CIS Hoops.ca

Canada's representatives at the FISU (World University) Games in Bangkok, Thailand in early August are coming to the end of their Durham College training camp and coaches Chris O'Rourke (Guelph), Darrell Glenn (Humber) and Dave DeAveiro (Ottawa) are busy trying to finalize their roster for the event in which they begin play on August 7th against the host Thailand side. While no official decisions have been made, chances are good that several CIS players will represent their country at this event. The team has several top point guards remaining in camp including uOttawa's 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe (Toronto, ON; Jarvis C.I.), who has been impressive when right but at times has struggled with his consistency. A big guard who can score, lead the break and distribute, Gibson-Bascombe (pictured) has a chance to earn major minutes for the FISU squad. Also at the point are 6'3" Jamie McNeilly (Toronto, ON; Mother Teresa and University of New Orleans) who logged major minutes this season for the Privateers and 6'0" Central Connecticut State star Tristan Blackwood (Toronto, ON; Eastern Commerce) who has been a loyal National team program member for many summers including a couple of summers ago when Canada upset the USA 93-90 at the 2005 FIBA U-21 World Championships in Argentina. The FISU squad appears deep and talented at the point with a triumverate from downtown Toronto. A pair of CIS stars headline a potentially solid group of wings as Canadian National team program veteran 6'3" Garry Gallimore (pictured - Ottawa, ON; Woodroffe H.S. and St. FX), a lock-down defender with the strength and aggressiveness to rebound in traffic and get to the rim in transition and 6'3" Casey Archibald (Salmon Arm, B.C. and UBC All-Canadian), a classic scorer who knows how to use screens to get open and can also slash to the rim and hammer it when necessary. Gallimore and Archibald are perfect complements for each other and should be in a position to get significant minutes in the rotation. 6'5" Max Gosselin, a lanky, hard-working wing from Montreal via St.Lambert CEGEP, should be in the mix as well with his ability to defend and rebound supported by his experience in playing in the NCAA tournament last season. Another Toronto product, 6'5" Jevohn Sheppard from Scarborough West Hill and the University of Michigan, where he just finished his sophomore season, is likely to round out the FISU squads set of wing players. Up front, the club could draw from a combination of strength, finesse and athleticism led by 6'8" Theo Davis (pictured - Toronto, ON; Gonzaga), who has been a pleasant surprise with a tremendous team-oriented attitude and out-of-sight athleticism that should see him log minutes in the rotation. Improving 6'8" Willie Galick (Naniamo, BC; Pepperdine last season, transfering to Cal State-Northridge) has tremendous leaping ability and was also part of Canada's U-21 team that defeated the USA in 2005 and 6'11" Scott Morrison (Vancouver, BC; Argyle S.S.; Portland State University) should complement Davis up front and a wealth of CIS stars including 6'8" J.P. Morin (pictured - Gatineau, PQ; Montmorency CEGEP, Laval University), who has been hurt for some of the camp, 6'8" Ross Bekkering (Taber, AL, University of Calgary), 6'6" Jacob Doerksen (Abbotsford, BC; Rick Hansen H.S. and University of Victoria) and 6'10" Neil MacDonald (Sydney Mines, NS; St. FX), who also participated in the 2005 U-21 World Championships during which Canada defeated the USA. The FISU squad, which will next reassemble in late July at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C. for a few days of training before moving on to Thailand for another week of training in early August, has a significant CIS presence and expect the players from our league to display their talents to the world at these games. Stay tuned for the official announcement of the roster in the coming weeks.

Canada's Men's Junior National team, under the tutelage of Head Coach Greg Francis (NEDA Boys Head Coach) and Assistant Craig Beaucamp (UVic), completed their initial training camp in preparation for the FIBA U-19 World Championships in Serbia which begin on July 12th when Canada faces Nigeria. About 30 players participated in the Junior National camp and speculation is that 16 players remain with the squad, with the final roster of twelve with some alternates to be named closer to the worlds. The players head to Monmouth (N.J.) College next week for what amounts to a mini-camp and Canada is scheduled to scrimmage against a team of NCAA college and pro players, which will give them their first chance to see how they stack up against other opponents. Although not official, here is one take on who the 16 players are that will make their way to New Jersey next week for the mini camp. Arguably Canada's best current high school player, 6'2" Devoe Joseph (pictured) from Pickering H.S., Ontario "AAAA" high school champions this past season, played a key role on last year's group that qualified for the world's and Joseph promises take even more of a leading role this summer. Other veterans from last season's team that should get major burn this summer include 6'6" Jonathan House (Guelph Centennial headed to Belmont University) who has tremendous perimeter skills including range beyond the 3 point line and a game very well suited to international basketball and 6'8" Scott Brittain (Oakville, ON; Boston University sophomore-to-be), who is strong enough to guard posts bigger than him and is versatile enough to create perimeter mismatches for opponent's bigs including spotting up for 3's in transition. 6'2" Chretien Lakusa (Toronto Eastern Commerce headed to Binghamton University) has seen time at both guard spots and looks to be another solid contributor to the program. 6'0" Juevol Myles from Pickering H.S. also was on last season's roster and looks to contribute as point guard on this summer's team. A number of younger players who have a bright future with the National program also should warrant strong consideration for U-19 roster spots this summer including 6'5" Alwayne Bigby (pictured - Toronto Eastern Commerce; only 16 years old), 6'0" Corey Joseph (Devoe's younger brother; only 15 years old) and emerging 6'9" Maurice Walker (Toronto Mother Teresa; only 15 years old) who demonstrated a very mature offensive game with great hands and an array of finishing skills around the basket. Bigby and Joseph have had experience in national and international competition and are only getting better and Walker, who got his first taste of what it takes to play at the international level, proved to be extremely coachable and showed tremendous overall skills including a perimeter jumper out beyond the arc. With solid work, he could mature into a star of the future. Another Toronto Eastern Commerce product, diminutive 5'9" Keaton Cole also showed solid leadership and skills as a pure point guard. Probably the most improved player from last summer to this was 6'5" Kai Williams (Regina, SK; South Dakota State sophomore-to-be) who has extended his game out further on the perimeter, plays with much more poise and confidence and can now be counted on to play both forward spots where needed. A pair of CIS stars-to-be, 6'7" Boris Bakovic (pictured - Toronto East York; Ryerson U. sophomore-to-be) and 6'8" Aaron Chapman (Belleville Nicholson; Carleton freshman-to-be) could be in the mix at the forward spots with Bakovic showing tremendous improvement from last year to this, playing with more confidence offensively and generally showing the type of aggressiveness required to get time when it matters. Up front at the 5 spot, two emerging young big men 6'10" Zach Nagtzaam (Cambridge Southwood; headed to Ohio University) and 6'11" Max Craig-Zuyderhoff (Quebec; Loyola Marymount) potential give Canada a pair of skilled offensive talents in the paint with Craig-Zuyderhoff especially improving dramatically from last year, adding a solid jump hook and generally showing solid finishing skills around the rim. Another CIS talent who we talked about earlier who should be in the mix is fundamentally-sound 6'2" point guard Alex Murphy (pictured - U.B.C.), who very obviously has benefited from a year in a solid CIS program playing against veterans each and every day. A dark horse could also be 6'5" Dwayne Smith, another 3/4 type, who will play high school basketball for Pickering H.S. this coming season. We will provide you with the official roster once it is announced officially. Best of luck to the U-19's in New Jersey next week who will then come back to Durham for a final set of practices before heading off to Serbia in early July. We will provide a breakdown of the tournament as the dates draw nearer.

Tonight's lead story concerns the recent CIS meetings as Tim Switzer of the Regina Leader-Post does a very job of summarizing many of the initiatives put forth in PEI. Among the motions that apparently have passed are "Letters of Intent" for student/athletes and a new 16 team format for CIS women's basketball. An attempt to bring the minimum average for qualifying for student/athlete bursaries from 80% down to 65% was rejected. Here is the entire story Pair of changes rejected at meeting

With the Canadian U-19 squad expected to be chosen within the next couple of days, we can begin to look ahead at some of Canada's opponents at the tournament which begins July 7th in Novi Sad, Serbia. Canada has been placed in Group C with Australia, Nigeria and Turkey. Coach Greg Francis's squad opens up against what should be a formidable team from Nigeria, which includes at least 2 players who will play NCAA Division 1 basketball next season including one of the top graduating seniors from U.S. high schools. Here is a look at the Nigerian team which includes 7'1" Solomon Alabi (Montverde (FL) Academy) who has been rated as high as the #4 graduating center from U.S. high school ranks, high school teammate 6'10" Joseph Katuka and Emmanuel Nedegu, another Nigerian attending high school in the U.S. Alabi has signed a letter of intent with Florida State while Katuka will attend George Washington beginning this autumn. Nigerian U-19 Preview

Trials for Team USA U-19 squad take place in Colorado Springs, CO between June 28th and 30th and as usual the Americans have a full array of stars rated among the nation's best prep ballers prepared to represent their country at the FIBA U-19 World Championships. USA did not medal the last time FIBA held an U-19 tournament in Greece in 2003, so expect current DePaul University Head Coach Jerry Wainwright to have his group ready to play this time around Team USA Tryout Preview

The Australian's have had their roster picked for a number of weeks already, drawing on their successful and powerful National Development program for elite players for the majority of their U-19 roster Australia U-19 Men's Roster

Argentina will take part in the Global Games in Dallas between July 3 and 8 before travelling to the World Championship in Serbia, where they will face Spain, South Korea and Puerto Rico in Group D.
Argentina U-19 Men's Roster

Brazil has been placed in Group A with France, Lebanon and Lithuania Brazil's U-19 Men's Squad

A nice introductory article by Raveena Aulakh from the Hamilton Spectator on Michelle O'Keefe, newest Executive Director at Basketball Ontario O'Keefe brings wealth of basketball knowledge to her new job

A note from SoonerSports.com on the University of Oklahoma's visit to Canada during the Labour Day weekend. The Sooners, led by second-year coach Jeff Capel, a Duke University grad, will play UBC, Simon Fraser and Trinity Western from Canada West (CIS). Oklahoma recently announced that 6'9" Ryan Wright from Mississauga, ON will be transfering to their program but will have to sit out this coming season as a transfer OU Bound for Canada over Labor Day

Much thanks to good friend Jim Thomas with whom I've traded hoops stories for almost two decades for his kind words in his latest "Thomas Report" which appears on the "The Hoop-La" web site run by Kirk Alfaro out of Hamilton. As many know, Jim has been a fixture on the Ontario basketball scene for over 20 years and when we last saw Jim, he made the comment that he'll probably die in a gym somewhere. Thomas has published "All-Ontario Scouting Service" for many years and has a tremendous memory, easily recalling great Ontario players of the past going back to the late 70's, early 80's. In this most recent edition of his report, Jim comments on highly-touted Andrew Nicholson, the Ottawa Guardsmen and another recruit for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. To access the latest Thomas Report, click here

Another solid web site that tracks hoops in the Greater Toronto Region is "Hooptown GTA" and a recent addition to that site is a series of photos and information on Canada's U-19 team. Click here for another view of our U-19 team which will compete for Canada at the FIBA U-19 World Championships in Serbia next month.

The final roster for Canada's entry at the FIFA World U-19's in Serbia will not be announced for at least a couple of days however Head Coach Greg Francis already feels his group is coming together nicely with a solid blend of talent and team unity. The pressures of playing for your country in a hostile environment such as what it is likely to be in the Serbian gyms demand a group that is not only talented but plays together through situations when things aren't going very well. To that end, Francis (pictured) feels this group is maturing rapidly in that area. While the group has a number of highly-touted players who are or will be playing in the NCAA next season, Francis also has noted that a group of players with CIS ties are also capable of making an impact with his team. 6'8" Aaron Chapman (Belleville, ON; freshman-to-be at Carleton) has been very good and has a chance to stick on the roster as does 6'7" Boris Bakovic (Toronto, ON; sophomore-to-be at Ryerson), who spent much of the summer working out under the watchful eye of Francis and, being of Serbian heritage, wants desperately to get to play in his parent's homeland. We've already written about the solid work of 6'1" Alex Murphy, who has been playing like a seasoned veteran with post-secondary experience under his belt and has a solid IQ on floor; Murphy has been another CIS player who has caught the coaching staff's eye, taking care of the ball and making good decisions. The final roster should be announced by Wednesday and we plan to have the entire roster for you when it becomes available. Best of luck to Coach Francis, his staff and team on a successful summer.

SENIOR TEAM UPDATES: After missing the initial set of workouts, 6'2" point guard Jermaine "Rock" Anderson came into camp and has been as solid as his nickname warrants. Anderson could likely log big minutes at the lead guard for Canada at the Pan-Am Games in Rio next month. Arguably the best player in camp has been 6'5" Olu Famutimi, who originally attended Chaminade C.S. in Toronto before playing his final 2 seasons of high school basketball in Michigan and then accepting a scholarship with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Famutimi then declared for the NBA draft after 2 seasons and went undrafted but has continued to work extremely hard, attending pre-season camps with the 76ers and Spurs before moving to the D-League. Famutimi appears to have played his way into a prominent role with the program in some capacity, showing a tremendous attitude combined with graceful and effortless style on the court. Let's hope his continued hard work and success leads to bigger and brighter things for this emerging star who is still just 23 years old. Canada Basketball veteran Jermaine Bucknor (Edmonton, AL) has also impressed at the wing spot. Bucknor, who graduated in 2006 after 4 seasons with the NCAA's Richmond Spiders, subsequently attended Toronto Raptors pre-season camp and then played last season in France, has been a loyal player with the program for several summers going back to his junior team days. Over the next few days, we should get word on the rosters for the U-19's, FISU Games squad and the Senior Men's team for the Pan-Am Games. Stay tuned.

At Canada Basketball's training camp in Oshawa, 6'2" guard Jermaine Anderson reported to camp over the weekend and has been playing well at the point. He should be a big part of the Senior team's roster going to the Pan-Am Games... Updates from the U-19 camp include 6'6" Justin Bell and others getting cut (rosters for all teams should be announced soon) yesterday. 6'7" Olu Ashaolu, 5'11" Junior Cadougan and 6'4" Curtis Trotter were all no shows, choosing instead to attend a U.S. elite camp over the weekend. Stay tuned for more news as it becomes available.

The workouts continue in Oshawa as Canada Basketball looks to fill rosters for a series of international competitions this summer. While many of the Senior Men's team veterans who could play for Canada this summer such as Rowan Barrett, Carl English, Juan Mendez and Samuel Dalembert are not at this camp, a strong contingent of young players, including several with CIS ties, are battling to continue to seek a spot on the roster for the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifier in Las Vegas between August 20th and September 2nd. First major tournament of the summer for the Senior Men's team is the Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janerio, Brazil between July 20th and 30th and expect several of the participants in this camp to play for Canada at that competition. Carleton's big three of 6'2" Osvaldo Jeanty, 6'7" Aaron Doornekamp and 6'4" Ryan Bell are working with the Senior team and Jeanty, one of the hardest working players to ever play in the CIS, has been very good according to sources. Doornekamp has battled a knee injury but has not missed any practice time while Bell has been steady at the point, defending, rebounding and finding people. Other CIS stars who have made an impact include UBC's 6'4" Casey Archibald, who should be a mainstay on the FISU team as a primary scorer on the wing, 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe from the University of Ottawa who has been solid while shuffling between both guard spots, 6'3" Garry Gallimore from St. FX who has generally been locking up his checks, rebounding and making his open shots although has turned the ball over getting too deep in the lane on occasion and 6'6" Jacob Doerksen who could be playing his way into a spot on the FISU team. 6'7" J.P. Morin (hamstring) and 6'9" Doug McKinney (elbow) were injured on the first day of camp and did not practice through Saturday night.

U-19 Update: We've already alluded to the solid camp 6'1" Alex Murphy from UBC has had, pushing for a spot on the roster. A future CIS player in camp who may have a shot at the roster is Carleton's 6'8" Aaron Chapman, who can play both forward spots but is likely better suited at the "4". Others in camp with CIS ties include 6'7" Boris Bakovic (OUA Freshman-of-the-Year and CIS All-Freshman Team), 6'3" Elliot Thompson (New Brunswick/headed to Carleton), 6'5" Cole Hobin (Ottawa, ON via Eastern Commerce Prep headed to Carleton), 6'2" Tyrell Vernon (Hamilton, ON; likely headed to McMaster), 6'6" Justin Bell (Mississauga, ON; headed to the University of Ottawa) and 6'8" Tyler Fidler (Calgary, AL; headed to the University of Calgary). After this camp which goes through early this coming week, the U-19's are scheduled to head to Monmouth College in New Jersey for a 3 day training camp starting next Wednesday, June 27th before coming back to Oshawa for more workouts in advance of the FIBA U-19 World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia between July 7th and 22nd.

Here is an article from a Louisiana State University-related publication outlining LSU Tigers trip to Canada on Labour Day weekend for 3 games in the GTA against Guelph, York and Toronto Tigers will play 3 in Canada

Canada Basketball began their four-day tryout camp at Durham College in Oshawa yesterday and there were a couple of surprises on Day One as 6'2" Jermaine Anderson, who played his high school ball at Toronto's Eastern Commerce before moving on to Fordham University, was a no-show at the camp. Anderson, who spent this past season playing professionally in Poland, was expected to battle for a spot in the rotation at point guard for our Senior Men's team this summer. One of the stronger efforts on Day One of the Senior Men's workouts came from St. FX's athletic 6'3" wing Garry Gallimore, who works on his game and conditioning as hard as or harder than anyone during the off-season and again was prepared to take on all comers yesterday. Gallimore, who just completed his fourth year at X and has graduated from his undergraduate program on time, is still deciding his career path for next season and a big summer could secure him a professional contract. The Junior Men's National team, which will represent Canada at the FIBA U19 games in mid-July in Serbia, also worked out and some of the top performers on Day One of the Junior camp included 5'11" Tremaine Fraser (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia), who is headed to Cape Breton U. next season, 6'1" point guard Alex Murphy, who just completed his freshman season at UBC playing in CIS Canada West and 6'8" Aaron Chapman (freshman-to-be at Carleton from Belleville Moira). Stay tuned for more information as it becomes avaiable.

Former Lethbridge Pronghorn Scott MacKinnon and his younger brother, Victoria-Vike-to-be Ryan MacKinnon are trying to give back to the community with a basketball camp in Comox, BC Hoop Stars camp will help others shine

Northern Life.ca welcomed new Laurentian coach Shawn Swords back to Sudbury with this article Former LU basketball star returns as coach

Former Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario high school star D.J. Wright recently committed to Louisiana Tech University, the alma mater of Karl Malone and in this article he is described by his prep school coach Rohan Russell as a "very similar to Glen Rice" DJ Wright to La Tech

A pair of Sudbury players from LaSalle high school, Riley Fortier and Andrew Lalonde, recently attended a camp in the U.S. Both could be future CIS players Opening some eyes; Lancer teammates shine at U.S. basketball camp

Here is another article lauding the efforts of organizers of the recent Friendship Games in Israel, won by Canada's own Concordia University Stingers Coming together on the court

The fledgling Halifax Rainmen of the ABA recently held a set of tryouts in Halifax at The Tower at St. Mary's Would-be Rainmen hold court

We will have a complete schedule of all CIS vs. NCAA Labour Day games coming up at the end of the summer however the Kentucky Wildcats, with new coach Billy Gillespe, are also talking about visiting Canada in this Louisville Courier-Journal article Kentucky to visit Canada ?

A breakdown of Surrey, BC area players who will represent B.C. in national competitions this season; many of these players are likely to end up playing in the CIS in the not-too-distant future Local Teens named to B.C. teams

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

Interesting developments have arisen from this week's CIS Annual General Meetings (or "AGM) that could have an effect on basketball in a couple of ways. Sources indicate that among the motions being put forth are Letters of Intent for student/athletes and the ability for a first-year student to transfer to a CIS school without having to sit out a year prior to their second year (applies only to the year between their first and second year).

Letters of Intent have been discussed among those in the basketball community for years as a solution to kids verbally committing and then later fleeing to another school without repercusion. Unfortunately, I'm not completely aware of the full legalities of Letters of Intent in the U.S. although as good friend Dave "Wellsie" Wells notes in an email, Letters of Intent in the U.S. are not even governed by the NCAA National Letters of Intent site. My take from the perspective of a coach recruiting kids is that it would help solidify the roster earlier and make a coach's life easier. However my take as a parent or a student/athlete is to question how binding the contract is; what little I know about contract law is that for a contract to be legal both parties must receive some consideration, so if this is the case then only those student/athletes receiving financial assistance (or anything else of consideration) in return for their binding commitment would fit. Beyond that, issues such as which governing body oversees the contracts, how to arbitrate in the event contracts are broken and many other possible issues need to be addressed. In other words, what process takes over in the event of a party breaking the contract or other. As well, practically speaking, how many basketball programs are funded to the tune of adding another $30,000 to $35,000 to their annual budgets strictly for student/athlete bursaries? Scholarships/bursaries are a solid idea on the surface but how many programs actually have the budget to pay their players year after year? (12 student athletes getting $3,500 per year over 5 years amounts to over $200,000 in cash outlays strictly for scholarships/bursaries. My current take is that the administrative issues alone need to be well thought through with the aid of legal teams to design a proper structure that ensures all parties who enter into these contracts are well served and, more importantly, that a proper arbitration support system is available for the inevitable challenges that will occur at some point (and who will foot the bill to pay for the lawyers).

The "transfer after first year without sitting out" rule appears to have more practical merit as young men, some still as young as 17 years old, can make mistakes with what is in many cases the most important decision they've made up to that point in their lives. By allowing those who may have made the quote/unquote "wrong" decision initially to reconsider without missing playing time, the system is providing an out for the kids. As Wellsie suggests, this rule could make it much more appealing for Canadians who spent their first season in the U.S. to return to the CIS as they could play immediately. It has also been suggested that this rule may encourage the recruiting process to continue even though a player has gone to a certain school for first-year. From a purely basketball perspective, the idea of making a young kid sit out a year has ripple effects down the road since, with the five year eligibility rule, a student/athlete playing five years plus sitting another out means six years of school. Unless the student/athlete moves on to do graduate work (very few do), this helps no one in my opinion and can provide an academic crutch that in the long run probably doesn't help the kid in my opinion. Undergraduate academic programs are three and four years for a reason and spending six years (or more) in university to get a 3 or 4 year degree, in the long run can lead to complacency when the student/athletes basketball career ends and the kid is faced with assimilating into mainstream society.

Apparently, the motions should be discussed and possibly voted upon this week. We'll try to provide more information if and when it becomes available.

Long-time CIS basketball follower Bill Malley, a regular on McMaster basketball radio broadcasts and contributor to various publications on Canadian basketball over the years (among other things), is widely quoted in this Larry Moko authored tribute to the late Bill Sturrup who tonight in Prince Edward Island will be named winner of the prestiguous 2006-07 Fred Sgambati Award, presented annually since 1972 to a member of the national news media who has made a major contribution to the development and growth of Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Sturrup honoured with Fred Sgambati Award

The Saskatchewan Huskies announce an addition to the their men's basketball coaching staff under Head Coach Greg Jockims Long-time Crusaders' basketball coach takes leap to college level with Huskies

Brzozowicz latest recruit to join Mustangs men's hoops squad: Western's hoops team continues to improve with strong recruiting class (from Western Sports Information)

LONDON, Ont. - Alex Brzozowicz, a 6'2" transfer guard from Chicago, has joined the Western Mustangs men's basketball program. Brzozowicz played two seasons at the University of Michigan (2004-2005 and 2005-2006) with limited playing time, but he gained valuable collegiate experience in the U.S. "We are very pleased Alex will be joining our program," said Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell. "Alex is a tremendous athlete who will provide us with depth and veteran leadership from the guard position." Before college, Brzozowicz played at St. Ignatius College in Oak Park, Illinois, averaging 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks per game. "I am extremely excited to join the Mustangs basketball program," Brzozowicz said. "I am happy to get this opportunity to continue my athletic career at the university level and help Western to become one of the best teams in the country." "I think we are going to have a great team next year and I really just can't wait to show the rest of Canada what we can do," Brzozowicz said. (Media Note: Pronounced bra-ZAHZ-ah-VITCH)

2007 Western Mustangs Men’s Basketball Recruiting Class

G Alex Brzozowicz, 6’2”,University of Michigan (NCAA Div. 1); Chicago, Ill.
G/F Keenan Jeppesen, 6’7”, Brown University (NCAA Div. 1); Stoney Creek, Ont.
G Ryan Barbeau, 5’10”, Nicholson High School, Belleville, Ont.
F Garrett Olexiuk, 6’6”, Lester B. Pearson High School, Burlington, Ont.
F Colin LaForme, 6’10”, Youngstown State (NCAA Div. 1), Hamilton, Ont.

Media Contact: Andy Watson / 519 661.3089 / awatso47@uwo.ca / www.westernmustangs.ca

About 10 days ago we had reported through Barry Hayes' hooplife.ca that 6'9" Nick Cooke from Toronto Eastern Commerce had changed his mind on a commitment to RMC but Cooke has officially and finally reconfirmed his desire to attend RMC, play basketball and study/work to become a pilot. Congratulations to the RMC program and especially hard-working coach Kevin Maguire on adding Cooke to a deep and well-talented recruiting class.

Queen's Golden Gaels coaches Rob Smart and Duncan Cowan have also been working hard try to replace numerous rotation players lost to graduation and the result is summarized in a release from Queen's in which it was announced that 6'5" forward Jon Ogden from St.Theresa S.S. in Belleville, ON, 6'5" guard Nick DiDonato from St. Basil. S.S. in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, 6'0" OCAA transfer Leng Yeang (St. Clair College – Windsor, ON), 6'6" forward Travis Mitchell, another transfer from St. Lawrence College, originally from Ottawa, ON, athletic 6'2" Tim Boyle from Nicholson C.C. (Belleville, ON) and 6'1" guard Dan Bannister from Sacred Heart S.S. in Newmarket, ON have committed to the Gaels program for next season. Here is the link to the story on queensbasketball.net, the Gaels fan-supported site Gaels announce recruits for 2007

Alex J. Walling from the Halifax Daily News reports on the fledgling Halifax franchise and the trials and tribulations of the ABA The ABA is a league full of holes

A bit of layoff due to family and work committments however first of all congratulations to Shawn Swords for being named Head Coach of the Laurentian Voyageurs earlier this week. I recall when Swords was a freshman at Laurentian and I was responsible for the Voyageurs scouting report as an Assistant Coach at Ottawa U. He came out of high school as a guy who wanted to get to the rim more than shooting it and, up to that point in time, I thought of him as an inconsistent outside shooter. So we told our kids to defend the drive on him and doesn't he get himself open at the end of the game to nail a three that helped win the game (also partially explaining why I write about CIS basketball rather than coach it). Shawn was a fierce competitor whether it was playing for Laurentian, for Canada or in a local summer league and I'm certain he will bring that same competitive spirit to Laurentian and the OUA East, which is arguably the toughest conference to play/recruit/compete in. Neate Sager added his thoughts to Ottawa native's Swords hiring in a recent post on his blog With Swords Paddling, Vees won't be up the creek and finally here is a story from the Sudbury Star announcing the hiring Swords to lead LU; Former Voyageurs standout returns 10 years later to coach

In other Laurentian-related news, former Lady Vees All-Canadian Sue Stewart (pictured in action playing for Canada's National women's team), a native of Toronto who played for Laurentian in many of the same years that Swords did, has suffered through some cancer-related health issues over the past few years and as Alison Korn reports in a recent Sun Media column, Stewart is finding ways to overcome her challenges Sue Stewart: More to Life than Hoops thanks to Neate Sager from Out of Left Field for this link.

Concordia Stingers spent the past 2 weeks in Israel and made Canada proud by winning a pair of tournaments including the second annual Friendship Games. There are several links summarizing the trip beginning with a Concordia-in-Israel trip recap from Concordia web site Stingers win Friendship Games in Israel also a note from the Friendship Games web site quoting coach John Dore and providing the entire set of results Friendship Games blog An article highlighting the social importance of these games and why it was so important to have Canadian representation at these games Israelis and Palestinians play ball for peace Quebec's largest English weekly newspaper, the Suburban, pays tribute to the Stingers and their tremendous showing in Israel with a lengthy article Stingers play ball in Israel

A nice story by John Kernaghan from the Hamilton Spectator on the inclusion of Ray Jones into Canada's Basketball Hall-of-Fame along with the other members of the 1976 Olympic team, including current St.FX Head Coach Steve Konchalski who had a lot to do with correcting the oversight Jones Headed to Hall: Basketball Canada corrects oversight against manager/trainer

A nice piece that recently appeared on tsn.ca about Canada Basketball's NEDA program which has attracted their first group of student/athletes in time for this coming fall Kids chase Canadian basketball dreams Another solid piece by Larry Moko of the Hamilton Spectator on the NEDA boys team NEDA Boys

The Abbotsford News reports on the latest in the search for the next UCFV men's basketball head coach Door is open for Lee and Antil to return to UCFV basketball team

Ryan Pyette from the London Free Press reports on Saturday's All-Star Charity classic at Fanshawe College in London Fanshawe hosts All-Star contest

Prince George B.C.'s UNBC Northern Timberwolves from the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association have announced a tremendous addition to their basketball programs UNBC adds a heavy hitter

Calgary-based team gets off to rough start at Kansas summer tournament Canadians get rough start at MAYB

Queen's University recently hired ex-Canada Basketball Executive Director Leslie Dal Cin as Director of Athletics. The hiring comes at a time when there is unprecedented financial support for Queen's athletics including a new building being constructed to replace Bartlett Gymnasium as the home of the basketball Gaels. Claude Scilley of the Kingston Whig-Standard provides more insight in this recent article discussing the hiring A winning personality; 'Outsider' boss could shake up Queen's athletics

The Laurentian Voyageurs are set to announce their new men's basketball coach after Virgil Hill resigned last month to be closer to his family in B.C. Interviews were conducted last week and the Voyageurs athletic department is planning a news conference tomorrow (Monday) night to formally announce their new coach.
Vees set to announce new men's basketball coach Sources indicate that former Laurentian All-Canadian Shawn Swords (pictured playing for Canada), who has spent the past decade playing professionally in Europe and has had several stints on the Canadian national team, is the front runner for the position and will likely be named Head Coach at the news conference in Sudbury on Monday. Swords, a product of Ottawa's Woodroffe High School, began his OUAA career with Laurentian in 1992-93 under Head Coach Peter Campbell. During his 5 year CIS career, the Vees were a collective 49-11 (.817 winning percentage) during the regular season and twice participated in the CIAU Nationals, including a semi-final appearance during Shawn's fifth and final season, when Swords was named a CIAU All-Canadian. Swords was named an OUAA East all-star on 4 occasions, including a pair of First Team honours and led Laurentian to a pair of OUAA East championships. Swords also enjoyed a solid career with Canada's National team program, culminating in a spot on the Sydney 2000 Olympic team, during which he played 15 minutes per game on a team that advanced to the quarter-finals before losing to France. After graduating from Laurentian, Swords enjoyed a solid 10 year professional career in Europe, playing in England, Switzerland, Italy, Finland and, most recently in France where he finished a three-year stint as captain of Mulhouse, a French Division 2 team. Laurentian had a ceremony for Swords in 2005 during which a Swords Team Canada jersey was framed and now hangs outside Laurentian's Ben Avery Gym. During that visit back to Laurentian, Swords said: "I can see myself coaching at some level. I know and read the game well and have had the pleasure to be coached by Jay Triano, Peter Campbell and Dave Smart who have taught me a lot about the game. If I pick up just a little from each of them I will be a good coach at the very worst! My coach at Laurentian was Peter Campbell and to me he gave our teams at Laurentian an identity, one that we could always win if we played hard. I still carry that attitude with me every where I play."

This afternoon in Burnaby, B.C., Simon Fraser Clan made their first game in their brand new West Gym a memorable one, launching their new facility with a victory, defeating the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles in an exhibition game Saturday afternoon 95-88. The game also marked the final time that Aaron Christensen (Pitt Meadows, B.C.) put on an SFU uniform. The former Canada West All-Star finished the game with 22 points. Chris Tiu from Ateneo led all scorers with 27 points
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Thompson Rivers Wolfpack unveiled a pair of recruits recently in 6'2" Kyle McMurray and 6'2" Zack Anderson and the local publication, Kamloops This Week, provided a summary More recruits for Wolfpack as well an article from the Prince George (B.C.) Citizen on Zack Anderson Anderson making leap to CIS

Barry Hayes of Hoopstars Canada is reporting on hooplife.ca that 6'9" Nick Cooke has changed his mind and will attend Concordia University this coming season. The Toronto Eastern Commerce product had originally committed to and been accepted by Royal Military College (RMC). Hayes, who does a thorough job reporting on Canadian high school recruiting, also has news from Western and Waterloo in his most recent post Hoopstars national recruiting update #3, June 1st 2007

Concordia Stingers defeated Estonia 63-57 to win the International Academic Sport Association Tournament in Be’er Shava, Israel earlier this week, the culmination of a 7-1 record at the tournament, in which the Stingers avenged their only loss to a Serbian team in the round-robin with a semi-final victory. The Stingers now move on to represent Canada at the 2nd Friendship Games in Tel Aviv. The event started yesterday with pre-tournament game festivities and the actual tournament begins Sunday, June 3rd. We hope to have results as they become available. Stingers win tournament in Be'er Shava

Here is a complete recap of the games in the Be'er Shava tournament courtesy of a blog written by a graduating Concordia student who is in Israel with the team Trip blog by Concordia graduate

Summary: The Stingers took 9 players with them including graduating fifth-year senior Patrick Perrotte. Other Stingers who made the trip include Dwayne Buckley, Damian Buckley, Andre Johnny, Jamal Gallier, Levi Vann, Pierre Thompson, Sebastien Martin and Desmond Murphy. The tournament in Be'er Shava was the 39th annual International Academic Sport Association Tournament, made up of 16 teams, 13 of which are Israeli universities with other teams from Estonia and Serbia making up the rest of the field. Concordia, dubbed "Team Canada" for this tournament, played their first 2 games of the round robin on Monday, May 28th, defeating Ben Gurion University of Israel 66-44 before giving up a late lead and losing 59-57 to the Serbian team in a game described as chippy and poorly officiating and apparently marred by a couple of near brawls. The Serbian's hit 3 late 3's to claim the win and then proceeded to dance around center court celebrating the win. The next day, Concordia defeated Sapir (Israel) College 58-20, Wingate (Israel) College 71-41 and then watched as their third opponent of the day, Ashkelon (Israel) College, took a forfeit (Ashkelon had lost by 40 to Wingate earlier in the day). Concordia thus completed their round robin games at 4-1 and according to reports went over to watch the Serbian women's volleyball team which as we later found out, reciprocated in coming to watch the remaining Stinger games. On Wednesday in the quarter finals, Concordia came through with a 52-40 victory over Israel University, setting up a rematch with the Serbian team in the semi-finals, which Concordia won (although we don't know the details as of yet). Concordia then captured the championship with a 63-57 victory over Estonia as per the report above. Congratulations to coach John Dore and the Stingers and best of luck in the Friendship Games which promise to be much more competitive, as reports indicate that most teams are of NCAA high Division II, low Division 1 calibre.

Chad Lucas reports on Kevin MaBone, the newly-named Head Coach of the ABA's Halifax Rainmen, in this Halifax Chronicle-Herald column High Expectations

The 2nd annual Friendship Games begin today in Tel Aviv, Isreal and as reported here previously, Canada will be well represented by a group of Concordia Stingers players coached by John Dore. Here are a couple of articles on the games and with comments on the social significance of the event including from USA Today International flavor highlights tournament in Tel Aviv, the Atlanta Constitution-Journal which highlights the contribution to the tournament of Atlanta Hawks owner Ed Peskowitz Hawks co-owner pushes for Middle East peace and another article Jumping through hoops for Middle East peace

In another international event with Canadian participation that did not receive much if any profile here in Canada, the Boston University Terriers defeated University of British Columbia 105-98 in double overtime in the championship game of the Kainan Tournament in Taipai, Taiwan, a tournament which attracted universities from Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada and the USA Kainan Tournament Championship. We plan to have more information on this tournament going forward.