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2007-08 Men's Basketball Major Awards Announced March 6, 2008 (HALIFAX, NS) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2007-08 major award winners as chosen by the eight Atlantic conference head coaches. The 2007-08 Frank Baldwin Memorial Trophy recipient as the Atlantic University Sport Most Valuable Player is Acadia's Leonel Saintil (Ottawa, ON). Saintil, a forward in his third year of eligibility and the 2004-05 AUS Rookie of the Year, had a tremendous season for the #2-ranked Axemen, breaking the single season Atlantic conference rebounding record with 277 total rebounds (13.9 per game - 1st in AUS and CIS) and averaging 18.5 points per game (3rd in AUS). “Leo has been a difference maker on both sides of the ball this year. His consistent willingness to be the best at what he does has really paid off for both him as an individual and our basketball team as a whole," comments head coach Les Berry. "These types of seasons and players do not come along very often my hat is off to Leo for such a great season.” Leonel, whose season included a conference-leading 13 double-doubles and two 20-plus rebound games, also posted career highs in assists and blocked shots. He scored 20 or more points eight times this season, including a career best 33-point outing. Saintil averaged just 27.8 minutes of floor time per game (23rd in AUS), yet still managed to finish third in blocked shots (1.05 per game), fifth in field goal percentage (55.1 per cent), ninth in steals (1.80 per game) and 183 free-throw attempts were one short of the conference record set by Cape Breton's David Phillip in the 1998-99 season. Saintil is the second Axemen to be named MVP in as many years, and the seventh player in school history to win the award. Current team-mate Paulo Santana was last year's winner. Leonel will be the conference representative for the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding player in CIS basketball. The last Atlantic conference player to win the CIS award was William Njoku of the Saint Mary's Huskies in 1992-93.

Leonel Saintil (MUN/ACA) - Career Stats:

Year GP Pts Avg. FGM-FGA FG% FTM-FTA FT% OR DR TR Avg. Ast T/O Blk Stl
Memorial Stats:
04-05 17 226 13.3 80-154 .519 66-99 .667 70 145 215 12.6 17 32 19 20
05-06 16 191 11.9 68-121 .562 55-99 .556 48 99 147 9.2 19 27 20 37
Acadia Stats:
07-08 20 369 18.5 134-243 .551 101-183 .552 96 181 277 13.9 37 46 21 36
Total 53 786 14.8 282-518 .544 222-381 .583 214 425 639 12.1 73 105 60 93


Islam Luiz de Toledo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) of the StFX X-Men is the 2007-08 Rookie of the Year. Toledo had an outstanding freshman season with the X-Men, appearing in all 20 regular season games, contributing 13.6 points per game, the highest average of any first year player in the Atlantic conference this season. He also led all freshmen in rebounds (7.8 per game), blocked shots (0.85 per game and minutes played (29.6 per game). Toledo, also named to a second team all-star, becomes the third StFX player to be named Rookie of the Year in the past five seasons, joining Garry Gallimore (2003-04) and Christian Upshaw (2006-07). Dalhousie's Shawn Plancke is the only AUBC player to ever be named CIS Rookie of the Year.

For the second time in his six year career, Cape Breton's Jim Charters has been selected by his peers as the AUS Coach of the Year. Charters, who also took home the award in 2004-05, guided the Capers to a 14-6 regular season record this season. The Capers, one of only two teams to hand the Acadia Axemen a loss in regular season play, have been ranked in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Top-10 for the past eight weeks, including a season high number six ranking. Charters, whose career regular season record now stands at 82-45, has posted a winning record in each of the past five seasons with the Capers. StFX's Steve Konchalski (2000-01) is the last Atlantic conference head coach to win the Stuart W. Aberdeen Trophy as the CIS Coach of the Year.

Jim Charters' head coaching record (regular season):

Team Year G W L
Dalhousie (Interim) 2001-02 7 1 6
Cape Breton 2002-03 20 8 12
Cape Breton 2003-04 20 13 7
Cape Breton 2004-05 20 14 6
Cape Breton 2005-06 20 16 4
Cape Breton 2006-07 20 16 4
Cape Breton 2007-08 20 14 6
Overall 127 82 45

The Atlantic University Sport Defensive Player of the Year is 6'8" forward Achuil Lual (5th year - Ottawa, ON) of the Acadia Axemen. Lual, a captain with the Axemen, led the conference in blocked shots this season (1.35 per game) and was a key member of an Acadia defense that allowed a league-low 65.8 points per game. “Achuil is an excellent defensive player who has provided our team with great leadership and competitiveness on defense every game," says head coach Les Berry. "He plays with an incredible amount of intensity day in and day out and consistently putting his body in harms way is just a little piece of what Achuil does for his teammates. He will take on any challenge whether it requires guarding a smaller, quicker player or someone bigger and stronger." StFX's Garry Gallimore is the only player to have won this award since it's inception in 2004-05. Gallimore was also named the CIS Defensive Player of the Year in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

The 2007-08 Atlantic University Sport Ken Shields Award Nominee is Cape Breton Capers point guard Mark McGarrigle of Hammonds Plains, NS. This award is presented to the player who best exhibits outstanding achievements in basketball, academics, and community involvement. Mark has had a tremendous season on the court for the Capers as team captain, and off the court he continues to be strong academically and has proven to be a true community leader. Mark has gone from a limited role in his previous two seasons, to a starting role where he is now the team captain, averaging 29.7 minutes and over 10 points per game. Even more impressive is that Mark tore his ACL this past July at basketball camp, an injury that typically requires surgery and a full year to recover, yet Mark's injury has not slowed him down. He has performed above expectations thanks to his commitment to become the best player he can be.

McGarrigle in a Dean's List student in the Business Administration program at Cape Breton. Mark was awarded an academic scholarship as an honours student out of high school and he has maintained the high academic level required to renew this award each year. He is a Residence Assistant that requires him work a minimum of 12 hours per week outside of his basketball and academic duties. When stuck for calculus tutors for 1st year Science students, Mark stepped in and has tutored over a dozen students per year in each of his three years on campus including his first year when he was taking the course himself. Mark also participates in a number community service initiatives. Since 2000, Mark has spent time during each Christmas break feeding homeless people at the Brunswick Street United Church in Halifax. In the winter of 2006 and 2007 he has volunteered both in Sydney and in Halifax with 'Operation Red Nose', a program that provides a free, designated-driver service to help keep roads safe during the holiday season. He has also volunteered his time at the Metro Food Bank in Halifax and regularly participates in basketball camps and clinics in local elementary schools "CBU has never had a player who has spent more time on their game and conditioning outside of practice," comments head coach Jim Charters. "Mark is an exceptional individual who continues to improve in all aspects of his life. He has been a terrific ambassador for both Cape Breton University and our conference, and exemplifies everything the Ken Shields Award embodies."

The 2008 Atlantic University Sport Final 6 men's basketball championship is being held this weekend at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, NS. All tickets for the 2007 championship are available through the Ticket Atlantic box office at 902-451-1221 or online at www.ticketatlantic.com. The championship schedule is as follows:

Friday, March 7th
Quarter-final #1: Cape Breton (4) vs. Dalhousie (5), 6:00pm
Quarter-final #2: Saint Mary's (3) vs. UPEI (6), 8:15pm

Saturday, March 8th
Semi-final #1: Acadia (1) vs. lowest remaining seed, 6:00pm
Semi-final #2: StFX (2) vs. highest remaining seed, 8:15pm

Sunday, March 9th
Championship Game: Semifinal Winners, 2:00pm

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For further information, please visit www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/final6