Official WCSSAA Senior All-Stars

As sent my way by league sources, here are the **official** details surrounding this year's WCSSAA All-Star Game.

Date: Wednesday, April 21st (7:00pm Tipoff)

Location: WCI (300 Hazel St., Waterloo)

Cost: $3 with a student card, $5 without. All proceeds benefit Big Brothers & Sisters of Kitchener-Waterloo & Cambridge.

The game will feature 24 of the best basketball players in Waterloo Region. And the participants are:

WCSSAA First Team Senior All-Stars:
Stefan Arezina, Cameron Heights (4th year)
Stefan Cvrkalj, Bluevale (4th year)
Arben Kalaba, KCI (5th year)
Taylor McNaughton, Forest Heights (5th year)
Jake Robinet, SJAM (5th year)

WCSSAA Second Team Senior All-Stars:
Andrew Beney, Bluevale (5th year)
Jeff Robinson, Preston (5th year)
Tristan Ruddock, KCI (5th year)
Mark Stotesbury, Southwood (4th year)
Jasper Wesson, WCI (5th year)

The "home team" will be coached by Bluevale's Doros Theodosiou and will feature Cvrkalj, Kalaba, Beney, Robinson, Wesson and Ruddock. In addition, the following all-stars will join that team:

Drew Ballak, Bluevale
Darnell Simpson, KCI
Zaman Sindy, Eastwood
Nic Bradford, Galt
Osama Qahwash, Grand River
Connor Paddock, Jacob Hespeler

The "visiting team" will be coached by SJAM's Steve Maloney and will feature Arezina, McNaughton, Robinet, and Stotesbury. They will be joined by the following all-stars:

Edem Ame, SJAM
Ben Reyhani, SJAM
Nebojsa Djeric, Cameron Heights
Brian Doran, Southwood
Eric Alderice, Elmira
Cory Prince, Glenview Park
Kyle Weber, Waterloo-Oxford
TBD, Huron Heights

The HHHS all-star was not available at the time of this post, but will be passed along shortly. Once I have it, I'll update the post.

Also of note is that the Mike Moser Award (WCSSAA MVP) will be presented at halftime of the game. I think we can all agree on the overwhelming favourite to win that prestigious award.....but we'll see what happens.

Brant All-Stars Drop Opener in Spectator Classic

The Brant County Senior Boys' All-Stars dropped a 99-83 decision to the Hamilton Catholic All-Stars in their opening game at the 21st annual Hamilton Spectator All-Star Classic.

"I think our boys got a little fatigued," Brant coach Todd Andrew told the Brantford Expositor (article link). "We just don't have the depth in our league that they do here."

Scoring leaders for Brant County were Cale McDonald (North Park) with 23, Joe Dalia (St. John's) and Dave Eves (North Park) with 17, and JR Gallarza of St. John's with 15 points.

The Brant All-Stars will now play in the consolation final against the Hamilton Public All-Stars, who were nipped 92-90 by the Halton All-Stars. That game goes at 5pm over at St. Thomas More in Hamilton.

The Full Roster for Brant County is:

Josh Fabe (Paris DHS)

Joe Dalia (St. John's)

JR Gallarza (St. John's)

Cale McDonald (North Park)

Dave Eves (North Park)

Mark Dickens (North Park)

Mike Dulmage (North Park)

Dan Baterseh (Assumption)

Tyler Thibert (Pauline Johnson)

Harrison Dickson (Brantford CI)

cwossabasketball.com's WCSSAA 2009-2010 Junior All-Stars

Again, these are not "official" WCSSAA all-stars, but thought I'd throw them out there since WCSSAA hasn't historically announced junior all-star selections.

Just a note --- like their senior teams, at least one player had to represent each school.

Let's get right to it:

WCSSAA Junior First Team All-Stars

Sean Samuel, Huron Heights (MVP - Guard, Grade 10)

This kid can light it up --- and against good teams too. Aside from his playoff game against FHCI (scoresheet said 27, but his coach and those in attendance say he had 40+), he put 32 home against Grand River, 28 against Resurrection, and 26 in league games against WCI and Forest Heights among others.

Have to give him the MVP based not only his numbers, but the fact that he really helped carry the team after they were decimated by injury and the transfer of Sam Hernandez to St. Mary's --- he led them to an upset shocker over the (at the time) CWOSSA favourite Forest Heights Trojans. Though things didn't go so well in the WCSSAA semis against WCI, the Huskies rebounded to make the CWOSSA semifinals before bowing out. All in all, a successful season and his talent will be greatly appreciated in coming years by the Senior Huskies who are looking to make their first playoff appearance in school history.

Javon Masters, Forest Heights (Guard, Grade 10)

Alongside teammate Juwan Miller, he was part of the most dynamic backcourt in the region. In all likelihood, would have been my MVP if not for the Trojans' early playoff exit. Tremendous finisher and has a great knack to draw contact in the lane. Was a good three-point shooter in grade 9, and improved upon that this season. Besides his season-high 42 points against WODSS, he put in an impressive 30 on Bishop Mac & Huron Heights, and 28 and 26 on GRCI and WCI respectively. People sometimes overlook his defensive capabilities with all those high scoring efforts, but he's solid there too --- and is dynamic in looking ahead and finding people on the fast break.

Vedran Dmitrovic, Cameron Heights (Guard, Grade 10)

Really came on this year and established himself as one of the top junior players in WCSSAA. Hit for 20+ points in 6 regular season WCSSAA games, and led his team to victory in the HHHS/RCSS "Purple and Gold" Shootout --- scoring 25 points and adding 5 'boards.

Speaking of rebounding, he hauled in 17 rebounds (as a 6'0" guard!) in their WCSSAA semifinal loss to Grand River --- and scored 21 points in that contest too.

I look forward to seeing good things from this great shooting guard at the senior level. Assuming all of Cameron Heights' seniors come back, that's going to be a heck of a team over the next couple of years.

Jason Quiring, Jacob Hespeler (PG, Grade 10)

Exploded onto the scene in January and got everyone's attention with a 40 point outburst against Bluevale. When he scored 22 and led JHSS to an upset win over WCI, everyone knew that he was the real deal. Helped lead the Hawks to their best season ever in junior basketball --- culminating in a CWOSSA "AAA" finals appearance.

This 6'2" PG is really just starting to come into his own, so keep his name in your memory banks as he heads into senior play.

Filip Cvrkalj, Grand River (SG/SF, Grade 10)

The 6'3" Cvrkalj has "in the gym range" and Cameron Heights found that out the hard way. In the WCSSAA semifinal on Cameron's home floor, he dropped 28 points (including 6-10 from 3 point land) en route to a GRCI victory and CWOSSA appearance.

He's a terrific scorer that was second only to Sean Samuel in number of 20+ outings, and he helped lead a GRCI team that many had low expectations for at the start of the year to WCSSAA final and CWOSSA semifinal appearances.

The scary thing? Over the latter part of the season he was battling mononucleosis. Yikes!

WCSSAA Junior Second-Team All-Stars

Jacob Ranton, G/F, Waterloo CI (Grade 10)

Malcolm Piazza, C, Waterloo CI (Grade 10)

Juwan Miller, G, Forest Heights (Grade 9)

Wes Meertens, F, Preston (Grade 10)

Andrew Squires, G, Glenview Park (Grade 10)

WCSSAA All-Stars: Honourable Mentions

Nem Simic, Cameron Heights

James Roberts, Jacob Hespeler

Mirza Zahic, Eastwood

Jerelle Vaughan, Eastwood

Adam Anagnostopoulos, Waterloo CI

Chuder Teny, Grand River

George Stankovic, Bluevale
Jack Simmons, Galt CI
Zac Sauer, Southwood
Chris Thomson, WODSS
Amanj Aras-Saber, KCI
Quinn Turner, SJAM (note - Turner gets the SJAM nod due to the injuries to Theshawn Berry & Connor Bradley throughout the better part of the year. Tough call here but I'll give it to the big grade 9 who helped get this team off to a great start while they were battling the injury bug).

cwossabasketball.com's top 15 players of the last "decade": #1 - Cam McIntyre, KCI

You had to figure that our #1 spot might go to someone from (in my opinion), the top team this area saw over the past handful of years.

KCI's Cam McIntyre, noted by some as the "babyfaced assassin", was undoubtedly a key component of KCI's teams during their run over the middle portion of the previous decade. In particular, he led the 05-06 Raiders to the WCSSAA & CWOSSA titles and a #6 ranking for KCI at "AAAA" OFSAA ---- which was hosted here in Waterloo that year.

We all remember this '06 Mike Moser winner as a lights-out three-point shooter, but he had a most impressive mid-range game and could get by you for the occasional dunk if you played him too tightly. Perhaps one of his more memorable jams was one that sealed a win against Grand River in the 2005 CWOSSA semifinals.

In 2006, the 35-3 Raiders won their first two games at OFSAA "AAAA" to advance to the quarterfinals against Mother Teresa of Scarborough. The Titans would win by 4 (KCI did hold the lead at numerous points in the game) and go on to take the OFSAA gold medal that year. The interesting thing that many don't remember is that (potentially) the Raiders' roster could have been more stacked than it was; starting centre Ronnie Sweeney left KCI in January to take a baseball scholarship in Iowa. Meanwhile, another former Heinbuch All-Star, Jake Kindl, suffered a knee injury during football season and didn't suit up for the Raiders.

Since high school, McIntyre attended Conestoga College for a year before heading back to the hardwood for the University of Waterloo Warriors. He made a quick impact --- only a month into his rookie season, he lit up the York Lions for 37 points, which led to him being named the CIS' male athlete of the week (Nov 26-Dec 2/07). Through 3 years at the CIS level, he's averaged 15 PPG and has remained a feared three-point shooter (nearly 1/2 his attempts are from beyond the arc).

He's also had some solid outings against NCAA D-1 competition, scoring 21 points against Duquesne and 15 against East Tennessee State.

Anyways, that wraps up the list. It's been a controversial one at times with where I've ranked guys and there may be those that you feel have been omitted. That said, this is all based upon my personal opinion and not upon any scientific theory. I hope you've enjoyed!

The List:

#15 - Bobby Colorado (GRCI) & Ian Harriette (SBCSS)

#14 - Nate Samuel (ACS)

#13 - Dave Burnett (RMC)

#12 - Jordan Dixon (RCSS)
#11 - Jesse MacDonald (ACS)
#10 - Borko Popic (KCI)
#9 - Chyro Blackwood (RCSS)
#8 - Zach Nagtzaam (SSS)
#7 - Boyd Vassell (ECI)
#6 - Taylor Allan & Justin Tomas (SJAM)

#5 - Imad Qahwash (GRCI)
#4 - Jon House (CCVI)
#3 - Gavin Horne (WCI)
#2 - Craig Bauslaugh (KCI)
#1 - Cam McIntyre (KCI)

D10 MVP Chaput headed to Wilfrid Laurier

D10 MVP and Bishop Macdonell student Bree Chaput is headed to Wilfrid Laurier University next fall to continue her academic studies while playing varsity basketball for the Golden Hawks.

As Guelph Mercury reporter Rob Massey reported yesterday (CYO All-Stars Win Own Tourney), Chaput's games this past weekend in Guelph may have marked the last time she competes in Guelph for a Guelph-based team.

Chaput had 10 points in the championship final, a 60-48 victory over the Burlington Skyhawks. The All-Stars defeated Kitchener-Waterloo 41-39 in their semifinal game.

(Photo Credit - Guelph Mercury)

Stay Up To Date - Become a Facebook Fan

Stay up to date on all the latest "off season" happenings:

Become a Fan on Facebook and get all the latest CWOSSA basketball details in your news feed. Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions as well.

We won't be quite as busy over the summer but I'll try to do up a couple of posts a week --- be it recruiting information, news and notes, alumni updates, etc.

D4: All-Star Selections

All-Stars from the District 4 League:

Junior Boys:
Riley Crean (Westside)
Andrew Bronson (Westside)
Kody Fry (Westside)
Marco Zanette (CDDHS)
Carlo Zanette (CDDHS)
Doug Costanzo (CDDHS)
Cole Rooney (Wellington Hts)
Russell Hogg (Wellington Hts)

Senior Boys:
Adam Craig (Westside)
Josh Hodge (Westside)
Jordan Critch (Westside)
Dylan Craig (CDDHS)
Jadon Vardy (CDDHS)
Geoff Dunlap (CDDHS)
Nakeno Amiri (Norwell)
Trevor Martin (Norwell)
Brett Harper (Wellington Heights)
Joe Batte (Wellington Heights)
Tim Barraclough (Woodland Christian)

Rez's Herron Heads Back to Illinois

Resurrection grade 11 starting forward Ryan Herron is heading home.

As a result his father's employment transfer, Herron is heading back to Yorkville, Illinois (a town of about 50 000 an hour from Chicago) this coming summer.

This means that Resurrection now will return just 2 starters from this year's squad ---- but they were their two highest scoring starters this season (Grade 11s Andrew Mwangi and Tyler Schneider). In addition, 6 other Phoenix from this year's roster were only in grade 11, while another was in grade 12 --- giving them 9 returnees in total.

The Record: Hard Working Player Rewarded With MVP Award

By: Mark Bryson, Record staff

Retrieved From: The Waterloo Region Record

His mother was tired of him sitting around after school and not doing much of anything.

So Lucy Mwangi encouraged her son to get off the couch and give basketball a try.

Four years later, Andrew Mwangi is the most valuable player in the District 8 senior boys basketball league. The Resurrection student was honoured Wednesday night as the District 8 all-stars faced their District 10 counterparts at the University of Guelph.

The MVP nod caps a remarkable season for Mwangi, whose game improved dramatically throughout the course of the year as he made the transition from post player to wing. The Grade 11 student played a leading role for a Phoenix squad that won the District 8 title and fell just shy of reaching the Central Western Ontario championship game.

“I was actually kind of surprised. I didn’t think it would be me because I thought there were a lot of other guys who stepped up,” said the six-foot-four Mwangi. “I really hadn’t given it any thought because I figured it would go to someone in Grade 12 or someone leaving school.”

“It means a lot though. It’s like a culmination of all the hard work and practice.”

Hard work is nothing new for Mwangi, whose family came to Canada from Kenya just five years ago. He’s an articulate youngster who speaks with no hint of an accent, a dedicated student and someone who gives everything he has on the basketball court.

He’s also quick to spread the love around, saying his Rez teammates played a huge role in his MVP award. He singled out coaches Matt Kras and Patrick Buchholtz as people who helped him take his game to a higher level.

“He’s a good worker in school and works very hard on the court, too,” said Kras. “He played out of position to start the season but he developed into a good outside shooter and he was starting to put the ball on the floor and taking it to the hoop.”

Mwangi was also a leader on the Phoenix junior squad that won CWOSSA one year earlier. All in all, it’s a rather impressive stretch for someone who only started shooting hoops while in Grade 7 at St. John’s Catholic School. Until then, his only athletic achievements had been on the soccer pitch.

Mwangi looks back on the D8 title game victory over St. Mary’s as the team highlight of the year and his rim-rocking dunk against Guelph Centennial at CWOSSA as his favourite moment.

Mwangi continues to work on his skills with the K-W Vipers and will be counted on to play an even larger role next season when the Phoenix will be one of the teams to beat in Waterloo Region. With a significant chunk of the team returning, Mwangi figures the Phoenix will be capable of winning CWOSSA in 2011.

As for repeating as MVP as a Grade 12 player, Mwangi knows he’ll have to continue improving.

“I think everyone will come back next year bigger and better, so you have to put in all the work and expect anything. Nothing is handed to you,” he said. “Just because I got it this year doesn’t mean I’ll win it next year unless I’m going to put in all the work and effort I did this year.”

Mwangi also has another goal heading into next season, one that is beyond his control.

“I’m actually crossing my fingers. I’d like to be six-six or six-seven by next season and then I can retire,” he laughed.

Senior All-Star Game: D10 108, D8 105 (in OT)

In a thrilling all-star game last night at the University of Guelph, the D10 all-stars were able to survive a 33 point barrage by D8 MVP Andrew Mwangi (Resurrection) and defeat the D8 all-stars by a 108-105 final in overtime. The game was played under FIBA rules and featured 10-minute quarters.

With the score 94-92 for D10 and only 6.7 seconds remaining in regulation, D8's Alex Thompson drove the lane and missed the tying layup. However, Mwangi was right there to tip back the rebound and send the game to an extra session.

The D10 controlled the early part of the extra session --- at one point building a 7 point lead. However, a couple of missed free-throws down the stretch and D8 made baskets (including Mwangi's fifth three-pointer of the game) made it 108-105 with 8 seconds left.

After a D8 timeout, D10 turned the ball over and gave D8 the opportunity to tie things up. However, Ben Bankazo's three-point attempt was just off the mark.

Alongisde Mwangi's 33 points, Bankazo (St. Mary's) added 21 for D8 while Alex Thompson (St. Mary's) had 16. For D10, Ryan Higgins (St. James) pumped home 26, Mike Finoro (Lourdes) had 16 - all in the second half, and Centennial's Rob House and Jay Francis had 11 each.

Prior to the game, House was honoured with his third consecutive D10 MVP award. Higgins and Bankazo were given the respective honours as game MVPs.

D8 - 26-16-25-27-11 = 105

D10 - 18-25-29-22-14 = 108

D8 (105)

Isaac Lance (St. Mary's) - 2-9 (1-6 3 PT), 1-2 FT, 6 Points.

Josh Loehle (Doyle) - 3-8 (1-2 3PT), 0-0 FT, 7 Points.

Alex Thompson (St. Mary's) - 6-20 (0-7 3 PT), 4-6 FT, 16 Points.

Andrew Mwangi (Resurrection) - 13-22 (5-9 3 PT), 2-5 FT, 33 Points.

Matt Stocco (Resurrection) - 0-3 FG, 2-2 FT, 2 Points.

-----

Tyson Lavigne (St. David) - 0-3 FG, 0 Points.

Tyler Schneider (Resurrection) - 3-8 FG (1-3 3 PT), 7 Points.

Ben Bankazo (St. Mary's) - 8-16 FG (3-7 3 PT), 2-4 FT, 21 Points.

Dan Hummel (St. David) - 1-7 FG (0-1 3 PT), 2-2 FT, 4 Points.

Derrick Strickland (St. Benedict) - 1-5 FG (1-2 3 PT), 3-4 FT, 6 Points.

Josh Klassen (Rockway) - 0-2 FG, 0 Points.

Shane Teet-Corriveau (Doyle) - 1-3 FG (0-1 3 PT), 1-1 FT, 3 Points.

D10 (108)

Ryan Cook (JF Ross) - 3-9 FG (0-1 3 PT), 3-12 FT, 9 Points.

Rob House (Centennial) - 5-13 FG (1-5 3 PT), 0-0 FT, 11 Points.

Adrian Varilla (Centennial) - 1-3 FG, 3-4 FT, 5 Points.

Ryan Higgins (St. James) - 10-21 FG (1-4 3 PT), 5-5 FT, 26 Points.

Shamlo Saeed (JF Ross) - 0-2 FG, 0 Points.

-----

Brad Crnkovic (JF Ross) - 1-2 FG, 1-2 FT, 3 Points.

Mike Finoro (Lourdes) - 6-13 FG (3-6 3 PT), 1-2 FT, 16 Points.

Jon Warnholtz (GCVI) - 2-8 FG (0-1 3 PT), 1-2 FT, 5 Points.

Gavin McNamara (CWDHS) - 2-4 FG (1-2 3 PT), 2-2 FT, 7 Points.

Jay Francis (Centennial) - 4-15 FG (2-8 3 PT), 1-4 FT, 11 Points.

Kenny Hasson (St. James) - 0-1 FG, 0 Points.

Gordon Dewar (ODSS) - 4-5 FG (0-1 3 PT), 8 Points.

Patrick Clouthier (Bishop Mac) - 3-7 FG (0-1 3 PT), 6 Points.

Tim Francis (CWDHS) - 0-0 FG, 1-2 FT, 1 Point.

Junior Game

The D10 all-stars defeated the D8 all-stars by a 101-64 final in the early half of the doubleheader.

The D10ers used a quick 11-0 run (while doing a 1-3-1 press.....in an all star game?) to take control early and didn't look back.

"Our guys had fun," said D8 head coach Chris Aldworth (RCSS). "We met up once last night to shoot around and scrimmage a bit - it was definitely surprising that they decided to press us in an all-star game," he laughed. "That's not to take anything away from them (D10) as, top to bottom, there is some serious talent over there," he added.

Prior to the contest, Mitchell Wood (BMac) and Chris Watson (Lourdes) were named co-MVPs of the D10 league. Wood led the D10 all-stars with 17 points, while Chris Walser (St. Mary's) took control of the bulk of PG duties due to Rez guard Adam Schneider not playing due to injury. He led D8 with 15 points and was the D8's player of the game. Mike Friesen (JF Ross) took player of the game honours for D10.

D8 (64)

Chris Walser (SMHS) 15, Cory Kenning (RCSS) 11, Adam Voll (SMHS) 10, Matt Scanlon (SDCSS) 6, Tyler Bartley (RCSS) 5, Tevin Heath (SBCSS) 5, Jordan Fayez (RMC) 5, Jake Winter (SDCSS) 4, JC Reinosa (SMHS) 3.

D10 (101)

Mitchell Wood (BMac) 17, Michael Clouthier (BMac) 11, Chris Watson (OLOL) 11, Mike Friesen (JFR) 11, Landon McLaren (GCVI) 10, Alex Quintieri (BMac) 8, Emilio Pivato (STJ) 5, Zach McLenaghan (STJ) 5, Kyle Holmes (ODSS) 5, Jake Clark (CWDHS) 4, Ed Gray (CCVI) 4, Max Raab (OLOL) 4, Aleks Kaludjerovic (CCVI) 2.

Kotsopoulos' Career Comes to and End with Loss to Notre Dame

Former WCI star May Kotsopoulos' career at the University of Vermont has ended after her #10 Catamounts fell 84-66 to #2 Notre Dame in the second round of the NCAA tournament last night.

Kotsopoulos had 12 points (4/8 field goals, 2/3 from three, 2/2 FT) along with 4 assists and one rebound in her final collegiate contest.

For her career, she tallied 1,772 points (an impressive 13.7 PPG over 4 years), which ranks her 5th on Vermont's all-time scoring list.

Congratulations, May, on a stellar NCAA career!

cwossabasketball.com's Top 15 of the Last Decade (*): #2 - Craig Bauslaugh, KCI

KCI's Craig Bauslaugh was a lights out three-point shooter, great ball-handler and (it can be argued) was among a talented group of kids that during the mid 2000s really helped to put Kitchener-Waterloo basketball back on the map after a bit of a down-cycle during the 1990s......I recall my undefeated Bluevale Jr. Knights championship team being ranked #5 in the '97 CWOSSA championships that year, and generally that was the norm around the time period with the bulk of the talent being in Guelph and Brantford.

At any rate, you could measure his points and assists, but he also played with tremendous heart and ended up being one of the most decorated WCSSAA (and CWOSSA) players by the time he had finished his career.

He first played up to senior with fellow grade 10 Borko Popic in 2000-2001, and helped lead KCI to a victory over Grand River. A year later, they started to rise through the CWOSSA ranks, falling in the 2002 CWOSSA AAAA championship to Assumption but earning KCI their first ever trip to OFSAA in the process.

That would be the start of a tremendous Raider run that saw KCI advance to OFSAA five consecutive seasons.

Bauslaugh was named as a first-team Heinbuch all-star in 2003, after the Raiders demolished Oakville St. Thomas Aquinas 59-26 in the bronze division final (funny side note and history lesson: although he didn't play that game due to another commitment, it was an STA team that featured Ivan Chiariev, who declared for the NBA Draft that season as a high schooler-----and was at one point a projected lottery pick-----but was quickly exposed and ended up not being drafted. Here's a mock draft that showed him being projected ahead of guys like Ben Gordon, Anderson Varejao, Jameer Nelson and Al Jefferson among others).

In grade 12 & 13, the Raiders were ranked in the middle of the OFSAA pack and came away with victories both seasons. His career came to an end after a close loss to Brampton Notre Dame at the University of Guelph (where in the final minute, Rutgers football recruit Jerome Messam threw down one of the nastiest dunks I have seen in person on any level....).

Since high school, Bauslaugh has bounced around quite a bit. He started at Niagara College (teaming up with his brother, Chris) and had a successful rookie campaign. He then transferred to Laurentian University where injuries limited him a bit --- but he still averaged over 12 PPG. After that, he committed to the University of Waterloo but did not register at the school.

This season, he has resurfaced at the University of the Fraser Valley out in BC, where as a third-year guard he averaged about 8 points per contest in just 8 games (due to injury).

cwossabasketball.com's Top 15 of the Last Decade (*): #3 - Gavin Horne, Waterloo

Horne, who was a 6'8" forward by the time he finished growing, was an athletic wingman who presented some matchup problems for opponents.......and they already had some of those with 6'11" WCI teammate Jaan Montgomery patrolling the paint.

Horne was a high riser who had the ability to throw it down. In the 2004 WCSSAA championship game against KCI, the Vikings won the opening tip and promptly threw an alley-oop to Horne which he rammed down for the game's opening points. KCI was able to come back and win that contest, but Horne had the last laugh in 2005 when WCI won both the WCSSAA and CWOSSA championships and finished in the top-8 at the OFSAA championships.

In that 2005 WCSSAA playoffs, Horne converted one of the most memorable plays in WCSSAA semifinal history when his Vikings trailed Cameron Heights by 3 with only a handful of seconds on the clock. The Gaels elected to foul, but Anthony Barrios-Lopez accidentally fouled Horne as he began his shot attempt. The result? Three pressure free throws that he calmly converted to send the game to overtime (where WCI would prevail).

Gavin was invited to the 2005 all-Canada all-star game with some of Canada's top high schoolers, where he played well and also won the dunk contest.

After high school, he attended Santa Fe Community College in Florida for two years before landing a scholarship to Division I Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. There, injuries limited his playing time to just 11 games in his junior year, while in his senior season he missed a few games due to injury as well.

That said, he did have some solid highlights. He had a vicious dunk against Arkansas Little-Rock that sealed a win, and knocked down a couple of three-pointers during a 66-53 loss to Wake Forest. His season high of 9 points last year was established against nationally ranked Butler. He averaged 2.8 PPG and 1.7 rebounds during his final campaign.

cwossabasketball.com's Top 15 of the Last Decade (*): #4 - Jon House, Centennial

A great shooter with incredible size, House was able to lead his Centennial Spartans to numerous D10 championships as well as a CWOSSA senior title in his final campaign (2007) --- a convincing win over eventual OFSAA antique bronze medalist SJAM.

He wasn't the flashiest player out there, but was fundamentally sound and was widely regarded as one of the top prospects among 2007 Ontario High School graduates.

House landed at Belmont University in the Atlantic Sun conference, where in his freshman year he made the NCAA tournament. His Bruins NEARLY upset #2 Duke but fell in a 71-70 thriller (Gerald Henderson scored the winning basket with :11 left). House played 12 minutes and contributed 4 points and 3 rebounds in that contest.

For his career (which has now spanned 3 seasons), House is averaging 5.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.4 assists per contest. He had a career high 20 points against South Carolina Upstate last season.

Here's a recent clip from YouTube discussing his basketball career and decision to attend Belmont:

cwossabasketball.com's Top 15 of the Last Decade (*): #5 Imad Qahwash, Central Arkansas

Imad Qahwash (Grand River '06) was one of the fiercest competitors I've seen in the last few years on a CWOSSA basketball court.

He had a solid all-around game ---- great defender, nice passer, and he could also score the ball. He improved his shooting stroke tremendously over his career, even though he could get by you almost at will.

He helped lead Grand River to their first ever OFSAA appearance in 2006 (finishing 2nd to KCI in the CWOSSA AAAA championship), and along with Bobby Colorado almost helped lead the Rens to an upset win over #5 West Hill. In the second round against #2 Pickering, Qahwash had no fear in attacking a top-notch GTA program --- if I recall correctly, he had about half of the Rens' points in a low scoring affair (where Pickering held the ball for 1:30 - 2:00 at a time during the second half to try to bring GRCI out of their zone).

After high school, he initially signed with Jacksonville University out of the Atlantic Sun conference. However, as mentioned in a 2007 Record article, when he found out he was going to redshirt the first year, he decided to explore other opportunities.

He landed at Harmony Prep School in Cincinnati, and played alongside a bunch of other NCAA prospects (i.e. Alex Tyus - Florida). The team won a Prep School National Championship, and the experience enabled Qahwash to continue to raise his game and attract the attention of a variety of NCAA schools. Eventually, he accepted a D-1 scholarship to the University of Central Arkansas out of the Southland Conference.

Qahwash, who has dual citizenship with Jordan, was also able to play for the Jordanian National Team overseas during the last couple of summer breaks.

This year at UCA, Qahwash (now a junior) averaged 6.4 PPG and 4.9 rebounds per game --- surprising rebounding numbers for a 6'2" PG. He also dished out 2.5 assists and had 1.1 steals per contest.

Here's a highlight video from his efforts this season: