Grand River / Tricounty Star Nyamuoch Teny Becomes Latest CWOSSA Talent to Commit to NCAA D1 Vermont

Nyamuoch Teny

The CWOSSA to Vermont women's basketball pipeline continues to be in service.

Nyamuoch Teny, a 5'10" G/F for the Grand River Renegades (HS) and Tricounty Thunder (Club) teams, has announced her verbal commitment to the NCAA D1 Vermont Catamounts, becoming the fourth CWOSSA player in the last three years to commit to the America East school.

"I chose Vermont because I know I can make an impact and contribute right away," said Teny.  "Their coaching staff is amazing and it's not every day that you get to play university ball with former teammates."

The former teammates that Teny is referring to are twins Courtney and Candice Wright, who announced their commitment in 2013; they recently started classes and will be first-year players on the Vermont roster this season.

Over the summer, Summer Pahl (St. Mary's / Tricounty), who is entering grade ten this fall, verbally committed her future to the Catamounts, commencing in the 2018-19 season.

Now, Teny has announced her commitment, which will be effective for the 2016-17 season.  

A first-team all-star in the WCSSAA league last season as a grade 11, Teny helped Grand River to a WCSSAA championship and their first-ever CWOSSA Senior Girls' "AAAA" title last year, resulting in GRCI's second-ever OFSAA appearance.

Returning almost their entire roster this season, the Rens are expected to be one of the top two CWOSSA programs, alongside perennial powerhouse Brantford St. John's.  

Most recently, Teny won a JUEL league title with the Tricounty Thunder Juel team this past spring, and was a member of the Ontario Provincial Team that captured the Canadian National championship this summer in Alberta.  She is also a nationally identified player, having been invited to Junior National tryouts this past year as well.

Craig Nickel, who coached Teny on the Tricounty Thunder Juel team that won the JUEL league title, had high praise for the versatile wing-forward.

"Nyamuoch was a key player on that provincial championship team," Nickel said, "she is an outstanding offensive player who can really score the ball -- she's equally adept in the lane and behind the arc.  Defensively, Nyamuoch has quick feet and hands which allow her to be a lockdown defender."

Nickel also noted that her impressive skill-set extends off the court, as well.

"She's one of the most kind and considerate athletes I've ever coached," he added, "I'm very happy for Nyamuoch for realizing her dream to play Division I basketball, and I will watch with a lot of pride as she continues her success at Vermont!"

Allan Bush, Head Coach of Tricounty Thunder's Juel Prep Team, agreed with Nickel's comments.

"She's one of the nicest and friendliest players on and off the court you will ever meet," said Bush.  "All of the players and coaches, both inside and outside our program, love her."

"That said, she's also a great competitor and teams don't want to play her because she can shoot, drive, and create scoring chances out of nothing.  On the other end, she plays some of the toughest one-on-one defense in Canada."

"This is a great story about what one can do with hard work and dedication to the game," Bush added, "this was always a dream of hers to play at the next level in the NCAA."

CWOSSABasketball.com's Mark Yolkowski wasn't surprised that yet another CWOSSA talent has elected to go to Vermont.

"It's amazing to think that four players from CWOSSA-area basketball and the same club program could all be teammates on an NCAA Division I basketball program at the same time --- but that's exactly what could happen in 2018-19," Yolkowski said.  "As has been widely noted, CWOSSA players have had a strong history of success at Vermont, and all of us who follow and support area basketball are excited to see that success continue."

In accordance with NCAA regulations, Vermont is unable to comment on the status of a commitment until that player signs a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to confirm their enrollment at the school.

About Tricounty Thunder Basketball

The Tricounty Thunder girls’ basketball program competes in the Juel league of Ontario. The Tricounty franchise develops talent from Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford, and Guelph.

The Tricounty Thunder program now maintains one of only 14 teams competing in the Juel League of Ontario established to develop competitive players and deliver a platform to be scouted to compete in a post-secondary institution both across the country and internationally.

Players within this program demand attention from local basketball post-secondary institutions and attract inquiries from coaches and scouts south of the border.

Not only does this program promote skill development to enable athletic opportunity, but it also guides the athletes through the process of recruitment both nationally and within the NCAA standards.

This club also offers a Juel Prep team and a competitive summer travel program, which has made tournament appearances in North Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky, Illinois, Florida, New York, and Ohio.

Skills camps are hosted throughout the year and run by guest-coaches from the women’s basketball program at Windsor (Ontario), Acadia (Nova Scotia), and Memorial (Newfoundland).

Alumni from this program have achieved recognition within their post-secondary programs and continue to impact the leagues they progress in as they build on the skill development that was established within the Tricounty Thunder girls’ basketball club.

About CWOSSABasketball.com
CWOSSABasketball.com, founded by Mark Yolkowski in 2009, is an independent high school basketball website focusing on schools in Central-Western Ontario.

For more information, contact:
Allan Bush, Head Coach – Tricounty Thunder
Phone: (519) 883-5350
allan.bush@cibc.ca

Mark Yolkowski, CWOSSABasketball.com
Cell: (519) 222-8248
mark@cwossabasketball.com

Around The Horn: Tuesday News & Notes

D8 Junior Girls Tipped Off Monday
There was one game on the District 8 Junior girls schedule on Monday afternoon; the St. David Celtics were comfortable winners in their home debut, posting a 29-10 victory over the visiting St. Mary's Eagles.

Thalia Cruz's 13-point effort was more than the Celtics would need on Monday; Emily White added 4 more for the winners.  Sunday Okot (5) and Bianca Angel (3) were tops for St. Mary's.

D10:  Regular Season Begins Today
Two years removed from a 12-2 record and a D10 championship finals appearance, the St. James Lions will not be fielding a team this coming season based upon the schedule and information posted on the D4/D10 website Scorestop.com.

Instead, the senior circuit will feature an imbalanced 7-team schedule; all 8 D10 schools will be participating in the junior ranks.

Today's opening games will feature JF Ross at Bishop Mac, Centennial at GCVI, CWDHS at Lourdes and St. James at Orangeville (Junior Only).

St. John's Dominant Again in Tournament Play
Hosting their Brantford Tip-Off Classic alongside fellow BCSSAA school Assumption, the St. John's Green Eagles were dominant for the second consecutive weekend in taking home another tournament title.

Playing Waterloo Collegiate, Hamilton Brebeuf, and Brantford Assumption in the tournament final, the Green Eagles won all three games by at least 30 points.  

Victory margins were 69-17 (WCI), 63-33 (Brebeuf) and 46-10 (Assumption).

Having now dominated two good tournament fields in two weeks, it's safe to say that this year's version of the "Green Machine" will be not only among the elite teams in CWOSSA, but the province as well.

Bluevale Takes WODSS Tournament Title
Also in tournament play on the weekend, the WODSS Crusaders hosted their annual tournament, which was a 6-team pool-play affair.

The Waterloo Bluevale Knights defeated the Guelph Centennial Spartans in a close championship final, 36-33.  Both teams had earlier posted 2-0 records in their respective pools to advance to the tournament final.

In Pool "A", Centennial posted wins over Waterloo-Oxford (49-36) and Stratford Central (43-19).  Stratford Central defeated WODSS in the other contest, 37-31.

In Pool "B", Bluevale was victorious over Strathroy (44-37) and Preston (38-22).  Strathroy handled Preston by a 45-26 score in the pool's other game.

Reminder:  Tournament Results / Exhibition Games
I'm still missing a few results from the weekend, including the Eastwood Tournament and a couple of exhibition games.  Please feel free to Tweet me (@cwossabball) or e-mail (mark @ cwossabasketball.com) if you can help me out.  Thanks!

Brant News: Girls' Hoops Tips Off Thursday

Article By:  Sean Allen

When the ball tips off for the Brant senior girls high school season on Thursday, there is little question the St. John’s College Green Eagles will have a target on their backs. 

The Green Eagles captured their second preseason tournament this past weekend as co-hosts of the annual Brantford Tip Off Classic at Assumption College and St. John’s. 

The tournament featured teams from Waterloo, Hamilton, Cambridge, Chatham-Kent and Guelph, as well as Brant’s Assumption College Lions, Brantford Collegiate Institute Mustangs and Green Eagles. 

The Green Eagles would meet the Lions in the championship and come away with a 46-10 victory. 

St. John’s also beat the Waterloo Collegiate Institute Vikings and St. Jean de Brebeuf Braves in the tournament. Grade 10 player Kaitlyn Overeem scored 20-plus points against the Vikings and Braves.

The Green Eagles will host the Mustangs on Thursday to begin the season. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m. Also on the first night of action, the Paris District High School Panthers visit the Pauline Johnson Collegiate Thunderbirds at 5:30 p.m. and the Lions host the North Park Trojans at 7 p.m.

Matchups for junior games shadow the senior games and begin 90 minutes earlier. 

Changes to regional and provincial classifications have altered how the teams will compete to move beyond Brant this season. 

There is no more AAAA class for the largest high schools. Instead, all Brant schools fall into either the AAA classification with more than 950 students or the AA classification with between 500 and 950 students. 

The Green Eagles, Lions, Mustangs and Trojans will compete for two berths to the CWOSSA (Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association) tournament at the AAA level. The T-Birds and Panthers will compete for one entry to the AA CWOSSA tournament. 

Boys volleyball also begins on Thursday, with a reciprocal schedule to girls basketball. 

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantnews.com/sports-story/5922803-girls-hoops-tips-off-thursday/

And we're off! St. John's rolls through Western Purple & White; Van Leeuwen MVP

The St. John's Green Eagles, who are projected to be the top team in CWOSSA Senior Girls' basketball this season, lived up to their preseason hype with a dominating effort this past weekend in London at the annual "Purple & White" Senior Girls' tournament.

The tournament is recognized as a very competitive preseason tournament, and requires skill and depth to win it, given that teams must win 5 games in 2 days (32-team event).  Nonetheless, this was not an issue for the Green Eagles who not only won all 5 games, but did so by at least 15 points per contest.

St. John's took out Windsor LaSalle (52-22), London John Paul II (62-26), Sarnia St. Patrick's (71-34), Windsor St. Anne's (66-47) and then Barrie Innisdale in the final (44-29).

Kendra Van Leeuwen, who has committed to NCAA D1 George Washington, led the way for the Green Eagles and was named as the tournament's MVP.  Kaitlyn Overeem was a first-team all-star.

Three other CWOSSA teams were also in attendance.

The WCI Vikings went 1-2, dropping their opener to Collingwood (55-24) before rebounding with a win over London South (53-11).  The Vikes lost a consolation quarterfinal to London Gold Medal, the lone club team in the field, 40-28.

Brantford North Park dropped their opener 52-38 to Sarnia St. Patrick's, then were dispatched 57-31 by Waterdown in their second game.  They did get a win in their 3rd game, 26-22 over Windsor LaSalle.

Brantford Assumption was also in the field, and had a tough draw, losing to powerhouses Sarnia Northern (62-32) and Holy Trinity (51-22) before defeating London Catholic Central (49-34) in their finale.

If you're interested in checking out the full results, they're available on the Western website.

CWOSSA Alumni Tracker: Class Of '15 (Or Transfers)

With another school year set to begin, here's a look at some of the former CWOSSA players who won't be suiting up at their previous schools this year --- most graduates, and a couple of prep transfers to discuss as well.

Big thanks to Barry Hayes (HoopStarsCanada.com) and others for information to assist in compiling this list.

**This is a preliminary list based upon available information and will be updated frequently.  Please feel free to advise me of any additional names (e-mail mark @ cwossabasketball.com; or tweet @cwossabball).  Thanks!

Men - CIS
Saajan Arora, Manitoba (former SJK & Jacob Hespeler)
Ivan Bilandzic, Laurier (former SJK & WCI)
Mike Blumel, Queen's (former SJK & St. Mary's)
Nik Farkic, Western (Cameron Heights)
Michael Ganson, Lakehead (former SJK & Bishop Mac)
TJ Lall, Carleton (Galt CI)
Jermaine Lyle, Algoma (St. Mary's)
Brett Parrott, Laurier (SJAM)
Matt Quiring, McMaster (Jacob Hespeler)
Nathan Riley, Algoma (St. Mary's)
Andre Toic, McMaster (Assumption)
Tommy Yanchus, Guelph (JF Ross)

Men - NCAA
Jamal Murray, D1 Kentucky (Orangeville Prep via Grand River)
Tesloth Simon, D2 Missouri S&T (St. Mary's)

Men - College (Canadian)


Men - USA / JUCO
Sasha Simic, Vincennes / Indiana (Cameron Heights)
Tyrick Thompson, Dawson / Montana (St. Mary's)

Men - Prep
Ivan Cucak, Hargrave Military / Virginia (CHCI)
Brandon John, Hill Academy Brantford (North Park)
DeShaun Lalor, Hill Academy Brantford (SJK/SDCSS)
Brett Sloan, Athlete Institute Prep (John Diefenbaker)
Luke Wouters, Athlete Institute Prep (Orangeville)

Women - NCAA
Candice Wright, D1 Vermont (Jacob Hespeler)
Courtney Wright, D1 Vermont (Jacob Hespeler)

Women - CIS
Kaylee Anagnostopoulos, Windsor (WCI)
Julia Curran, Western (Bluevale)
Megan Thompson, Dalhousie (St. John's)
Taylor White, Calgary (Southwood)

Women - College
Hunter Johns, Mohawk (Cameron Heights)
Breanne Vande Ven, Redeemer (Delhi)

NCAA Commitments: Julianna Thomson (WCHS) Commits to Ivy League's Dartmouth

Pic via Tricounty Thunder

Another D8 student athlete recently announced an NCAA commitment, as 6'2" Julianna Thomson (Tricounty Thunder / Woodland CHS) announced a verbal commitment to Dartmouth College, an Ivy League NCAA D1 school located in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Thomson's commitment makes 3 NCAA commitments for D8 students this summer.  Summer Pahl (St. Mary's 2018 / Vermont) and St. Mary's boys' star Tesloth Simon (St. Mary's 2015 / D2 Missouri S&T) were the other CWOSSA talents clarifying their intentions.

In conversation with CrownScoutGirls.com (article link), Thomson noted that she was "excited to have given my verbal commitment to Dartmouth College (and) I'm glad to have the decision out of the way and focus on getting better my last year of high school."

Thomson played a handful of games last year at Woodland, doing most of her damage for the Tricounty Thunder Juel team.  She was named to the Juel of Ontario All-Star game squad alongside teammate (and another NCAA D1 commit) Kendra Van Leeuwen.

Thomson's commitment is the latest in a string of NCAA signings for the Tricounty Thunder club program, who have now averaged at least one NCAA commitment per year, along with a plethora of CIS and CCAA commitments.

To my knowledge, Thomson also becomes the first CWOSSA player to commit to an Ivy League school in women's basketball.  Onnie Mayshak, a star player for the St. Benedict Senior Boys in the late 90s, played two seasons at Harvard between 1999-2001, before staying at the Ivy League school and earning his degree.

It's official - former CWOSSA Star Jamal Murray Chooses Kentucky

Former Grand River Renegade Jamal Murray, who played his last two years of high school at Orangeville Prep, made his future official on Wednesday by signing with the Kentucky Wildcats of the NCAA's Southeastern Conference.

For those that missed it, here's the announcement that aired live on TSN:



It was widely known that, after reclassifying, Kentucky and Oregon led the potential suitors in the "Murray Sweepstakes".

A 6'5 guard, Murray joins a Kentucky team that went 38-1 last year, although the 'Cats will lose several pieces in tonight's NBA draft, most notably Karl-Anthony Towns who is projected to be drafted first or second overall.  Trey Lyles, another Canadian who was a key member of UK's 2014-15 team, is a projected lottery pick.

No matter for Kentucky, as the 'Cats will reload with a solid recruiting class keyed by Murray and Isaiah Briscoe, both "5 star" PG recruits.  Returning PG Tyler Ulis will add to the stacked UK backcourt, where some are suggesting that Coach John Calipari may invoke a "positionless basketball" lineup with Ulis, Murray and Briscoe all in the backcourt at the same time.

SNY's Adam Zagoria, in the post linked above, calls Murray "one of the best point guards — if not the best — on the planet not currently in the NBA."

Needless to say, it's been an astronomical climb for a kid from Kitchener who began his career at Grand River Collegiate, where we saw some of what he was capable of during the 2011-12 season, including this wild finish against Cameron Heights in the WCSSAA Semifinals, where Murray hit a game-tying three-pointer with about :40 left followed by a steal and the game winning buzzer beater:





It was during the summer following his grade nine season that Murray's stock began to rapidly rise; he played Senior basketball for the Rens in grade 10 (a season that was mostly wiped away due to the work-to-rule action by local teachers).  By then, the prep schools were clamoring for his services but Murray decided to stay close to home, in Orangeville, Ontario.

In his announcement, Murray made specific mention of how proud he is to represent Canada, and how playing in Canada presented a "unique opportunity" for him.

"A lot of people said 'I can't do what I'm doing here in Canada'," said Murray during his announcement, "but my response was, 'you can do anything you want as long as you put your mind to it."

Murray's Kentucky career will kick off the weekend of November 13th and 14th at Rupp Arena with home games against Albany and NJIT.  His first "big test" of his freshman season will come November 17th, when Kentucky takes on Duke as part of the "Champions Classic" at the United Center in Chicago.

Summer Pahl Verbally Commits to University of Vermont; Becomes Youngest Ever Ontario Player to Announce NCAA D1 Commitment

Kitchener, ON – Allan Bush, Head Coach of Tricounty JUEL Prep Basketball, is pleased to announce the verbal commitment of Summer Pahl, a 5’10” Combo Guard to the University of Vermont, an NCAA Division I school located in Burlington, VT, and a member of the America East Conference. Pahl, who will be completing grade nine at St. Mary’s HS in Kitchener next month, has been awarded a full athletic scholarship and will attend Vermont starting in the 2018-19 academic year.

In announcing her commitment, Pahl becomes the youngest-ever player from Ontario to verbally commit to an NCAA Division I school in women’s basketball.

A visit to Vermont last summer set the wheels in motion for Pahl’s announcement.

“I attended the Vermont summer skills camp last August and fell in love with everything --- the town, the campus, and the coaching staff,” Pahl said.  “It was a very welcoming town and felt like home to me.  The university is well respected academically and has the program that I was looking for.”

“The main reason for picking Vermont, though, is (Head) Coach (Lori Gear) McBride,” she added.  “Once the offer came, I knew that it would be where I wanted to be so I decided to commit.  In doing so, I’m not wasting anyone’s time, and I can put my focus on getting better and stronger,” Pahl said.

Pahl continues the pipeline of commitments to Vermont from Waterloo Region.  In fact, she becomes the fifth area player to commit to the Catamounts since the year 2000.  Vermont’s 5th (Aaron Yanzti /Waterloo-Oxford) and 7th (May Kotsopoulos/WCI) career leading scorers are among those past players.

Most recently, twin sisters Candice and Courtney Wright, who played high school basketball at Jacob Hespeler Secondary in Cambridge and club basketball for the Tricounty Thunder, signed their National Letters of Intent and will be enrolling at Vermont this fall.  The Wrights will be in their senior season when Pahl enters her freshman year.

Canadian roots run deep at UVM; Vermont’s Head Coach, Lori Gear McBride, is Canadian, while current assistant coach, Courtnay Pilypaitis, is a native of Orleans, Ontario and competed for Canada in basketball at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Pilypaitis played for Vermont from 2006-2010, and ranks third all-time on their scoring list (1993 career points).

In accordance with NCAA regulations, Vermont is unable to comment on the status of a commitment until the player signs a National Letter of Intent to confirm their enrollment at the university.  However, her current coaching staff raves about her ability and versatility.

“Summer is extremely versatile, with the ability to run the point, post up, drive, or shoot threes,” said Tricounty Thunder’s Head Coach, Allan Bush. “Essentially, she can play any position on the floor from point guard to post.”

“That said, she’s also the best off-ball player I’ve seen in years,” he added.  “She’s an intense defender, and one of the hardest workers on and off the court.  She is the first player to dive for a loose ball, and the first to pick up a teammate off the floor that was knocked down.”

In talking about why Vermont made their offer, Coach Bush noted “Vermont loves her style of play, which their coaching staff feels is perfect for NCAA Division 1, and they also love her commitment to get better.  Vermont’s Head Coach, Lori Gear McBride, has seen her play five times in the last year and they are excited to get a high ceiling impact player.”

Tricounty JUEL Prep Assistant Coach Laura Bosser added that “Summer is already at a level where she consistently demonstrates basketball maturity both through skill and leadership.  And yet, she continues to strive for improvement each day.”

Pam Danis, former Head Coach at the University of Manitoba, has seen Pahl play on numerous occasions and agreed with the coaches’ comments.

“Summer is a special athlete that every coach loves to have,” Danis said, “everyday she comes to the gym striving to become the best she can be.  Her dedication, commitment and passion for the game will be a great addition to the Vermont program.”

With the Tricounty Thunder JUEL Prep team, Pahl was a key member of that squad that captured the Bronze Medal at the recent Ontario JUEL (Juvenile Elite League) Prep championship.  She also was a first-team District 8 Junior Girls’ all-star, leading the league in scoring and helping St. Mary’s to a 2nd place regular-season league finish.  Among her impressive performances during the high-school season was a 28-point scoring effort against league rivals Resurrection Catholic, the #1-ranked CWOSSA team who went undefeated against area competition, only allowing 15.8 points per game against in league play.

Mark Yolkowski, founder of CWOSSABasketball.com, a website dedicated to area high-school basketball, wasn’t surprised by Pahl’s commitment, or the attention that has been given to younger players in the area.

“There was a tremendous crop of local talent, including Summer, in grades nine and ten this past year,” said Yolkowski. “She is a great talent who also makes those around her better.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new record for number of post-secondary commitments in a graduating class for local players among those age-groups,” he added.

Coach Bush agreed with that assessment, and noted that Vermont might not yet be done in recruiting area talent from the Tricounty program.

“Vermont loves the skill level of our players and their commitment level.  I know they are interested in more of our elite players especially after our Juel Team finished 1st in the province and our Juel Prep Team placed 3rd in the province.”
Summer, who is entering the 10th grade at St. Mary’s in September, will play up on the St. Mary’s Senior Girls’ team this fall.  An all-around athlete, she has also advanced to this week’s CWOSSA track and field championships in the Shot Put and 4x400 relay for the Eagles.  She is planning to pursue physiotherapy at Vermont, with future plans of operating a physiotherapy clinic when her playing days are over.

About Tricounty Thunder Basketball

The Tricounty Thunder girls’ basketball program competes in the Juel league of Ontario. The Tricounty franchise develops talent from Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford, and Guelph.

The Tricounty Thunder program now maintains one of only 14 teams competing in the Juel League of Ontario established to develop competitive players and deliver a platform to be scouted to compete in a post-secondary institution both across the country and internationally.

Players within this program demand attention from local basketball post-secondary institutions and attract inquiries from coaches and scouts south of the border.

Not only does this program promote skill development to enable athletic opportunity, but it also guides the athletes through the process of recruitment both nationally and within the NCAA standards.

This club also offers a Juel Prep team and a competitive summer travel program, which has made tournament appearances in North Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky, Illinois, Florida, New York, and Ohio.

Skills camps are hosted throughout the year and run by guest-coaches from the women’s basketball program at Windsor (Ontario), Acadia (Nova Scotia), and Memorial (Newfoundland).

Alumni from this program have achieved recognition within their post-secondary programs and continue to impact the leagues they progress in as they build on the skill development that was established within the Tricounty Thunder girls’ basketball club.

About CWOSSABasketball.com
CWOSSABasketball.com, founded by Mark Yolkowski in 2009, is an independent high school basketball website focusing on schools in Central-Western Ontario.

For more information, contact:
Allan Bush, Head Coach – Tricounty Thunder JUEL Prep
Phone: (519) 883-5350
allan.bush@cibc.ca

Mark Yolkowski, CWOSSABasketball.com
Cell: (519) 222-8248
mark@cwossabasketball.com

OFSAA Announces Classifications; AAA to be 951+

The other major announcement from last week's OFSAA AGM was the determination of the classifications for next season.

As you (likely) know, AAAA is being eliminated and CWOSSA/OFSAA are going back to a three-tier (A, AA, AAA) model.

The divisions are as follows:
A:  1-500
AA:  501-950
AAA:  951+

Without question, the AAA division is going to be extremely competitive.  Based upon this year's numbers, 29 schools (yes, 29!) would be in the AAA division next year.

In fact, the only schools that would drop from AAA to AA (again, based on this year's numbers) would be Guelph St. James and Orangeville Westside.  The other 14 schools would merge with the 15 AAAA schools to form the division.

As I mentioned in a previous post, it would be great to see an "NCAA-style conference tournament" for the CWOSSA championship; with the talent level in the region, it would be great to see a showcase event to celebrate it.

Shot Clocks, (Most) FIBA Rules Coming to Ontario HS Hoops

It won't be until the 2016-17, but OFSAA officials confirmed yesterday that FIBA rules and shot clocks will be coming to Ontario High School basketball --- with a couple of tweaks.

(You can see the full news release from OFSAA here).

Most notably, a 35-second shot clock will be implemented; there will be full resets of the shot clock on fouls and shots off the rim.

A couple of "federation" (current) rules will be retained --- federation lines will be used even when FIBA lines are available; also, the current timeout procedure will be retained.

We'll have more on this development later.

D8: MVP Historical Listing

Thanks to Record HS Sports Reporter Mark Bryson for doing some digging through their archives and helping me complete the list.

2015 - Zubair Seyed, SBCSS
2014 - Tesloth Simon, SMHS
2013 - Tesloth Simon, SMHS
2012 - Adam Voll, SMHS
2011 - Alex Thompson, SMHS
2010 - Andrew Mwangi, RCSS
2009 - Bryson Johnson, SDCSS
2008 - Jordan Dixon, RCSS
2007 - Jon Minkarious, RMC
2006 - Jordan Hannah, SMHS
2005 - David Burnett, RMC
2004 - Matt Walker, RCSS
2003 - Matt Walker, RCSS & Ian Harriette, SBCSS
2002 - Adam Falsetto, RCSS & Chris Richards, SBCSS
2001 - Gerard Magennis, SBCSS
2000 - Mike Faryniarz, Rez & Jamie Quamina, SB
1999 - Onnie Mayshak, SBCSS
1998 - Onnie Mayshak, SBCSS
1997 - Andy Kwiatkowski, RCSS
1996 - Andy Kwiatkowski, RCSS
1995 - Andy Kwiatkowski, RCSS
1994 - Ron Townes, MDCSS
1993 - Nelson Aquiar, MDCSS
1992 - BJ York, SDCSS
1991 - Matthew Roorda, Woodland

Past MVP Award Winners: Mike Moser Award (WCSSAA MVP)

Thought it would be neat to track down listings of past MVP winners, starting with the WCSSAA league and the Mike Moser MVP Award.

(Please feel free to Tweet or E-mail me if you can help fill out anything pre-1991; I'm also missing the 1997 winner).

Here's a look at what I've put together:

2015 - Nedim Hodzic, SJAM
2014 - Chuder Teny, Grand River
2013 - (No Award)
2012 - Javon Masters, Forest Heights
2011 - Amjed Osman, Cameron Heights
2010 - Stefan Cvrkalj, Bluevale
2009 - Justin Tomas, SJAM
2008 - Nik Saric, Forest Heights
2007 - Zach Nagtzaam, Southwood
2006 - Cam McIntyre, KCI
2005 - Gavin Horne, WCI
2004 - Craig Bauslaugh, KCI
2003 - Borko Popic, KCI
2002 - Matt McIntyre, KCI
2001 - Graham Jarman, Glenview Park
2000 - Jon Olsen, Grand River
1999 - Rhoan Sterling, Galt
1998 - Brian Ferreira, Galt
1997 - Cory Bondy, Preston
1996 - Trifon Pappas, Glenview Park
1995 - Dave Wahl, WCI
1994 - Chad Saynor, Glenview Park
1993 - Newton, Waterloo-Oxford
1992 - Jason Meskis, Forest Heights
1991 - Tony Weis, WCI

The Record: SJAM's Hodzic Wins Moser MVP Award

Via @DarrenStevenson / Twitter

Article By:  Mark Bryson

WATERLOO — Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders head coach Steve Maloney calls his star player Mr. Double-Double and it has nothing to do with coffee. 

What we're talking here is consistency, as in Nedim Hodzic's ability to consistently record double-digit points and rebounds during the recent high school basketball season. 

"The beauty of Nedim is he performs the same game-in, game-out, he's just so consistent. That's why I call him Mr. Double-Double," said Maloney. 

"He did that (double-digit points and rebounds) in 25 (of 38) games this season and he could have had more had I not pulled him (out of lopsided games)." 

The six-foot-six Hodzic was rewarded for his consistently outstanding play on Wednesday night when he was named this year's winner of the Mike Moser Memorial Award as the most valuable player in the Waterloo County senior boys basketball league. 

Hodzic said he was flattered to receive the award that was presented during the halftime break of the annual WCSSAA all-star game at Waterloo Collegiate Institute. 

"I feel like it's a testament to my hard work. I'm always practising and always in the gym trying to get better," he said. 

"And I compete as hard as I can every game, so to get the MVP award at the end of the season, it means a lot." 

The Moser award caps a memorable season for Hodzic, a Grade 12 player who led the Highlanders to WCSSAA and CWOSSA championships and a strong showing at the OFSAA quad-A championship in Windsor. In those 38 games that included tournament play, Hodzic averaged 23.2 points and 13.3 rebounds game. 

"He leads by example with his effort. He's got an incredibly high motor – he never stops – and you see that when he's on the glass," said Maloney. 

Hodzic has yet to decide on what he'll do next. He has offers to play university ball in Canada and is also considering returning for a fifth year at SJAM. 

The Moser award is named after the Forest Heights grad that died suddenly while travelling in Florida with the UW Warriors in 1975. 

Hodzic was joined on WCSSAA's first-team all-star unit by SJAM teammate Simon Petrov, TJ Lall of Galt, Nikola Farkic of Cameron Heights, and Stefan Simic of KCI. 

Earlier in the evening, WCI Vikings guard Kaylee Anagnostopoulos became the first recipient of the Julie Devenny MVP Award as the top player in the WCSSAA senior girls basketball league. 

Anagnostopoulos has committed to attend the University of Windsor next year and will suit up for the five-time defending national champion Lancers. 

The girls award was named after former WCI standout Julie Devenny, who went on to an outstanding basketball career at the University of Waterloo that included being named Canada's top rookie in 2002. 

Diagnosed with lung cancer before her 25th birthday, Devenny battled the disease into remission once but was unable to beat a second attack. She died in 2012 at the age of 29. 

Anagnostopoulos was joined on the first all-star team by Nyamuoch Teny and Maya Day of Grand River, Taylor White of Southwood, Candice Wright of Jacob Hespeler, and Julia Curran of Bluevale. 

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