (vs. Kingston Loyalist, 1/9)
39 - Stefan Cvrkalj, BCI (vs. St. Theresa Midland, 1/16)
39 - Stefan Cvrkalj, BCI (vs. WCI 1/5)
39 - Taylor McNaughton, FHCI (vs. KCI 1/7)
37 - Stefan Cvrkalj, BCI (vs. London Beal, 11/26)
37 - Arben Kalaba, KCI (vs. CHCI 1/14)
36 - Stefan Cvrkalj, BCI (vs. KCI 2/20)
36 - Eric Alderice, EDSS (vs. GPSS 2/11)
36 - Rob House, CCVI (vs. CWDHS 12/17)

The Floor Is Yours....

Believe it or not, we're now closer to the start of the boys' high school season than we are from the end of the 09-10 campaign.  As well, the girls' CWOSSA season is now less than 2 months away (from opening practices, anyways).

That being said, I think I'll take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and readership over the initial "year" here on the site.  Over the next bit, we'll naturally have to start making some changes to transition into the 2010-11 year (e.g., archiving the "20+ club").

Meanwhile, during these "slower" days of summer, I'm going to take the opportunity to write a couple of "opinion" pieces over the next little bit. 

Please use the comments section here for any suggestions on possible topics, or any other news that you'd like to share with regards to CWOSSA basketball (eg. recruiting news, etc.).  I have a couple things in mind, but feedback is always appreciated!

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable summer!

Guelph Tribune/D10: Ross' Linthwaite Named Winner of Beirnes/Lucas Trophy

(Photo Cred:  Ned Bekavac / Guelph Tribune)

Article/Note Retrived From:  http://www.guelphtribune.ca/news/article/214840

Blake Linthwaite of the John F. Ross Royals is this season’s winner of the Al Beirnes/Bob Lucas Annual Trophy. The District 10 basketball award is presented annually to the graduating player who best exemplifies excellence in boys basketball, academics and leadership. Linthwaite is off to Queen’s University as a life sciences student and there he expects to play rugby for the Gaels. It’s the third straight year a Ross player has won the trophy as Rob McMurray earned it last year and Harry Webb the year prior.

Alumni Update: Jaan Montgomery

After finishing up his NCAA career with the Binghamton University (NCAA D1) Bearcats, former WCI Viking Jaan Montgomery has continued his basketball career abroad.

Montgomery completed his first season with Lemvig of the Danish First Division averaging better than a double double and about 3 blocks per contest.  In fact, here's a translated page from the team's website detailing his 20 point, 18 rebound and 3 block performance in one particular game, a 107-94 loss to the Solrod Comets.

Montgomery's performance has caught the eye of some members of the Estonian basketball community (which is where his family is from originally), and he is currently in Estonia over the summer working on his game and training with the national team.  Here's some recent detail from an exhibition game against Sweden's U20 team, where Montgomery netted 4 points in a victory.

Local 'Ballers Crack Team Ontario Rosters

A handful of talented local players have cracked Team Ontario rosters for the U15 boys, and the U17 boys and girls teams.

On the boys' side, one family accounted for all of CWOSSA's representation.  Former Bishop Mac junior star Connor Wood (who played at the Regional Elite Development Academy in Hamilton this past year) was named to the U-17 boys team.

Meanwhile, Connor's younger brother, Mitchell, a grade nine who was a key member of Bishop Mac's "AA" CWOSSA championship junior team this past year, was named to the U-15 team.

Both teams are slated to compete at the Canadian National championships in early August in Winnipeg.  However, before that, both clubs will get a bit of international experience.  The teams are heading to Argentina this weekend to participate in an international tournament.

Full rosters can be accessed here:
Ontario U-15 Boys
Ontario U-17 Boys

As for the Ontario U-17 girls' roster, three CWOSSA players have cracked the "top 21" extended roster.  Teammates Kelly Polischuk and Kelly VanLeeuwen (St. John's) represent Brantford's AAAA OFSAA gold medalist squad.  Meanwhile, Kitchener's Michelle Hudyn (Eastwood CI) is also listed on the roster which can be seen in it's entirety here.  The 6'1" Hudyn was a second-team WCSSAA all-star in the '09 campaign despite being only in grade 10.

2010-11 CWOSSA Classifications Released

The 2010-11 CWOSSA divisions were recently released.  You can check out the entire list on the official CWOSSA website.

Of note:

1.  There are again 17 "AAAA" schools, meaning that as it stands we will again see the "two pools of three teams" format for the AAAA championships.  According to CWOSSA regulations, 18 teams is the minimum requirement for an eight-team playoff.

1b.  Two Brantford schools remain in AAAA this coming year (St. John's and Assumption), meaning that the number of teams qualifying from each league would remain the same as this season.

2.  Schools that were re-classified down from AAAA include the "suburban" WCSSAA schools, Waterloo-Oxford and Elmira.

3.  Jacob Hespeler (1225 full-time equivalent students), North Park (1225), and Huron Heights (1195 but set to gain students previously bussed to PHS) are schools on the cusp of AAA & AAAA.  All will remain AAA this season. 

Rez's Bowden Wins Mike Moser Award

Don't do a double take at the title.......we're not talking about the WCSSAA MVP here.

Yesterday, Resurrection CSS senior team captain Melissa Bowden was named the female winner of the Mike Moser Scholarship Award, an award presented annually (since 1976) by the Kitchener-Waterloo Basketball Officials to one male and one female basketball player in the K-W area who have played at a high level, shown academic excellence and made contributions to the community.

"Melissa is very deserving of the recognition," said Rez senior girls coach Matt Kras, "she has been the team captain for the last two years on the Senior Girls basketball team at Resurrection, showing great dedication, a positive attitude and excellent sportsmanship in that time. She has been a member of the Athletic Council, a leader on Phoenix Friends and was awarded the Kitchener Youth Action Council award from the city, along with a YMCA Peace Medallion for her work with our school WAYVE team, dedicated to resolving conflict and injustices in our community."

The award is a $500 scholarship that is used towards the winner's post-secondary studies.  Melissa will be attending Wilfrid Laurier University in September to study Kinesiology.

Past recipients over the past handful of years have included Jack Fleming (CHCI), Rebecca Moss (BCI), Kyle Mack (WCI) and Teddi Firmi (GRCI).

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.