JF Ross Senior Girls Tip-Off Tournament

The JF Ross (Guelph) Royals are again hosting their annual Senior Girls' tip-off tournament this coming weekend, and have invited several high-profile OFSAA calibre teams to attend.

Three CWOSSA teams are participating --- the Royals, Waterloo CI Vikings, and the St. James Lions.

As Ross has two full-length gyms with scoreboards, the opening round games are scheduled for 4pm and 5:30pm on Friday, with play resuming on Saturday at 9am.

Friday's First Round Action

4:00pm - Waterloo CI vs. JF Ross

5:30pm - St. Christopher (Sarnia) vs. Georgetown DHS

4:00pm - Woodroffe (Ottawa) vs. St. James (Guelph)

5:30pm - St. Thomas Aquinas vs. St. Marcellinus (Miss.)

Around the Horn: Tuesday, September 13th

Eastwood Hosts Home Senior Tourney This Weekend

The Eastwood Rebels are ready for some revenge this weekend as they host their home tournament this weekend.

The Rebels, WCSSAA semifinalists from a season ago, lost a hard-fought 37-26 decision to Kitchener St. Mary's in last year's championship game of this very tournament.  Both teams are back this year, and the potential for a high-quality championship rematch exists as both schools (who return the bulk of their starting lineups) are again on opposite sides of the draw.

The Rebels have one of the top returning players in CWOSSA in 6'2" G/F Michelle Hudyn (Grade 12) who registered twelve 20+ scoring efforts a season ago in grade 11.  She is joined by 3 other quality returning starters --- Caitlyn Schlegel, Lindsay Ward, and Erika Gardner.  The Rebs also bring up their top scorer from the junior squad, Lori Stankiewicz, to add to their rotation.

The Eagles, D8 champions and CWOSSA semifinalists in 2010, are no slouch themselves and also return a high-scorer in starting guard Kaitlyn Schenck.  The Eagles actually have all 5 starters returning, although guard Alysha Hergott will be out until (at the earliest) November as she recovers from ACL surgery.  Centre Natasha Stoyakovich, Laura Boterman and Shelby Dixon will all play a key role in trying to get the Eagles to make their first-ever OFSAA appearance in school history.

The tournament tips off at 2:30pm on Friday, with the Rebels playing host to Dundas Parkside.  Other first round games on Friday include an all-Cambridge battle between Southwood and St. Benedict (4:00pm), Cameron Heights vs. Ancaster (5:30pm) and St. Mary's vs. St. Thomas Aquinas of Tottenham (7:00pm).

Johns To Suit up For Ryerson

6'1" ex-KCI forward Skye Johns (class of 2011) will be suiting up for the Ryerson Rams of the OUA this coming university basketball season.

As mentioned in an athletic department press release, interim Ryerson head coach Charles Kissi noted that Skye "is a tough post that has an amazing up-side.  She rebounds well and comes from a strong program at Kitchener-Waterloo."

Johns will be enrolled in Arts & Contemporary Studies at Ryerson, and will join fellow CWOSSA recruit Siki Jez of Cameron Heights on the Rams roster.  All the best! 

Pejicic Lands at Waterloo
6'6" F Srdjan Pejicic (Bluevale '09) has landed on the roster at the University of Waterloo this season.  Pejicic hasn't played basketball (on a post-secondary roster) since leaving high school --- as such, he still has 5 full years of CIS athletic eligibility remaining should he wish to use them. 

WCSSAA, D10, D8 Schedules Released

Fall schedules in the D8, D10, and WCSSAA leagues have been released (still waiting on the others --- I assume they're done but not as easy to find online.  If you can help us out, just let me know).

At any rate, WCSSAA play tips off next Tuesday at 5pm with a full 16-game slate, meaning that all WC schools are represented this year.  The best game of the week one schedule would appear to be on Thursday, when Bluevale travels to visit KCI.

The D10 schedule also starts next Tuesday, with a big rivalry game between the Centennial Spartans and the JF Ross Royals (4pm @ Ross).  Last year's two top teams in the regular season, Bishop Mac and Centre Wellington, also square off on Tuesday (5:30pm, BMAC).

D8 waits until Monday, September 26th before starting its regular season with 4 of the 6 teams in action --- Resurrection travels to Rockway (5:30pm) and St. David visits Doyle (5pm).  The preseason favourites, Rez and St. Mary's, will battle on Wednesday the 21st at 3:30pm (St. Mary's).

Junior & Senior Girls: Team Information Request

Junior & Senior Coaches, please cut and paste the following, fill it in, and send it to me via email (mark@cwossabasketball.com).  It should only take a couple minutes of your time, but will be very helpful for me here as we get started with the seasons in short order! 

School Name:

Division (Junior or Senior):

Coaches:

Returning Starters (Names):

Key Losses (Names):

Key Rookies or Newcomers (Names + include "moved up from junior", "transfer", etc.):

Tournaments Participating in This Year (Location & Dates):

Team Goals or General Comment on the Upcoming Season:

CWOSSA News & Updates: September 12th

Welcome back.

Have some catching up to do here, but one thing at a time.

CWOSSA 'Ballers Take Over Canadian Recruiting Lists

A bunch of familiar CWOSSA names are now on flagrantfouls.com "top Canadian recruit rankings" for the classes of 2012 and 2013 respectively.

For 2012, St. Mary's 6'2" SG Alex Thompson now ranks #35 overall in Canada, while ex-Bishop Mac junior star Connor Wood (6'3" G) is right behind him at #36.

In 2013, it looks as though people have been paying attention to what we've been writing about Adam Voll (St. Mary's - 6'7" F) as he's vaulted to #42 on the list.  Forest Heights PG Javon Masters (6'0") ranks #50, while 6'6" Jason Quiring (JHSS/REDA) is #59.

Alumni Updates

Superstar guard Ben Bankazo (SMHS '11) has enrolled at Sunrise Prep school in Orlando, Florida, this fall.

KCI grad and high-flyer Darnell Simpson (KCI '10) is attending St. Lawrence College in Kingston this coming year.

My List for CWOSSA Basketball 2011

I'll welcome everyone back to the CWOSSA basketball scene with a quick list of things I either expect to see this year (or would like to see).  Enjoy:

Like to See:  More fan support

Sure, this is a common theme with high school sports (especially regular season games).  I'm not expecting things to be like the WCSSAA/D8/D10/Brant County finals every night, but a little extra fan support would be great to see.  Players, some of the onus goes on you to try to get your friends out via your social media networks.

Like to See:  Night games.....anyone?  Bueller?

I think Southwood hosted Galt in a senior boys' game at night a couple of years back, and it was fairly successful.  Of course, many schools aren't available in the evenings (due to outside groups having booked them), and I know that the many coaches who volunteer their time would enjoy spending their evenings with their families.  However, one or two "rivalry games" would be pretty cool to see in the evenings (and likely help out with #1 above).  How about a SMHS-Rez or WCI-FHCI guys matchups? 

Like To See:  OFSAA Medals

We've become pretty good at securing medals on the girls' side of things, and now it's the guys' turn.  We've been on a bit of a drought lately, but that's not to say that our guys haven't been competitive (look at CHCI's close loss to #8 Eastern Commerce last year, and the way Ross played in their elimination game).  Of course, our better medal hopes may be at the lower levels --- such as "AA", where Lourdes and Bishop Mac should be solid again this year with key returnees.

Expect To See:  WCI winning one, if not two WCSSAA senior titles

The Vikes appear to be the clear favourites in girls' WCSSAA basketball and they could pull a rare "double" that hasn't been accomplished in some time (historians, help me out).  Their guys' team has a solid nucleus of returnees and should certainly be a top-3 club in what might be the most competitive WCSSAA season in recent memory.

Expect To See:  JF Ross' 3rd straight OFSAA and/or a D8 Team Making OFSAA Boys AAAA

With St. Mary's and Resurrection stacked with returnees (Alex Thompson, Adam Voll, Isaac Lance - SMHS; Tyler Schneider, Mike Pereira, Cam Gibbs - RCSS) and getting some key rookies as well, the time is now for a D8 squad to make their first AAAA appearance since St. Benedict did way back in 2003.  That said, they may not even be the preseason favourites.  That could go to the JF Ross Royals, who return practically everyone from the team that upset Rez in last year's CWOSSA semifinals.  Add in a couple of solid juniors coming up (Kristian Vande Kemp) and the Royals should again make some noise this coming season.

Expect To See:  More Brantford Domination at the Girls' Level

St. John's doesn't rebuild ---- they reload.  Despite losing several all-Canadian level performers, the Green Eagles will return Katie Polischuk (among others) and add in a high-quality group of girls who dominated the junior ranks, going undefeated in league and playoff action en route to the CWOSSA "AAAA" title.  Assumption (the 2009 CWOSSA gold medalists at the junior level) will provide some tough competition in league play for the CWOSSA "AAAA" berth.  North Park and Brantford CI will again be among the key contenders for an "AAA" OFSAA trip.

St. James Junior Girls Tournament - Teams Needed

St. James (Guelph) is hosting two tournaments, one junior and one senior.  Details are below.  Coaches should use the contact information below if interested:

Junior Girls

September 16th & 17th

Guarantee of 4 games

Senior Girls 

November 4th & 5th

Guarantee of 4 games 

Cost:  $225

If interested, contact St. James coach Mark Berardine (mberardine (at) hotmail.com)

Back to CWOSSA Basketball 2011

With only a week left of summer holidays, school is back in session next week and that means the start of girls' basketball tryouts.

Stay tuned for previews from around the region over the next few weeks.  Early indications (in senior) are that Brantford schools will again be very strong ---- particularly the basketball factory known as St. John's, even though they did lose a couple key players (Kelly Van Leeuwen, Kayla Santilli) to graduation.  WCI, Centre Wellington, and St. Mary's are all seen as very competitive AAAA schools and are solid picks to be able to repeat in their respective leagues.

Tri-County Captures National Summer Classic Crown!

The Tri-County basketball team, consisting of numerous CWOSSA players, emerged victorious in their participation at the annual National Summer Classic tournament played in Illinois.

Tri-County swept their four pool games, then followed that up with 3 wins (including an amazing semi-final comeback) to take the overall title.

The team members included:  Chuder Teny (GRCI), Juwan Miller (FHCI); Mike Blumel (SMHS); Mitchell Wood (REDA via BMAC); Jermaine St. Bernard (NJ, USA); Ben Morris (BMAC); Kristian Vande Kemp (JFR); Zach McClenaghan (St. James); Tyrick Thompson (REDA).

Pool Play

Tri-County started out strong with a 64-31 demolition of the Illinois Magic, backed by 13 points from Juwan Miller and another 12 from Kristian Vande Kemp.

Things got tougher quickly, as the South Bend Breakers were their next opponent.  This squad had some stellar athletes and were not out of it, despite Tri-County opening up a 34-19 halftime edge.  The Breakers fought back in the second half but Miller iced this one from the line en route to a 53-48 final.  Mitchell Wood knocked in 17 points, while Miller finished with 10, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists (with 0 turnovers).

Tri-County had little time to congratulate themselves on this victory, however, as they were right back in action against the "Rising Stars".  TC found themselves down 34-27 at halftime, but a second-half harassing man press brought them back into the game and, eventually, over the top as they would win 63-59.  Miller again was spectacular with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.  Wood added in 12 points, while Zach McClenaghan was also in double figures with 10.

TC's last pool game was against the other undefeated squad, the DW Wildcats from Milwaukee.  Thanks to 21 from Miller, 12 from Wood and 10 from Chuder Teny, Tri-County took a 55-48 win and a 4-0 record over to the Gold Bracket playdowns.

Gold Bracket Playdowns

In the first playoff game against Hononegah, Tri-County held a slim lead early on but (as seemed to be the trend) the play of Miller & Wood was too much for them to handle as TC won 69-51.  Wood poured in 25 with 9 rebounds, while Miller had 17 points.  Tyrick Thompson was also in double-digits with 10.

This advanced Tri-County to the semifinals against the hometown Rockford Wildcats.  Down 36-20 at halftime, Tri-County mounted a second-half comeback of intense proportion.  Some massive shots and key defensive stops led to an exciting finish ---- this one would be decided in overtime!

It actually took THREE OT's for this one to play out, and when it the final horn sounded Tri-County was on the positive side of a 56-53 ballgame.  Miller had 23 with Wood adding in 14.  Mike Blumel had some clutch stops on the defensive side of the ball as well to help the squad through to victory.

Despite being a bit tired from their marathon outing, Tri-County controlled things from the tip in the final against St. Louis.  TC won going away by a 74-56 final and captured the gold medal.  Miller had 19, Wood 15 and Blumel added 10 more in the win.

We'll likely have some more coverage (photos & video) later in the week when the team returns home.  

Congratulations!

CWOSSA Players Going Postsecondary: Class of '11

The following is a confirmed list of CWOSSA players that will be suiting up at post-secondary institutions this coming fall.

Any additions to the list (or errors) can be e-mailed to mark @ cwossabasketball.com.

Graduating Girls

Kelly Van Leeuwen - G, St. John's (Niagara U/Lewiston, NY) - NCAA D1 

Megan Robinson - G, Resurrection (Memorial U/St. John's, NF) - CIS

Kayla Santilli - G/F, St. John's (Brock U/St. Catharines, ON) - CIS

Siki Jez - F, Cameron Heights (Ryerson U/Toronto, ON) - CIS

Sam Edwards - G, Monsignor Doyle (U of Toronto/Toronto, ON) - CIS

Alyssa Shortt - G, Waterloo CI (U of Guelph/Guelph, ON) - CIS

Kate McTavish - G/F, Kitchener CI (U of Guelph, Guelph, ON) - CIS

Graduating Boys

Stefan Cvrkalj - G, Bluevale CI (Lehigh U/Bethlehem, PA) - NCAA D1

Ryan Higgins - F, St. James HS (UWO/London, ON) - CIS 

Tri-County Basketball Looking Forward to US Tournaments

One of the newer basketball organizations in the CWOSSA area is the "Tri-County Basketball" squad, and they have amassed a talented roster for a couple of big-name tournaments South of the border over the next month.

The team will be participating at the Wildcat National Summer Classic in Chicago, IL this weekend (August 5th-7th).  You can track their progress on the tournament website, which is http://www.nationalsummerclassic.com.

Though the team only has a handful of practices under their belt, they've been going at it hard.

"(We've had) amazing practice, and the team looks solid," noted head Coach Gabriel Frank.

Next month, the team is scheduled to participate at the 7th annual Southern Tier Showcase Tournament in Binghamton, NY.

What the roster may lack in numbers, they definitely make up for in talent.  The roster is as follows, with the grade listed being the grade that the player is going into in the fall:

Mike Blumel (6'3"/F, Grade 10) - St. Mary's HS
Juwan  Miller (5'11"/G, Grade 11) - Forest Heights CI
Mitchell Wood (6'2" F, Grade 11) - REDA/Hamilton
Chuder Teny (6'0" G, Grade 11) - Grand River CI
Jermaine St. Bernard (5'11" Grade 11) - NJ (USA)
Ben Morris (5'11" G, Grade 11) - Bishop Macdonell HS
Kristian Vande Kemp (6'5" F, Grade 11) - JF Ross CVI
Zach McClenaghan (6'1" F, Grade 11) - St. James
Tyrick Thompson (5'11" G, Grade 10) - REDA/Hamilton

Coaching Staff
Gabriel Frank (Head Coach)
Dan Wood (Assistant Coach)

Best of luck!

Wildhawks Advance to Gold Bracket at Hoopfest

The Waterloo Wildhawks have pulled off three consecutive victories in Louisville, KY to advance to the Gold Bracket of the Kentucky HoopFest Tournament.

Pool play scores were:
Wildhawks 59, Wolverine Basketball (Georgia) 31
Wildhawks 78, Minnesota Select 50
Wildhawks 63, Louisville Storm 59

The squad was scheduled to play a 9:15am game this morning in the first (elimination) game in the gold bracket. 

Waterloo Wildhawks in Louisville

A look at the Waterloo Wildhawks U16 squad taking care of Wolverine Basketball (Georgia) at the Kentucky HoopFest tournament in Louisville. You can also check it out here.

Centennial CVI's Serge Khayipangi Highlight Video

Wildhawks U17 off To Flying Start in Indiana

The Waterloo Wildhawks U17 squad is off to a solid start at an AAU tournament in the Indianapolis, Indiana area.

The 8-member squad, coached by Scott Reynolds, features Juwan Miller and Javon Masters (FHCI), Cory Kenning (RCSS), Henry Bankazo and Adam Voll (SMHS), Josh Johnson (Holy Trinity/Simcoe), Mike Friesen (JF Ross), and Vedran Dmitrovic (CHCI).  The 'Hawks are off to a 2-0 start and could advance to the gold bracket with a win in their third game today.

The Wildhawks got the best of the Indiana Selects in their first game, 54-47.  No official game sheet was presented but it looks as though Juwan Miller (12) and Cory Kenning (10) led the way in that one, while Adam Voll was beasting on the defensive backboard with about 6 blocks and timely defensive rebounds.  He also added in 2 impressive dunks.

The 'Hawks followed that morning effort up yesterday with a 58-42 victory over Team Basketball Detroit, under the watchful eye of some NCAA head and assistant coaches including Bucknell coach Dave Paulson.

Today, Waterloo battles the Queen City (Cincinnati) Prophets in their final group-stage game.