Ottawa Hoops 2013 Sr Boys HS Preview

2013-2014 High School Senior Boys Preview

December 2013

Mother Teresa’s Eddie Ekiyor next in line of Ottawa Hoops elite

Team photos and Previews

Ottawa Hoops TOP 10 Players to Watch!!

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The Preview

Parity promises to make this Ottawa high school senior boys’ basketball season a mem-orable one, with the top spot clearly up for grabs.

Ottawa Hoops decided to preview some of the teams across the nations capital to give you a glimpse of who’s who and what some of the teams look like.

Unfortunately, we were unable to get all the teams par-ticipating, but in the future it is our goal. Regrettably, not all the teams in this issue provided sufficient infor-mation for their respective previews.

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Photo by Simon Stiles

Earl Of March

Photo by Simon Stiles

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Reigning “AA” city champs, Immaculata, returns all five starters from last season: Lukusa, Yoncagoglu, El-Badry, Cincoleon, and Boursiquoit are working towards back to back OFSAA appearances. A rising core of reserves off the bench, led by second year senior Quinton Duckworth, bodes well, given the competitive tournament play and Ottawa east schedule facing these Saints.

# Players Name1 Ameer El- Badry3 Julian Cincoleon4 Sinan Yoncagoglu5 Peter Arnaudov6 Neil Bobal7 Jeff Garcia8 Jacques Lukusa9 Greg Kabre10 Dan Ajzerle11 Corlan Challenger12 Quinton Duckworth14 Maxime Boursiquot35 Ryan Simpson

CoachesLeanne Pickering

Mark Newell

Photo by Simon Stiles

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This season’s edition of the Mother Teresa High School Titans is one of culmination - after five years together, this senior laden team will be looking to achieve their goal of an OFSAA Championship berth in March. The team’s success will be centered around the skill set of grade 11, 6’8 guard/forward Eddie Ekiyor (member of the U17 Canadian National team). Ekiyor will be responsible for the bulk of the work on both ends of the floor, while Rhyndress, Sabino, Spiers, McWhinnie and Bansfield will be called upon to make big three point baskets and finish at the rim, while continuing to compete on the defensive end of the floor. Jason Adamski, Adain Pye, Kevin Roy, and Jared Maloney will be asked to dominate on the rebounding glass, protect the paint, and contribute on the score sheet.

# PLAYERS NAME1 Shayan Biswas 4 Mark Spiers5 Carl Rhyndress10 John Sabino 11 Zach Huntley12 Brad McWhinnie 15 Aidan Pye21 Jason Adamski22 Jared Maloney23 Eddie Ekiyor25 Tariq Bansfield32 Kevin Roy

CoachMike Rowley

Photo by Simon Stiles

Standing tall in the nation’s capitalMother Teresa’s Eddie Ekiyor next in line for Ottawa’s hoops eliteBy David Dickenson Photo by:Simon Stiles

OTTAWA - When most people speak about the Canadian hoops boom, you hear places like the greater Toronto area and occasionally British Columbia as meccas, however Ottawa’s recent influx of hardwood Houdini’s has the national capital on the map as a burgeoning market.

The likes of Shayok Shayok, Marial Shayok and Kevin Zabo have already earned their spot as Ottawa elites on their way to full scholarships in the NCAA. Now the newest elite on the block has his eyes on joining the party, and he may be the best yet.Eddie Ekiyor doesn’t play on one of the city’s elite high school hoops teams, but the 6’8” swingman has more than enough mix of skill, athleticism and know how to put him among the city’s elite as only a high school junior.The class of 2016 prospect has already made a name for himself at Mother Teresa High School in Barrhaven where he has led his team the past two years and made a name for himself. Playing rep basketball for the Ottawa Guardsmen, he helped his team to a provincial title. His next step involved playing with the renowned CIA Bounce basketball program, which has seen the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett use it as a stepping stone.

“When I was younger I thought I was good,” explained Ekiyor, but then I started playing others and I didn’t like losing at one-on-one drills and wanted to be better. I realized there were other guys out there just as athletic, and I needed to put in more work and do all the little things to step up my game.” Ekiyor was quick to credit his Mother Teresa coach Mike Rowley as well as a couple other big name hoop icons in the city with helping him out.“Coach Rowley and I are always shooting around and practicing,” said Ekiyor. Mike Rowley, Dave Smart and Aaron Blakely are always around giving me words of advice and making sure nothing gets in my head. They keep letting me know you always have to work for it.”

Rowley was quick to sing his star player’s praise, noting not only his bright future, but his hard work and versatility. “His potential is just through the roof,” explained Rowley. There are a lot of people in basketball we’ve spoken to who say he can get to the NBA. He has such an amazing athleticism and basketball IQ and we’re just marrying that with his work ethic. Right now his defence and rebounding are his strengths. He is a stopper and a double digit rebounder. He is working on his scoring and we have been playing him at all five positions to help him become a better player.”

Rowley, who has been Ekiyor’s coach since Grade 7 continued, “His athleticism and build are similar to future superstar Canadian Andrew Wiggins. He still has a ways to go, but if he keeps working on his game over the next few years he could be that type of player.”

Ekiyor indicated when he first started out he was mostly a post player, but since has adapted his game and looked to other more versatile players with which to model his game.“When I played mostly in the paint, I would look up to guys like Dwight Howard, but once I realized I was quick and started playing more positions, and doing more ball handling, I looked to players like LeBron James and tried to pick up things from his game. I want to be able to score from anywhere, like Paul George plays, being able to take it out to the three point line, said Ekiyor.”

His team may not be the favourite for a city title this year, but Ekiyor is hoping his team’s continued improvement will help them surprise a few. “I think as our team meshes and buys into our season we can be one of those underdogs who makes it hard on their competition, noted Ekiyor. If we keep working hard and improving we can have a shot at the finals.”A natural athlete through and through, Ekiyor is far from the cocky athlete who has had everything come easy to him. In the past few years, he has gone through a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, which included a broken leg, blood clot in his head, and a missed football season as a 6’8” wide receiver. He has been able to put it all in perspective, counter balancing those tough periods with a provincial high jump title as a Grade 9, being part of his school’s volleyball and basketball teams, and now taking his hoops dreams to the next level.

“It was a very tough year,” noted the skilled hoopster. “I got sick unexpectedly and had to be on blood thinners for six months and worked hard to get back from there and then a couple months later I broke a bone in my leg.”Ekiyor continued, “I was lucky this all happened when I was so young. I just kept watching games. I love basketball and I would watch my little brother’s games and some on TV, which made it easier for me to come back from it all. I want to make it far in this game and help my family out, you can’t just quit. Everyone faces bumps along the way, you just have to keep coming back.”

In the last couple of years, despite the injuries, he showed enough of his skills to earn a spot on Canada’s Cadet Boys basketball team, whom travelled to the 2013 FIBA Americans under-16 basketball tournament in Uruguay this past June. Ekiyor may not have been the biggest name on the roster, taking a spot in the lineup alongside stars like 6’4” stud guard Jamal Murray , class of 2016 from the Canadian prep school Athletes Institute in Orangeville Ontario; highly regarded 6’7” forward Justin Jackson class of 2015, from the prestigious Findlay Prep NV Henderson; and fellow National Capital area athlete Malick Turenne, from Gatineau. Ekiyor still made a name for himself at the tournament.

The athletic forward managed to play key minutes in the tournament averaging more than 20 minutes a game, and averaging 8.6 rebounds in the tournament, including an 11 point game in Uruguay and nine points against Argentina, earning a bronze medal with the team.“That was exciting,” said Ekiyor. “I never thought I would be part of something like that and when I got the invitation I worked really hard to be on that team. It was different down there, getting to know the coaches and our competition, and seeing other guys on the American team who are athletic like me. It made me want to work harder and get better. I hope I get to be part of it again.”

It is clear Ekiyor has a bright future ahead of him, but the only question is where his future will lead him in the next few years. Despite schools not being able to contact him yet because of his age, Eddie has already made a pilgrimage to one of college basketball’s meccas as he was on hand for Syracuse University’s annual Orange madness kick-off event. The annual event is a kick off to the team’s season with an inter-squad scrimmage, dunk contest, and many other spectacles. It is aimed at not only getting the fan base hyped up for the upcoming season, but the many recruits excited to be part of the program.Each year Syracuse is a top 25 program, boasts legendary coach Jim Boeheim. He made sure Ottawa’s own Ekiyor was one of only nine recruiting targets on hand for the event, which included 2014 signees 6’10” Chris McCullough and 6’4” Kaleb Joseph, 2015 targets 6’9” Moustapha Diagne, 7’0” Josh Sharma, 5’10” Jalen Posey, 6’4” Franklin Howard, and 2016 targets 6’5” Tyus Battle and Eddie’s CIA Bounce and Canada Cadet team teammate Jamal Murray.

While he has already been to Syracuse and has gotten a feel for things, the young forward is just taking everything in and trying to make the most of the process to find the school which fits him best. “I try not to get too interested in that stuff yet,” explained Ekiyor, a life long Orange fan. I just want to focus on getting better and the options will be there. I want to get a degree. I have seen the effect of injuries first hand and I know how quickly things can change. If the opportunity was there to leave school early , possibly for the NBA, I would have a tough decision on my hands, I want to finish all my schooling.” With school looming large, Ekiyor has bigger dreams in mind such as the NBA, but he is careful not to look too far ahead. He focuses on one goal at a time along the journey.“My dream is obviously the NBA,” noted Ekiyor. “The money and all would be nice, but I really just want to compete at the highest level. With the natural abilities I have been given, I look at it as a waste of my god given talents if I didn’t work hard to improve and get there.”

“I just want to focus on getting better and the options will be there. I want to get a degree. I have seen the effect of injuries first hand and I know how quickly things can change. If the opportunity was there to leave school early , possibly for the NBA, I would have a tough decision on my hands, I want to finish all my schooling.”

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This year LBP senior boys have a lot of returning players. With 8 out of the 11 being in grade 12, the boys are looking to battle hard and gain some respect on the court. Although underrated by most, LBP is littered with guards who can slash to the hoop or shoot the three. Lead by David Pagal, Gideon Kabongo, and Mike Adra, the three amigos are determined to make their mark and lead LBP to a city championship. LBP will need their two post players Owen Brisland and Davian Mcdonald to play big inside in order for LBP to be competitive this season. In addition LBP will look to the other grade 12s Karl Manigat, Tyler Denis, Terrence Bismonte, and Ryan Moraga to make solid contributions and provide a key lift off the bench. Rookies Angelo Pangilinan and Dandavid Flores are three point shooters and will be called upon to hit some key shots throughout the season.

In order for LBP to rise to the top, the senior leaders will have to play flawlessly and the post players will have to show some grit. Both coaches Ms. Moyle and Ms.Morris are optimistic and are looking forward to a solid season.

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# Players Names4 Belal Qayum13 Nathaniel Thompson14 Mohammed Soubaneh15 Stanford Miaro22 Abdullah Shittu24 Cedric Jeanty31 Elias Abdi34 - Wassim Zaibak40 Luke Harvey42 Rickey Situ45 Ibrahim Dicko

CoachAaron Leach

Photo by Simon Stiles

Photo by Simon Stiles

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Marial Shayok signs with MarquetteBy David Dickenson

OTTAWA - The run of big name players from the Nation’s Capital region making their way to NCAA glory is growing by the day and the next big time player may prove to be best of all.

The last name Shayok is well known in Ottawa circles as only a few short years ago Shayok Shayok was lighting up scoreboards on his way to a NCAA scholarship at Bradley, before recently moving on to the University of Missori-

Kansas City. Now it’s his younger brother’s turn and he’s looking to out-do his already well known brother as he’s set for his senior season at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, where the future star is picking up scholarship offers from a bevy of major division one schools.

Last week, the family’s latest NCAA product made his decision choosing the Marquette Golden Eagles over Providence and Virginia along with a bevy of other schools who have been beating down the kids door since the summer. “Basically it came down to talking with my family and coaches and we decided Marquette was the best fit for me,” explained Marial. “They have a lot of NBA guys who were not in the top 100 and they developed them and got them to the NBA and that’s my dream.”

Shayok continued. “They want me to play the one, two and three spots and it’s not that far from home, though I’m used to being away since I attend boarding school.

There was pressure in choosing, but it wasn’t that bad and it was good pressure. I’m getting to attend college for free. It’s a blessing to go anywhere.”

The 6’6” 205 lbs. shooting guard, is known for his slashing ability and getting to the hoop, but it’s his hard work in the off-season with the CIA Bounce AAU basketball program that has the Ottawa-native poised for a break out season. “My goal right now is to try to help my team win state,” stated Marial. “We want to win a lot of games and next year I want to keep winning games and play well.” Shayok sees how his ability to score on offense will only continue to be effective if he can match the same kinds of efforts on his own end of the court.

“I’ve worked on my game a lot to adapt to college,” continued Shayok. “My strengths are my IQ, getting down the floor, making plays at both ends, passing and getting to the rim, but my weaknesses were spot up shooting and my three. I’ve been working on it a lot and I’m a lot more confident with my shots now.”

While his own decision on where he’ll play basketball in university is upon him, the decision is not an unknown to Marial and his family, who already have a pedigree in the scholarship process. His father Makur played for the Dayton Flyers during his time in school and his older sister Yar is currently at Detroit Mercy, while his brother has now made his way to the university of Missouri-Kansas City after a stop over at Bradley.

With a pedigree like the youngest Shayok has, living up to the hype and his family’s legacy is an added pressure on him, but he rarely lets it affect him or his game. His family’s support and drive to follow in his father’s footsteps is part of what has helped the youngster ease into life away from his home starting his junior year and leading up until his senior year in high school this fall.

Despite all the love for the sport across the family there are also some bragging rights on the line, with his brother, sister and father all staking a claim for the best in the family.

“Right now I’d say my dad during his prime was the best of us,” said Marial,

“but my brother is probably the best right now, but I’m always working on it.”

Marial’s future looks bright and already boasts a resume of impressive feats for anyone yet alone a 17 year old hoops prodigy. The past three summers, he’s played for the Canadian National junior men’s program alongside the likes of other future stars from across Canada such as Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and Kevin Zabo, and even got to represent his country at the FIBA Under-17 World Championships and the Nike Global Hoops Summit. Shayok was even named to the Nike international all-star team after heating up late in the tournament with 22 and 15 points in the last two games which helped Canada to a fifth place finish.

“It was a great experience playing for my country,” said Shayok. “I got to meet a great group of guys and travel around and learn the game. A couple years back I got to play in the Carribana Classic with Anthony Bennett (2013 NBA Draft first overall pick) and against (current Duke freshman phenom) Jabari Parker in Mexico as part of Canada. Both those guys are really good.”

While the NBA is his dream, he’s careful about looking too far ahead and likes to take things one, step at a time. “I want to make it to the NBA,” noted Marial. “If I get the chance I’ll go, but right now I have a four year plan to get better each year.”

The latest Shayok prodigy was also quick to praise his family, neighbourhood and coaches for his ascension into the ranks of a top-100 ranked high school basketball prospect.

“My dad, brother and whole neighbourhood all played such a big role in my development. We always played a lot especially with Shayok and Greg Carter whose like a big brother to me as well. All they guys in the neighbourhood helped me out. Also my coach at St. Pats I owe a lot to him, he’s the guy who really saw my potential and coach Joe Mantegna at Blair is really helping me mentally and to learn how to play the game with adversity. I’ve had a lot of help.”

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Photo by Simon Stiles

Merivale is looking to capture an “AA” championship this year. Looking at this team it is tough say they have one star, they have several good players who can all be superstars on any give day. Hyderi, Metelus and Brewster can really impact the game on the offensive side of the ball, while Su, and Youness disrupt things on the defensive end. In terms of key players, they don’t really talk about it like that. They havesome guys that are expected to have games where they score really well. Then we have other guys who have just as great an impact on the game, thedefensive end who are disrupting the other team’s guards and making it tough for them to run their offense. Youness, Marwan, Shadra and Shymar are definiteleaders each and every day for Merivale.

# Players Names0 Umed Hyderi1 Kevin Metelus2 Marwan Saeed3 Shymar Brewster4 Carroll Long 5 Shadra Su10 Damian Wellington11 Sam Wilson12 Youness Demnati13 Mohammed Abdullahi14 Jermaine McTavish15 Salih Mohamed23 Shivdeep Pal

* currently injured - Mohamed Sheick

CoachesSean McCann

Faqrudin “ Turtle” AliBlake Potter

Hayden Tamming

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# Players Names7 Yusuf Hirsi8 Mustafa Mohamoud9 Mustafa Bile12 Obaida Isaac15 Yousuf Ahmed24 Mahdi Elmi 23 Ali Sow 21 Emran Isaac 34 Yusef Egal 32 Jamal Abdi

CoachDeriyeh Ahmed

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rtThe 2013-14 Sacred Heart Huskies are expecting to be very competitive in theOFSAA AAA/AAAA division of the NCSSAA this coming year. The Huskies are seeing the return of their top two players point guard Brendan Stoqua and forward Lucas Mahony who played solid as seniors last year. Stoqua will run the Husky offence and is expected to lead Sacred Heart in points, as one of the top shooters in the region,he is expected to draw some attention from CIS coaches. Mahony has a lot to offer and will be expected to contribute in all areas, he can post up, take it to the rim, and even step out and hit threes. The Huskies are not just a two man team as Ben Mahony (Lucas’ twin brother) has also joined the team this year and will be expected to be a key weapon offensively and defensively.Aqeel Baqar, Reg Pradel, Jeff Whitesell and Hadi Khir will also be looked at to help make the Huskies successful. The goal is to be playing their best basketball at the end of the season, make the play-offs and compete for a city championship.

# Players Name2 Marino Palarchio3 Brendan Stoqua4 Hadi Khir5 Jeff Whitesell10 Robin Creighton11 Riley Walsh12 Richard Donnelly14 Thomas Golka15 Aqeel Baqar22 Reginald Pradel24 Ben Mahoney41 Kyle Davenport45 Lucas Mahony

CoachesTony HouseGus Ayoub

Photo by Simon Stiles

Canadian basketball player Osvaldo Jeanty, who was named Canadian Inter-University Sport (CIS) male athlete of the year in 2006, and CIS basketball player of the year in 2006 and 2007, has recently retired from his athletic career. Ottawa Hoops got to chat with the local star to find out his memorable moments, keeping ties to the basketball community, and his future plans.

Written by: Denise Berube

Why did you feel like this was the right time for you to retire from basketball?

“I think it was a combination of things. First, I am gettingolder; I am 30. Secondly my body doesn’t recover the same way, finally I think it was time for me to do something different, try a different career path. I had already gone through one career and now I want to move towards a more permanent career. Finally it’s about spending more time

with family. I’ve been away for a very long time and I want to start trying to build a family, my roots are in Ottawa.”

Why didn’t you decide to continue to pursue a career within basketball as a coach or a president of an organization?

“For me, I’ve always wanted to do something with my degree. I am still involved in coaching actually, with the Ottawa Guardsmen. So I’m not closing the door completely on doing something with an organization or coaching. I’ve really looked into it, I think I would be quite a young coach. I don’t quite have the experience yet but I think it’s definitely something I could potentially look at it in the future.”

You’ve played in the CIS, National Basketball League (NBL) and internationally. You’ve said the hardest part about playing in Germany, Morocco, and Romania, was the

lack of contact with your family and friends; was it still a positive experience for you?

“Oh yes it was always a positive experience for me. I love playing basketball; I love the competition, I love learning about new cultures, but when you’re so close with family, it’s just hard, it’s just kind of a little bit lonely. But in every job that you do, you do get some good and some bad. It’s just that this time in my life, you know, I put more weight on family and starting my own.”

I definitely understand that. Did you enjoy your time more when you were playing for the international leagues or more for when you were playing the CIS or the NBL?

“ Ah, I definitely did enjoy playing in the CIS. Carleton Ravens was just… different. Carleton is a family, you’re playing with these guys for five years. You train together,

you go out together, and you eat together, so they become your second family. When you go overseas, it’s more of a job; you’re playing for a contract, and you meet new people, but they’re very different. I would say I enjoyed both very much but they’re very different.”

Out of your career, from when you were at Carleton to when you were in Germany or even when you were with the NBL, what would be your most memorable basketball moment?

“For me, I always said it was winning the championship in my 4th year at Carleton. That year has a special place in my heart just because we went through a lot of adversity that year and that’s probably the one time that most people didn’t believe that we could win with the team and injuries that we had. However, we ended up showing everybody how tough we really were and pulled through.”

Carleton Ravens Legend Osvaldo Jeanty retires from basketball

Numbers Dont Lie: • Height: 6’0”• High School: Samuel Genest High

School• Former Ottawa Guardsmen and

Ottawa Celtics• Mike Moser Memorial Trophy

(CIS Outstanding Player) Winner 2005- 2006 & 2006-2007

• First Team All-Canadian 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007

• Second Team All-Canadian 2004-2005

• Jack Donohue Trophy (MVP of CIS Championship) 2002-2003, 2005-2006

• Kitch MacPherson Trophy (OUA Outstanding Player in the Wilson Cup Final) 2003-2004, 2004-2005

• E.C. Lebel Plaque Trophy (OUA East Most Valuable Player) 2005-2006, 2006-2007

Do you still follow the Carleton Ravens?

“Yes I do. I still practice with them here and there just to stay in shape and for me right now it’s really hard to just give up basketball cold turkey. I like playing with those guys and hopefully they could use a little bit of my knowledge.”

They (Ravens players) must be really impressed to get to be able to play with such a great Raven’s legend like yourself.

“[laughs] I don’t know about great legend but yeah I hope that they take some advice and I help them in any way I can.”

Apparently basketball is the fastest growing sport in Ottawa. Why do you think that might be?

“It’s cheap [laughs] It doesn’t take much to play basketball! And it can give you a lot of the intangibles that you need to succeed in life. It helps you with time management, discipline, your punctuality, it tests you pretty much every

day. Your leadership, your following abilities, your confidence… I could go on and on and on how those skills relate to life and how they prepare you for life.”

Do you have any plans to watch or follow the Ottawa Skyhawks when they come to play [in the NBL]?

“Of course I will. I think at heart I’m a basketball fan and I want see as many games as possible. I’m really interested in seeing how they’re going to do and how it will all develop.”

With your retirement from the sport, what kind of legacy do you hope to leave on the basketball community?

“If I had to leave a legacy, I would just want to be known as the person that was the hardest working, the most competitive, and at the end of the day, was a winner above all else.”

When you say the most competitive guy, what really gets your competitive juices flowing?

“I guess the competition. Trying to figure out who is the better player, and know it’s your team against the other team. To me, the most important thing of all in life and in basketball is keeping score: knowing there is always going to be a winner and a loser gives you focus and gives you discipline. So for me, that was the biggest part about competition.”

So now your basketball career is over, what is your next move?

“Right now I’m in training, and in about a month and a half I’ll be fully licensed as an investment advisor with RBC Dominion Securities. My background is business, finance and accounting, so my degree in commerce from Carleton University does help me in the current job that I am doing.”

How do you think that your previous career in basketball will help you in your future career in finances and commerce?

“There are so many intangibles that help with my career. Especially, I think it helps with the process. That is probably the most important thing about management; having an organized team that will make sure your clients are well taken care of. You also need to have confidence; I’m constantly going to be speaking in front of clients and you have to demonstrate that type of confidence. Leadership, work ethic, communications skills, competitiveness, discipline; those are all the intangibles that I bring to the table from basketball.”

I wish you all the best in your new career path, your coaching, and your family life as well.

“Thank you.”

2002-2003 (21-1)2003-2004 (22-0)2004-2005 (22-0)2005-2006 (20-2)2006-2007 (19-3)

5 CIS/ CIAU National Championships

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2007

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# Players Name1 Keyonn Johnson2 Nuhu Yakubu3 Anthony (Tony) Pedro5 Gisa Kayijamahe10 Curtis Lu11 Zack Lindgren11 Herntz-Alain Dorval12 Ryan Sherwood13 Jordy (Edwin) Gabikini14 Arminder Mehra15 Dini Dimpengi20 Patrick (Ricky) Joissaint21 Liam Daher21 Antonio Micucci22 Abdul Haqani23 Cody Wistaff-Welsh

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# Players Name1 Hanad Hashi2 Joshua Buentiempo3 Abiden Woley4 Tedros Befekudu5 Niko Bunagan10 Adam Farsjiani12 Sean Mariano15 Abdi Sidow20 Caleb Cakpo22 Nicolas Seltenreich23 Nathan Mekbib30 Victor Rivilla32 Kyle Desouza50 Elvis Pressoir55 Chris Bergeron Phil Kuluberhan

CoachSteve Kenny

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’sAfter graduating a group of seven players that won back to back city titles and brought home an OFSAA silver medal last year, St. Pat’s is looking to build a young and diverse group of players into that championship fold. With a good mix of players at all positions between grades 10, 11 and 12, the team’s goal is to get better after each game, gain as much experience as possible, and be battle ready come playoffs to make a stand and defend their city titles.

The only returning starter from last year’s OFSAA silver medal group is Jephte Francois who will be counted on as team captain (with Michael Soy and Lock Lam) to lead this group. Francois, along with fellow graduating players, Stefan Vijackic, Malik Thompson, and Yan Omanyundu are returning to the program. The all around sport athlete, Mike Miller, will have to lead the young group by example to get everyone on the same page by playoffs.

With a team showing such depth, the Irish will have to find minutes to help everyone develop so that by playoffs they will be ready to carry on the level of success St. Pat’s has become associated with in the last two decades.

# Players Name1 Michael Soy2 Adhal Bwolo3 Mike Miller4 Nathan Garcia5 Jephte Francois11 Malik Thompson12 Stefan Vijackic13 Ben Sharara14 Deniro Gibson15 Yan Omanyundu21 Frank Amisi22 Ryan Kabuya23 Will Anikin24 Muhammed Kabeya25 Lock Lam

CoachMatt Koeslag

Tina St.AmourAlex Nassurella

Photo by Simon Stiles

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Photo by Simon Stiles

The St. Matthew Senior Boys basketball team is hoping to be competitive in the Tier 1 Division. After competing in Tier 2 last season, the balanced mix of veteran and rookie players are hoping to develop a strong program capable of competing at Tier 1. Other team goals include developing individual skills and playing a team game offensively and defensively. Long term goals for the program inlcude competing at the Ofsaa tier in the future. Key players include forwards Peter Thomas, Demi Orimoloye and Juwan Anderson while notable guards include Jacob Powell and Loic Kamoso.

# PLAYERS NAME7 Jason Forson 11 Juwan Anderson 14 TJ Edimo Quan 16 Demi Orimoloye 20 Marcus Allen 21 Didier Dagenais 22 Khalim Walker 23 Loic Kamoso 25 Yannick Kamoso 26 Justin Silverwood 28 Peter Thomas 33 Jacob Powell 55 Brendon Racine

CoachDarwin Toreja

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Looking to rebound after a disappointing year of not making the playoffs. the key players Jacob Dupuis,Vedran Brkjaca,Sean Edgecombe, Zaher Darwiche, Stefan Brkjaca and Jafari Burrell are looking to compete for an “AA” championship.

# PLAYERS NAME1 Stefan Brkjaca 4 Zaher Darwiche 8 Sean Edgecombe 11 Sam Fleck 13 Yves Ndira 17 Bradley Beerman 23 Jafari Burrell 32 Vedran Brkjaca 33 Jacob Dupuis 55 Sean Noble

CoachBrian Cameron

Photo by Simon Stiles

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# PLAYERS NAME1 Kurtis Gassewitz2 Alex Page3 Glenn Thelemaque4 Andrew Baker5 Hans St-Preux4 Mark Spiers6 Josh Kelly7 Kounver Dhillon8 Brent Ashfield9 Corey Johnson10 Avdeep Grewal11 Dualeh Elmi12 Pras Jey13 Eric Ricci14 Malik Chasse

CoachesMarg Jones

Courtney Hyndman

Photo by Simon Stiles

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Sleiddy JosephOliver Saint-Victor

Mohamed ElmiBashir Ahmed

Kaleb Comor-SubotichFraser Curry

Saeed AliKody Bradley

Jean BelmeTyler Roy-Smith

Tremeyne RockburnHabeeb Rehman

Tony PhanBariq Sattar

CoachesMike Grozelle

James Hum

Photo by Simon Stiles

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0Brendan StoquaGrade: 12Height: 5-8Position: PGTeam: Sacred HeartBrendan is a true point guard, he facilitates the offence, but if the defence sleeps, he will knock down the outside shot to keep them honest.

Corey JohnsonGrade: 12Height: 6-1Position: GuardTeam: West Carleton AAU: Next LevelComing off a successful summer with Team Ontario, Corey is a dan-gerous player. He has a beautiful jump shot that not many can defend, he can score in bunches.

Eddie EkiyorGrade: 11Height: 6-8Position: ForwardTeam: Mother Teresa AAU: Ottawa GuardsmenEddie is the most athletic player in Ottawa. He is working on his skills to become a more well-rounded player, but even with his current skill set he is the best overall player in Ottawa. He demands the ball on offence and affects every possession on the defensive end.

Ismael KabaGrade: 12Height: 6-2Position: ForwardTeam: Sir Robert Borden AAU: Ottawa PhoenixIsmael is an athletic big man that works hard on both ends of the court. He is a shut down defender and once in transition, look out as he finishes very well in the open floor.

Jacob Dupuis Grade: 12Height: 6-1Position: GuardTeam: St. PaulJacob is mister do-it-all for his team. He scores from inside and out-side, defends the best player, big or small, and controls the team while running the point position.

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0Yassin JoesphGrade:12Height: 6-1 Position: GuardTeam: Glebe Yassin has worked on his game to become one of the top guards in the city of Ottawa. He attacks the rim hard and finished strong, making him tough to defend. He is a tenacious defender, with a knack for finding the ball.

Jacques LukusaGrade: 11Height: 5-11 Position: GuardTeam: Immaculata AAU: Ottawa Guardsmen/ CIA BounceJacques is a versatile and immensely skilled guard. He can score off the stand still or of the dribble, he also has a very good sense of court vision. He is one of the top guards in Canada, a player to always watch when he is on the floor.

Glenn ThelemaqueGrade: 11Height: 6-1Position: GuardTeam: West CarletonAAU: Ottawa GuardsmenGlenn is a good strong athletic guard that can shoot the open shot and distribute the ball.

Maxime BoursiquotGrade: 11Height: 6-4 Position: ForwardTeam: Immaculata AAU: Ottawa GuardsmenFormer Team Ontario U15 member, Maxime has the ability to control a game on both ends of the court. His offence skills force an almost automatic double team and on defense he grabs boards containing teams to one shot.

Kevin MetelusGrade: 12Height: 6-0 Position: GuardTeam: MerivaleKevin is a very strong shooter, you always must always have a hand up when he has the ball. With the ability to get to the rim on the bounce and stroke it from behind the arc, he is one of Ottawa’s players to watch this season.

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