CIS Hoops.ca

Canada Basketball held open tryouts earlier this week for the Senior and Young Men's national teams and a number of CIS players and players-to-be worked out with the hope of catching the eye of the coaching staffs enough to secure an invitation to the main camp which begins today at Durham College in Oshawa. Senior men's tryouts were seperate from the Young Men's tryouts and 6'8" Ross Bekkering from the Calgary Dinos was the lone player from the 40 or so players attending the Senior men's tryout to obtain an invitation to the main camp beginning on Friday. The coaching staff chose three players from the junior tryout including 6'6" Justin Bell from Rick Hansen H.S. in Mississauga, who plans to attend the University of Ottawa next season, and 6'5" Tsing Kasamba from St. Francis H.S. in St. Catherines, who will likely return to high school again for a fifth year and will again play for former Brock Badger guard Pat Sullivan. St. Francis was the finalist at "AA" OFSAA Ontario championships this past March in Perth.

2007 Men's National team program's main camp begins today at Durham College in Oshawa to determine rosters for both the Senior Men's team, which has a very busy summer schedule including the Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil Pan-Am Games 2007 Rio Basketball site and the FISU Games team FISU Games Site. Thirty-two (32) players have been invited to this weekend's camp in Oshawa including the following CIS players: Guards- 6'4" Ryan Bell (Carleton/Ottawa, ON), 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe (Ottawa/Toronto, ON), 6'2" Osvaldo Jeanty (Carleton/Ottawa, ON). Wings- 6'4" Casey Archibald (UBC/Salmon Arm, BC), 6'7" Aaron Doornekamp (Carleton, Kingston, ON), 6'3" Garry Gallimore (St. Francis Xavier/Ottawa, ON), 6'8" Ross Bekkering (Calgary/Taber, AL), 6'6" Jacob Doerksen (Victoria/Abbttsford, BC), 6'11" Neil MacDonald (St. Francis Xavier/Sydney, NS), 6'9" Doug McKinney (UPEI/Charlottetown, PEI), 6'8" J.P. Morin (Laval/ Gatineau, PQ). Charles Reid from the PEI Guardian provides an article on native Doug McKinney as the former Panther prepares to tryout this weekend Panther off to another hoop camp: Doug McKinney will be trying out for two national teams

An article from the Lansing State Journal on David Thomas, originally from Toronto but who played at Michigan State on an NCAA tournament championship team and just finished a season in Australia. Thomas also has spent considerable time with our National team program and is giving back to the community with a series of basketball camps in East Lansing Close to 300 participate in ex-Spartan's basketball clinic

Congratulations to former National team coach Jay Triano who recently was re-signed as an Assistant Coach for the NBA's Toronto Raptors Triano Named Assistant Again

An article on 16 year old 6'9" Mike Allison, son of former National team player Wayne Allison, a Hamilton native who attended Westmount and Hamilton Collegiate Institute before suiting up with Wooster College in Ohio and the University of Windsor Lancers in the 1970's. The younger Allison is taller than his dad and appears to have a bright future NEDA puts Allison in hoops heaven

A touching article by Howard Tsumura on a former B.C. high school basketball player who was tragically run down and the lasting legacy that has help memorialize him Keast's work ethic said it all

An article on a donation to the Saskatchewan Huskies women's basketball program from a local construction magnate Huskies benefit yet again from Graham's generosity

Staying with the fundraising theme, here is an excellent article by Bruce Kidd on the NewsUofT web site. Professor Bruce Kidd, a former Olympian, is dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Health at the University of Toronto Reaching for the top: Excellence in all fields, including athletics, is a hallmark of the University of Toronto