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. 

Retrieved From:  http://www.therecord.com/sports-story/5537085-sjam-s-hodzic-wins-moser-mvp-award/

Owen Sound Sun-Times: Bluewater's Hoops All-Stars Hit the Court at OSCVI

Article By:  Bill Walker

Brandon Delill's Peninsula Shores Phoenix senior boys basketball team was short of players who truly loved the sport this season.

So it was a treat for the 17-year-old Grade 11 student to find himself surrounded by 20 players with his passion for hoops at the annual Bluewater Athletic Association's annual senior boys all-star game on Monday at OSCVI.

“Our team only had a couple guys who really wanted to play and the rest were helping us (fill a roster) so they didn't don't where they were supposed to be on the court at times so it was great playing with five players who know where to be,” said Delill who led the North Division seniors with 12 points in its 62-46 win over its South counterparts.

“It was really fun playing with all those talented guys. Everyone from the South are great players just like the guys from the North.”

Grey Highlands' Dalton Guillemette had 11 points while Georgian Bay's Jared Ruest added 10 for the North.
“(Delill) was on fire,” said OSCVI coach LT Jacques who coached the North.

“You see that smooth jump shot that he's got. He's playing with other all stars and he just looks elite out there. He's a great player. It's pretty fun to get to coach a team full of all-star calibre players.”

John Diefenbaker' Brett Sloan led all scorers with 14 points while Saugeen District's Kodey Vance added 11 for the South.

“The North really had some good three-point shooters,” said Saugeen coach Kevin Darlington who coached the South.

“They really shot us down that way.

Grey Highlands' Micah Doerkson won the senior three-point shooting contest while St. Mary's Hugh Weichel won the junior title.

Saugeen's Duncan Wilkinson had 13 points to help the South avoid the sweep with a 42-33 win in junior play.

Georgian Bay's Sam Couchman led the North with eight points.

“The cool thing is being able to mix the players up who've played against each other all year and now have them work as a team,” said Darlington who also coached the South's juniors.

“They all know how to make use of space and help each other out even though they haven't played together before. I just rolled five guys in and five guys out and just made sure it was even.”

The all-star games are hosted by the Grey-Bruce Association of Basketball Officials.

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/2015/03/30/bluewaters-hoops-all-stars-hit-the-court-at-oscvi

WCSSAA Senior Girls: All-Star Game Details

The WCSSAA Senior Girls will play their all-star game at 6pm on Wednesday, as part of the "girls-boys" WCSSAA all-star doubleheader.

Previous details on the rosters were released after the girls' season last fall (found here).

Kaylee Anagnostopoulos (WCI) was named as the league's MVP, and will be receiving the league MVP award.  This season (and going forward), the award will be renamed in honour of former WCI star Julie Devenny.

Devenny, who was WCSSAA's league MVP (2000) as well as WCI's Athlete-Of-The-Year (2001) in addition to her exploits at the CIS level for the Waterloo Warriors (CIS Rookie of The Year, 2001), passed away from breast cancer in 2012 at the age of 30.

The renaming of the award is certainly a nice touch, and a great way to keep Devenny's contributions (in various facets -- not only on the basketball court) in mind.

WCSSAA Senior Boys: All-Stars Announced

This year's annual "WCSSAA All-Star Game" goes this Wednesday at WCI (8pm, following the girls' game at 6pm).  Admission is $5.

All-stars from BCI, EDSS, FHCI, GRCI, HHSS, SJAM and WCI will comprise the "home team" while members from all four Cambridge schools that participated in the Senior Boys' league (GCI, PHS, SSS, JHSS) along with ECI and CHCI will make up the visiting roster.

The Mike Moser Award (MVP) will be presented at halftime of the Senior Boys' game.

The all-stars are as follows:

First Team
Nik Farkic, Cameron Heights (5th Year - PG)
Nedim Hodzic, SJAM (4th Year - F)
TJ Lall, Galt (5th Year - G/F)
Simon Petrov, SJAM (3rd Year - PG)
Stefan Simic, KCI (4th Year - G)

Second Team
Justin Hardy, SJAM (3rd Year - G)
Miro Iliev, Grand River (4th Year - G)
Nick Johnny, WCI (5th Year - G)
Brett Parrott, SJAM (5th Year - F)
Sasha Simic, CHCI (4th Year - G)

Honourable Mentions (Alphabetical Order by Last Name)
Bilal Ahmed, Huron Heights
Rakesh Arjun, Forest Heights
David Bajic, Grand River 
David Ben-Lamotey, KCI
Ivan Cucak, Cameron Heights
Jordan Frey, Elmira 
Andrew Kamenz, Preston
Ousmane Kromah, Eastwood
Griffin Large, Bluevale
Etai Mizrahi, WCI
Moiz Masud, Southwood
Brandon Roth, Jacob Hespeler
Lazar Stevanovic, Galt
Cham Ujullu, Eastwood

D8 Junior: Lasovich Leads All-Star Selections

Unlike the Senior circuit, there isn't a "formal" MVP award given to the junior league's best player, but it was the consensus of league coaches that if such an award were to be given, St. David's Brent Lasovich would be at the forefront of the discussion.

In league and playoff action, Lasovich registered 18 or more points on eight separate occasions, saving his best effort for when it counted most in the D8 final when he registered 32.  In that contest, he displayed a most impressive mid-range game for a junior-aged player.

In addition to the ten 1st and 2nd team all-stars, two "honourable mention" selections will be joining them at the annual "D8 vs. D10" junior boys' all-star game on Tuesday in Guelph --- Bryan Avila (MDCSS) and Daniel Zeglen (SBCSS).

Interestingly, this marked the second consecutive year in the league's junior circuit where all all-stars and honourable mentions were awarded to grade 10 players.  

However, there was a first with this year's selections as it marked the first time that a player from Cambridge's PRDG cracked the first-team roster.  Scoring sensation Pat Martini (who hit for 36 and 38 points in back-to-back games at one point during the season) was honoured for his efforts in leading PRDG in league play; the Chevaliers would go on to their first-ever "A" CWOSSA title as well.

First Team D8 Junior All-Stars
Brent Lasovich, St. David (2nd Year/G)
Tyreak Farquharson, St. Mary's (2nd Year/G)
Jamu Iluya, Resurrection (2nd Year/G)
Jason Jaros, St. Mary's (2nd Year/F)
Pat Martini, PRDG (2nd Year/G)

Second Team D8 Junior All-Stars
Demar Holness, Resurrection (2nd Year/G)
Matt Kipfer, Rockway (2nd Year/F)
Kanayo Nnadi, St. Mary's (2nd Year/G)
Jake Polski, St. Benedict (2nd Year/F)
Matt Radocchia, St. David (2nd Year/F)

"M-V-P": Seyed Named D8 League's Most Valuable Player

Looks like the "M-V-P" chants that rained down on St. Benedict guard Zubair Seyed during a D8 semifinal game were a little bit of foreshadowing.

The explosive grade eleven Saint guard was announced as the league's MVP by league officials yesterday.  Voting was done by the league's coaches at their annual meeting on Monday.

It was a split decision, but Seyed was able to knock off two-time defending MVP Tesloth Simon (St. Mary's) in the voting.  You certainly couldn't argue the fact that Seyed was the "most valuable" to his team's fortunes in league play as he averaged 21 PPG in the District 8 league, accounting for close to 40% of the Saints' scoring offense.  If you include his assist totals, I'm sure it's safe to say that he was responsible (in one way or another) for more than half of the Saints' D8 buckets this season.

They say a 'picture is worth a thousand words', so here's a look at some of his highlights from this past season:


Seyed becomes the first St. Benedict player in about a decade to take home league MVP honours.  Ian Harriette, who led the Saints to their first OFSAA appearance, was co-league MVP (with Resurrection's Matt Walker) in 2003.

The complete list of 1st and 2nd team all-stars is found below.  The 10 players will be joined by two "honourable mention" selections, Tyrick Thompson (SMHS) and Alex Douglas (SBCSS) for their all-star game next Tuesday night in Guelph (8pm, U of G) against the D10 All-Stars:

1st Team D8 All-Stars
MVP - Zubair Seyed, St. Benedict (3rd Year/G)
Korbil Gany, Resurrection (3rd Year/G)
Jermaine Lyle, St. Mary's (5th Year/G)
Tesloth Simon, St. Mary's (5th Year/G)
Jamari Stephenson, St. Mary's (5th Year/F)

2nd Team D8 All-Stars
Mason Cummings, St. David (3rd Year/F)
Muyang Iluya, Resurrection (3rd Year/F)
Justin Malnerich, St. Benedict (3rd Year/G)
Nathan Riley, St. Mary's (5th Year/F)
Ryan Stafford, Monsignor Doyle (4th Year/F)

FIBA Rules, 35 Second Shot Clock Coming To Ontario High School Basketball?

Looks like there's a motion that's been put forth for discussion at the OFSAA level for "FIBA rules" and a 35-second shot clock to come to Ontario high school basketball, starting in September, 2016.

The motion, which obviously would still have to be approved, states that FIBA rules would be employed with the following exceptions:

1.  A 35-second shot clock will be used.  Full reset on foul shot attempts and shots off the rim.

2.  Fouls & offensive rebounds would result in a 35 second reset.

3.  Federation court lines will be used even when FIBA lines are available.

4.  Federation game length will be used (including overtime).

5.  No dunking in the warm-up will be permitted (technical foul assessed to player).

6.  Federation time-out procedures will be used.

St. John's Star Kendra Van Leeuwen Verbally Commits to NCAA D1 George Washington

Photo via Tri-County Basketball

Brantford St. John's & Tri-County Thunder star Kendra Van Leeuwen has verbally committed to George Washington University, an NCAA Division I school in Washington, DC.

Van Leeuwen, a 5'10" PG, is slated to attend the school starting in the 2016-17 academic year.

The Colonials, a member of the A-10 conference, had a very successful season this past year, being ranked #19 in the NCAA Top 25.  They finished their regular season with a 29-3 mark (A10 champs), and were the #6 seed in their region for the NCAA tournament.

Aside from her exploits at Brantford St. John's, where she has led them to city & CWOSSA championships as well as OFSAA medals, Van Leeuwen has been on the national stage including being a member of Canada's National team at last year's U-17 FIBA World Championships.

At that event, she averaged 8.7 PPG and 4.0 RPG, while also leading Canada in steals with 16 in 7 games.

Once she officially signs with GW, she will make it a clean sweep of members of the Van Leeuwen family to head stateside on an athletic scholarship.  Older sister Kelly just finished her senior season on the basketball team at Niagara University, while older brother Tyler (also at Niagara) just completed his sophomore season as a member of the Men's Cross Country squad.

What's Next? Classification Realignment + CWOSSA Tournament

RIP, AAAA classification (2002-15).

We're heading back to three (A, AA, AAA) classifications effective next year.  So, congrats to the Resurrection Junior Girls, Grand River Senior Girls, and SJAM Junior & Senior Boys who will go down as the final "AAAA" champs in CWOSSA history.

As we move forward to next year, I can't help but think of what "could" happen with regards to the re-alignment, and the CWOSSA tournament as a whole (actually, I'm kind of excited - hence the post).

With 60+ schools in the CWOSSA region, simple math would suggest that the three divisions would all have in the neighborhood of 20 teams.

Current CWOSSA policy dictates the following structure for CWOSSA tournaments:
Under 16 Schools = 4 Team Tourney
16-18 Schools = 6 Team Tourney
19+ Schools = 8 Team Tourney

You would figure that we're heading for an 8-team tournament, but seeing the annual excitement of NCAA conference tournaments makes me (greedy) for, say, 10 or 12 teams being invited to the dance.  Downside of this, of course, is additional logistical challenges (referee costs, gym availability, etc.).

Anyways, teams would (should) be seeded, and then it could look something like this:

Preliminary Round - Hosted at School Sites
(10) vs. (7)
(9) vs. (8)

(Winners Advance to Main Bracket)

Championship Round - QFs (Single Elimination)
(8/9) vs. (1)
(5) vs. (4)
(7/10) vs. (2)
(6) vs. (3)

I believe we saw the first-ever "OFSAA Style" 8-team bracket with this year's AA championship, where first-round winners played first-round losers in the second round.  With teams not being seeded, but "placed" into the bracket, this was a necessity to protect the integrity of the tournament (i.e. if two potential finalists were placed against each other in the opening round).

While this is a possibility, I would like to go back to the ranking system and a "single-elimination" tournament --- you could even give, say, the top seeds byes through to the semifinal round, as certain conferences do in their tournament.

Anyways, there's a couple things I'm asking for hoping that we'll see with these changes:

1.  More Teams at CWOSSA
As mentioned above, shouldn't be an issue given CWOSSA's current regulations.  We should be getting at least 8 teams, though I wouldn't mind seeing more, of course.

2.  Seeded CWOSSA Tournaments
Yes, I realize the additional time and energy spent by organizing committees on this.  I'll gladly volunteer, as I'm sure some other media/coaches/volunteers would as well.

In today's day and age of social media, we could even have some sort of "unveiling" of the bracket.

3.  Fair Representation
By this, I mean that the CWOSSA tournament should give flexibility for Wild Card entries so that the best teams can be represented at CWOSSA.

What if SJAM had lost their semifinal game to Grand River (I believe it was a 3-point game with under :30 to play)?  Allowing wild-cards would solve an issue of one of CWOSSA's top teams being eliminated in the league playdowns.

Also, it would allow flexibility depending upon league strength.  Over the past two decades, we've seen the following scenarios:

1.  My (WCSSAA) junior team that I played on went 13-0 in league and won the playoff championship.  We were the #5 seed in the 8-team CWOSSA tournament (a testament to the strength of Guelph & Brantford during that time).

2.  Last year, the D8 junior league had 3 of the top 4 teams overall in CWOSSA.  Of course, only one team (SMHS) advanced out of the league.

3.  WCSSAA, of course, has had their years of strength, too.  I believe in 2005, WCSSAA teams (4 in the 8 team AAAA tournament) were ranked #1 through #4 at the event!

Such is the cyclical nature of high school hoops, and here in the CWOSSA region in particular.

Anyways, it'll certainly be interesting, and something to keep an eye on over the next few months!

What are your thoughts?  Feel free to tweet me (@CWOSSABball) or shoot me an e-mail.

TheRecord: Wrights Make It Official - Next Stop, Vermont

Article By:  Mark Bryson

CAMBRIDGE — Basketball standouts Candice and Courtney Wright never once considered going their separate ways. 

"No, never," said Courtney. "It never even crossed our minds." 

"Family is important to us," added Candice, "and we wanted to stay together." 

And now it's official — stay together, they will. 

The Cambridge twins committed their future to the University of Vermont on Thursday night at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, signing national letters of intent to play NCAA Division 1 basketball for the Catamounts.

The 17-year-old sisters, who verbally committed to Vermont in October of 2013, will begin classes in late June on scholarships for the 2015-2016 academic year. 

"I'm really excited. It's something you always dream about as a basketball player and it's good to finally make this a reality," said Courtney. 

"I'm really excited to start something new," added Candice. "It's been a bit stressful, but I think it will be good once we get there." 

The Wrights play their club basketball with the Tri-County Thunder and have been basketball, volleyball and track and field standouts during their four years at Jacob Hespeler Secondary School. 

Courtney even has an OFSAA gold medal to her credit, finishing first in the triple jump at the 2013 all-Ontario championship in Oshawa. 

"That's something I'll never forget," said Courtney. 

Nor will she ever forget the serious injury she suffered last February. 

Courtney tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee while playing for the Thunder and underwent surgery in April. 

She returned to play volleyball and basketball in December. 

"It was frustrating, but I learned a lot. I value the game more now because I know it can be taken away from you just like that," she said. 

The twins also made visits to Toledo (Ohio) and Niagara (N.Y.) before deciding on Vermont. 

Canadian schools were considered as well. The twins paid a visit to Memorial University in Newfoundland, where their older sister, Brooklynn, plays for the Sea-Hawks. 

"That wasn't really an option, though," said Candice. "It's too far." 

The twins bring different skills to the hardwood. 

Candice is a cerebral, six-foot-two forward who drives to the basket well and possesses a good shot from outside. 

Courtney is a passionate six-foot guard/forward who uses her athleticism and speed to her advantage. She's a strong rebounder and fiery competitor. 

They have played on the same team for the past 10 years, starting in Cambridge and moving to the KW Lightning four years ago. They are now in their second season with Tricounty Thunder. 

They are now looking forward to creating new memories in Vermont, as classmates, teammates and roommates. 

"It would have been weird to be apart," said Candice, the older of the two by 10 minutes. "We've been together our whole lives and have played together since Grade 2, so it's natural." 

The Wrights are joining a team that has nowhere to go but up. The Catamounts posted a 5-24 overall record this season, including a 2-14 mark in the America East Conference. 

Waterloo Region, of course, has a history of sending strong players to Vermont. 

Waterloo-Oxford alum Aaron Yantzi enjoyed four outstanding seasons with the Catamounts and last year was inducted into the university's athletic hall of fame. 

Waterloo Collegiate's May Kotsopoulos was also a standout with the Catamounts. She went on to play professionally in Greece. 

Retrieved From:  http://www.therecord.com/sports-story/5474979-wrights-make-it-official-next-stop-vermont/

Tri-County Thunder: NCAA Scholarship Announcement (and more!) on Thursday at WCI

Tomorrow evening (Thursday, March 12th, 7:30pm) at the WCI main gym, local girls' hoop stars will again be in the spotlight with an NCAA "signing day" event and the announcement of local high school stars that have made the Ontario Provincial Team, as well as those that have received national team invites.

First off, twins Courtney & Candice Wright will officially sign their NCAA D-1 scholarship offers from the University of Vermont; they'll be attending the America East institution starting this fall.

As we've mentioned here before, Vermont has certainly been a pipeline for Canadian talent, including local female talent Aaron Yantzi (WODSS) and May Kotsopoulos (WCI), who both had excellent Catamount careers.

As if that announcement wasn't enough, there's a couple of other exciting pieces of news to share after that.

Next on the table will be an announcement of four local girls that have been named to Team Ontario for basketball, which will then be followed by the announcement of three local players who are getting invites for the Team Canada Cadette and Junior National Teams (ranked in the top 20 players in Canada).

Lastly, the Tri-County AAU roster will be unveiled; the team will be traveling to several tournaments south of the border this summer to play in front of hundreds of college coaches and scouts.

Tri-County's Grade 9 & 10 girls' team is ranked 2nd in the province (JUEL league) and their grade 11 & 12 girls are ranked 1st.  One of their grade 11 players, Kendra Van Leeuwen, who is among the top Canadian girls in her class and a member of Canada's junior national team, will also be in attendance tomorrow.

For more information, including their current rosters, news, and philanthropic efforts, you can check out the Thunder's website at TCBasketball.com.

Local basketball fans are encouraged to attend and support our area talent.  There is no admission cost for this event.