Former NPC Star Jones Accepts NCAA D2 Scholarship

Brantford Expositor Photo

Former North Park Trojan Marcus Jones (6'0" PG), who spent his 5th year of high school eligibility playing for the Athlete Institute Academy (Orangeville, ON), has accepted a full scholarship to NCAA Division 2 school Gannon University in Erie, PA.

The Knights have a history of recruiting Canadians and have one other Canadian (senior to be 6'2" G Jabs Newby from Toronto) on their roster.

Gannon went 22-7 this past season, including a 16-6 conference mark before being upset in their conference quarterfinals by Slippery Rock University 62-58 in overtime.

Congratulations, Marcus!

GoBadgers.ca: Brock Men's Basketball Adds Johnson for 2013-14 Season

Photo From GoBadgers.ca

(Text and photo from GoBadgers.ca)

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - Brock University men's basketball head coach Brad Rootes is pleased to announce the addition of 6-foot-1 guard Josh Johnson (Simcoe, Ont.).

"We are very excited to have Josh become part of the Men's Basketball program at Brock," said head coach Brad Rootes. "He is an all around talented basketball player, a dedicated student, and has a solid character. We look forward to him contributing positively to our teams success on the court, in the classroom and in the community."

"Josh is a pass first point guard that has a good handle and great court vision. He can score well from the perimeter, but his best quality is getting into the key to make plays. Josh fits the type of teammate, student and all around person we were trying to recruit. He is going to have a very good career at Brock."

Johnson played five seasons at Holy Trinity Catholic in Simcoe and played club for the Waterloo Wildhawks U19 the past two years. He also played club with the Norfolk Nets leading them to two OBA Silver Medals.

At Holy Trinity, Johnson was a standout four-sport athlete competing in basketball, volleyball, tennis and badminton. In 2011-12 he was named Senior Boy's Male Athlete of the Year and in 2009-10 he was the Titans Junior Male Athlete of the Year.

In basketball, Johnson was named Holy Trinity's Most Valuable Player four consecutive seasons (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) and was team captain his final three years. In his final season with the Titans, Johnson averaged 17.9 points, 4.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game.

In 2013, he was selected to the Brant/Norfolk All Star team and played in the Hamilton Spectator All Star Classic. Johnson was also a four-time NSSAA Simcoe Reformer All-Star. In 2011, he was a 2nd Team CWOSSA All-Rookie selection and was a Tournament All Star at the 2011 Simcoe Composite School Shootout.

In 2011 and 2012 he led Holy Trinity senior boy's volleyball team to back-to-back CWOSSA title. In 2013 he was crowned NSSAA Boy's Badminton Singles Champion and in 2011 was the NSSAA Senior Boy's Doubles Badminton Champions. He was also crowned NSSAA Boy's Doubles Tennis Champion in 2012.

The fifth sport Johnson excelled at was baseball as a member of the Port Dover Sailors. With the Sailors, he earned MVP honours three straight seasons. In 2010 he received the Fred Bridgewater Award (MVP) for the best all round player in the association. He led Port Dover to back-to-back provincial silver medals in 2011 and 2012.

"I chose Brock because I've heard nothing but good things from students that are currently there, also when I visited I felt at home and from there I knew it was the perfect place for me to continue my education and basketball career," said Johnson.

"I love the fact that it is a young coaching staff that is ready to do what it takes to take our team to the next level and bring great success now and for years to come. Also with a lot of players moving on, it gives us a special opportunity to grow as a young team and become very close with one another building a competitive program that will competing for years to come."

"I am looking forward to this opportunity of playing for Brad Rootes and the Brock basketball program. I will contribute to there success by working hard and doing whatever it takes to help reach our goals. I would like to thank all my former coach's and mentors for helping me reach my goal of playing CIS basketball."

For the upcoming season the Badgers have now added Johnson and 6-foot-7 forward Rashad Morley (Nassau, Bahamas). In 2011-2012 with Niagara College, Morley averaged 10.1 ppg and 11.6 rpg, leading the OCAA in total rebounds. He was also the OCAA West Defensive Player of the Year.

Grand River's Murray Scores Game High 24; Takes Home JBC MVP

Another solid international performance by Grade 10 Grand River CI student Jamal Murray over the weekend, as the 6'4" guard pumped home a game-high 24 points in the Jordan Brand Classic International Game, earning his team's MVP honours.

Murray's White Team fell in a tight 76-72 final, but he certainly impressed, particularly in the second half where he netted 16 of his 24 points.

Here's a look at NorthPoleHoops.com's interview with Murray down in NYC:



Congratulations, Jamal, on a tremendous accomplishment!

CWOSSA News and Notes

A couple of things to bring to your attention over the past week or so....

Murray Earns JBC Invite
Firstly, congrats to Grand River's Jamal Murray, who was selected to participate in the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic International Game to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, next week.  Certainly an impressive add to his already heavy resumé!

Achonwa, Irish, Fall in National Semifinal
Junior forward Natalie Achonwa and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish saw their 30-game win streak come to an end on Sunday evening against a fellow #1 seed, the UConn Huskies (83-65), in one of the two "Final Four" semifinals that were played in New Orleans.

Achonwa contributed 10 points and 6 rebounds in the loss; for the season she nearly averaged a double-double (13.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG), along with 2.3 APG and 1.1 SPG.  She started all 37 of Notre Dame's games, playing an average of 27.1 minutes per contest.

CWOSSA Commitment List: Class of 2013

Any additions, corrections, etc., can be e-mailed to mark @ cwossabasketball.com. 

Updated May 1st, 2013

Women

NCAA D1
Alex Klein, 6'2" F / Waterloo CI (Bryant University)

CIS
Lindsay Taylor, 5'6" G / Waterloo CI (Memorial U)
Brooklyn Wright, 6'2" F / Jacob Hespeler (Memorial U)
Blair McNaughton, F / Forest Heights (Lakehead U)
Liz McLellan, 6'0" F / Cameron Heights (McGill U)

OCAA


Men

CIS
Mike Friesen, 6'4" G / John F. Ross (McGill U)
Adam Voll, 6'7" F / SJK via St. Mary's (Ryerson U)
Jacob Ranton, 6'7" F / Waterloo CI (Memorial U)
Vlad Matovic, 6'6" F / Cameron Hts. (Wilfrid Laurier)
Josh Johnson, 6'1" G / Simcoe HT (Brock University)

OCAA

CIS Recruiting: Memorial's CWOSSA Pipeline Continues

Several post-secondary commitments were announced over the weekend, including the commitment of two of Waterloo Region's top senior girls to Memorial University (St. John's, NF).

Lindsay Taylor (5'6" G/ WCI) and Brooklyn Wright (6'2" F/JHSS) were both mentioned as incoming recruits for next year's class in a post on Memorial University's Athletics Website.  It looks like southern Ontario has been a recruiting focus for the Seahawks, with 4 of 7 incoming recruits hailing from that part of the country.

With fifth-year CWOSSA alums Grace Fishbein (Bluevale) and Kim Devison (St. David) set to graduate this year, the addition of Taylor and Wright will mean that Memorial will continue to have at least 3 former CWOSSA players on the roster (former Rez PG Megan Robinson, having finished up her second year out east, is the other).

Friesen Heading to McGill
Meanwhile, JF Ross 6'4" G/F Mike Friesen is heading east as well --- but not quite as far as the duo mentioned above.

Friesen took care of his decision by announcing his commitment to McGill University (Montreal, QC) last night:

Excited to say that I'm officially committed to the McGill University Redmen!!! #RedmenBasketball
— Mike Friesen (@MikeFriesen7) March 25, 2013

Congrats to all three, and all the best in the future!

Cvrkalj, Lehigh Ousted on Buzzer Beater

The Madness has officially started, as a few NCAA games in postseason tournaments (NCAA, NIT, CBI and CIT) came down to the wire.

Bluevale grad Stefan Cvrkalj's Lehigh Mountain Hawks came up on the short end of the first "buzzer beater" of the postseason, dropping a 67-66 game to Wyoming.

The 'Hawks took a 66-64 lead with only 5.8 seconds to go, only to see Wyoming race the length of the floor and knock home a three-pointer as time expired:



The next "CWOSSA alum" in action is Bucknell's Bryson Johnson in tomorrow's NCAA "second round"; the Bison (#11 seed) play #6 Butler at 12:40pm.

On tap for today in the NCAA are some intriguing play-in games, including Boise State vs. La Salle and Long Island vs. James Madison.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the LIU game myself as I've been a follower of the Blackbirds since their great (relatively speaking) teams in the late 90s.  How could you not (as a high-schooler) like a team that put up a ton of points, played at an up-tempo pace, and didn't play defense?

They still hold the NCAA record for margin of victory in a single game --- 117 points in a 179-62 win over Medgar Evers College. 

Charles Jones (who scored 30+ PPG that year) had a cup of coffee in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls and LA Clippers.  Here's a look at their 1997 NEC Championship team.....how about that gym they played in back then?  Almost reminds me of Bluevale CI the way there's no room on the endlines!  (Just kidding...):



Their team this year is certainly similar.  Out of the 347 NCAA teams, they rank 29th nationally in pace, 51st nationally in offensive efficiency, and 319th in defensive efficiency!

D8/D10 All-Star Game Goes Tonight

A little late notice, but the annual D8 vs. D10 all-star game is scheduled for this evening at St. Mary's HS in Kitchener.

The junior game will go at 6pm, while the senior game follows at 8pm.

Admission is $2.

Predictions?  I like the D8 to take the junior game while I think the depth of the D10 should handle the D8 on the senior side.

NCAA Postseason Post: CWOSSA Edition

As you probably know by now, the NCAA postseason, including "March Madness", tips off this week.

There will be three former CWOSSA players participating in some form of postseason play, including Bryson Johnson (Bucknell), Stefan Cvrkalj (Lehigh), and, on the women's side, Natalie Achonwa (Notre Dame).

Cvrkalj and his Mountain Hawks are in the 16-team CBI Tournament (College Basketball Invitational), which gets underway this evening.  Lehigh will travel to play Wyoming (today, 9:00pm), with the winner moving on to play either Western Michigan or North Dakota State in the quarterfinals next Monday, March 25th.

Johnson's Bucknell Bison are one of the first teams on tap in the NCAA Tournament, as the #11 Bison battle #6 Butler at 12:40pm on Thursday in Lexington, KY.  The winner of that game would move on to the "third round" against either #3 Marquette or #14 Davidson.

The Big East-winning Notre Dame women and Natalie Achonwa are a #1 seed in the women's bracket, which has first round action scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.  The Irish will be taking on #16 Tennessee-Martin in the round of 64.

2 CWOSSA Players Announce Postsecondary Intentions

Two of the top forwards in this year's CWOSSA-area graduating class, Adam Voll (SJK via St. Mary's) and Vlad Matovic (Cameron Heights), have announced their post-secondary playing intentions.

Voll, a 6'7" F who was a key member of St. Mary's CWOSSA championship team in 2012 before playing his final year at St. John-Kilmarnock in Breslau, committed to Ryerson University in Toronto.

Matovic, a 6'6" F, will be even closer to home after announcing that he will be suiting up for the Wilfird Laurier University Golden Hawks.

Congratulations to both!

Johnson, Bison Advance to NCAA Tournament

Not a bad way to wind down your NCAA career.

Bryson Johnson (St. David '09) and the Bucknell Bison will be heading back to the NCAA tournament after defeating Lafayette College (PA) 64-56 in the Patriot League championship game on Wednesday evening.

The Leopards' defense did a great job closing out on Johnson, the Patriot League's all-time leader in three-point field goals made.  He was able to attempt just two on the evening (0-2), and finished with 2 points and 3 assists.

Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala notched 20 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

This will mark the second time in three years that Johnson and Bucknell have advanced to the NCAA tournament.  They were a #14 seed in 2011, where they lost 81-52 to #3 UConn --- who eventually went on to win the national championship that year.

Most "experts" are projecting the Bison in the "#13" seed range, although that will certainly hinge on the results of some of the other conference tournaments, which are still ongoing.

Guelph's Achonwa Lifts Notre Dame to Big East Title

(Associated Press)

HARTFORD, CONN. — Natalie Achonwa’s layup with 1.8 seconds left lifted No. 2 Notre Dame to its first Big East tournament championship with a 61-59 victory over third-ranked Connecticut on Tuesday night.

Skylar Diggins stole an errant pass from Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis with 8 seconds left, and after dribbling through a few defenders, found Guelph’s Achonwa for the uncontested lay-in.

Kelly Faris then heaved a desperation attempt from 65 feet that fell harmlessly off the backboard, setting off a wild celebration for the Irish, who have won 26 straight games.

The Fighting Irish players, wearing championship hats and T-shirts, set up a dance line to celebrate and did an Irish jig in front of the school band.

Notre Dame (31-1) had been in the title game six previous times, including the last two, and lost to the Huskies in each one.

A former Centennial CVI student, Achonwa joined the Fighting Irish in 2010. Now a junior, she was promoted to the starting lineup this season after spending her first two year’s as the Irish’s first person off the bench. Achonwa also represented Team Canada in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, as the second-youngest player to play in an Olympic women’s basketball tournament, at 19.
Achonwa scored 11 to go with nine rebounds to help Notre Dame beat Louisville 83-59 on Monday night in the semifinals. Achonwa shot 3-for-6 for six points in the final.

The Irish weren’t going to be denied in their final chance to win an elusive Big East championship. Earlier in the day, Notre Dame announced it would be joining the ACC starting next season — a year earlier than expected.

Kayla McBride, named the tournament’s most outstanding player, scored 23 points to lead the Irish. Jewell Loyd finished with 16 and Diggins had 12.

Stefanie Dolson scored 18 points and Breanna Stewart had 16 for UConn (29-4), which had won the last five Big East tournament titles but fell to Notre Dame for the third time this season.
The Huskies trailed 59-53 with 2:55 left before tying it at 59.

They had a chance to take the lead but Faris missed a layup. She got her own rebound and after calling a timeout, the Huskies had a chance before Mosqueda-Lewis got caught in the corner and threw the ball away to Diggins, setting up the finish.

The Irish have dominated the series recently with seven victories in the last eight meetings. No team has ever dominated the Huskies like that since UConn won its first national championship in 1995.
The only UConn victory came in the conference title game last season, but the Huskies couldn’t pull off a third straight win over Notre Dame in the tournament championship.
The loss ended a run of 19 straight seasons that Connecticut had won either the regular season or post-season conference title.

These two teams could potentially meet for a fourth time in the NCAA tournament. It would be the third straight season that they would meet four times in one year.
They met eight days earlier and the Irish came away with a triple-overtime victory that clinched them their second straight conference regular-season title.

This one — while it didn’t go three overtimes — was thrilling nonetheless. A fitting finale for a conference that has been arguably the best in women’s basketball over the past decade. This was the last game under its current configuration as the basketball schools will break away from the football schools next season. That new basketball conference will keep the Big East name.

“It was a great partnership that produced some memorable moments in a lot of sports. We are very sorry to see the Big East that we knew and grew up in not exist anymore,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said before the game.

Notre Dame appeared to put this game away early. McBride keyed Notre Dame on a 20-4 run for a 20-8 lead. She had nine points during the burst, barely moving the net on some of her jumpers. The Huskies tried to rally in front of a friendly crowd of 9,000 who were clearly backing UConn despite the team wearing its blue road uniforms.

UConn pulled to 24-22 on a putback by Dolson with 4:52 left in the half. Then it was Loyd’s time to shine. The conference’s freshman of the year scored seven points during an 11-0 run as the Irish opened up a 35-22 advantage. They led 35-26 at the half.

Notre Dame expanded its lead to 39-28 before UConn finally got going. Stewart scored the final four points of an 11-0 run to tie it midway through the second half. The teams traded baskets over the next 6 minutes with neither able to build any sort of lead.

Diggins, the two-time reigning Big East player of the year, finally gave Notre Dame a four-point lead with a floater in the lane with 5:22 left to set up the frantic finish.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma had inserted Stewart into the lineup for the first time since the middle of December. Stewart had averaged just 7.5 points against the Irish this season in the two previous meetings, making just six of her 24 shots.

She had played very well in the first two games of the Big East tournament, and continued it against the Irish.

Retrieved From:  http://www.therecord.com/sports/article/901860--guelph-s-achonwa-lifts-notre-dame-to-title

TheScore Features Bryson Johnson & Murphy Burnatowski

The Score TV Network recently featured to CWOSSA alumni in their "Up Next" segment --- Colgate's Murphy Burnatowski (NEDA via SJAM) and Bucknell's Bryson Johnson (St. David CSS '09).

Click Here for the Bryson Johnson Video.

Click Here for the Murphy Burnatowski Video.

D8: Simon, Eagles Headline Senior All-Star Selections

The St. Mary's Eagles dominated not only D8 competition this past senior boys' basketball season, but also the all-star selections that were announced on Thursday.

In fact, all 5 Eagle starters were named to either the first or second all-star teams, led by Grade 11 G/F Tesloth Simon, who was named as league MVP.

His backcourt partner, Grade 11 G Tyrick Thompson, was the other Eagle on the first team while Tyler Hergott (Gr. 12 F), Jermaine Lyle (Gr. 11 G) and Nathan Riley (Gr. 11 G/F) were second-team selections.

Rounding out the 6-player first-team were Patric McGlynn (Gr. 12 G / Resurrection); Tyler Moulton (Gr. 12 F / St. Benedict), Jake Winter (Gr. 12 G / St. David) and Uzair Khan (Gr. 12 G / Mons. Doyle).

The entire list is as follows:

First Team
Tesloth Simon, St. Mary's (MVP)
Tyrick Thompson, St. Mary's
Patric McGlynn, Resurrection
Tyler Moulton, St. Benedict
Jake Winter, St. David
Uzair Khan, Mons. Doyle

Second Team
Nathan Riley, St. Mary's
Tyler Hergott, St. Mary's
Jermaine Lyle, St. Mary's
Tyler Bartley, Resurrection
Jacob Gilbert, Resurrection
Brenden Flannigan, St. Benedict
Ben Hoekstra, Woodland
Jacob Reusser, Rockway

D8: Junior All-Stars Announced; Eleeda named MVP

Adham Eleeda (Gr. 9 / Guard / St. Mary's) was named as the MVP of the District 8 Junior Boys' basketball league on Thursday evening.

Eleeda was the leading scorer for the D8 champion Eagles (including eight 15+ performances) and the second-leading scorer in the D8 junior league, behind Monsingor Doyle's Ryan Stafford.

Stafford (Gr. 10 / Guard) was also named as a first-team all-star, alongside Ali Rashid (Gr. 9 / Guard / Resurrection), George Dumitru (Gr. 10 / Guard / St. David), and Zubair Seyed (Gr. 9 / Guard / St. Benedict).

The complete list is as follows:

First Team
Adham Eleeda, St. Mary's (MVP)
Ryan Stafford, Mons. Doyle
Ali Rashid, Resurrection
George Dumitru, St. David
Zubair Seyed, St. Benedict

Second Team
Jake Rush, Resurrection
Alec Scheffler, St. David
Shane Clarke, Woodland
Henoak Abara, St. Mary's
Alex Douglas, St. Benedict

Third Team
James McBride, St. David
Barnaba Niel, St. Mary's
Khiem Tran, St. Benedict
Connor Huxman, Rockway
Sohrob Sultani, Mons. Doyle