CIS Hoops.ca

We're just about ready to share a comprehensive list of CIS and related holiday tournaments; in fact, we'll let you know where each of 43 teams in CIS men's basketball will be over the break, beginning with Simon Fraser who are currently enjoying the surf of Honolulu, Hawaii and play their first of two games tonight at the Surf and Hoops tournament. As well, our old friend Jim Thomas published his periodic update on CIS and Ontario high school hoops. Finally, some NCAA stories that include a freshman making a big impact in Vermont and Hamilton native apparently contemplating a transfer.

Keenan Jeppessen leaves Ivy League team Brown from the Brown Daily Herald

The REB Invitational in Edmonton wrapped up on Saturday night and Hamilton's Cathedral Gaels had their way in the finals, capturing the championship REB Tournament Final recaps (girls and boys)

While most teams either play in tournaments or take a trip south into warmer climates, Simon Fraser Clan men's team has taken things a step further with a trip out to Hawaii to play in the Surf and Hoops Classic. A quick check of the Surf and Hoops web site shows that virtually any team can apply for this tournament which, if the article below is an indicator, appears to combine basketball with a little time at the beach. The Clan plays a team from Nebraska tonight and then SUNY-Oneonta on Tuesday night. Here is an article written by Jordan Nostedt, a freshman guard from Brandon, Man., one of the Clan's first year players in diary form from the Vancouver Province Jordan Nostedt's Hawaii Post Card

Another great article, this time from the Burlington, VT Free Press, on Vermont freshman point guard Courtnay Pilypaitis from Orleans, ON (suburb of Ottawa) including her teammate, another first-year Canadian playing for the Catamounts, May Kotsopoulos, from Waterloo, ON Pilypaitis/Kotsopoulos Article

For those of you around the country who don't know him, Jim Thomas from Brampton, ON has been around the game of basketball in Ontario for about 30 years. For all intents and purposes, he pioneered recruiting and scouting of Canadian high school players through his "All-Ontario Scouting Service" which for years has described teh top high schoolers in the province. Jim also is a keen observer of OUA basketball and he writes a bi-weekly column on the Hamilton-based "The Hoop-la" web site. For those of you interested in knowing more about his recruiting publications which are a must for any CIS coach recruiting in the province, drop me a quick email. You can read Jim's latest column here

This week we plan to finally do our OUA men's update and also publish the CIS men's holiday schedule. Stay tuned and keep the comments coming.