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UBC Thunderbirds are enjoying another solid year on the recruiting trail, bringing in at least three highly-regarded prospects including 6’2” combo guard Nathan Yu (Vancouver, BC/Vancouver College also B.C. Provincial team), 6’5” forward Graham Bath (Langley, BC/Brookswood also B.C. Provincial team) and 6’8” centre Nick Adair (Courtenay, BC/GP Vanier). Unfortunately for UBC, Canada West and the CIS, one of the T-Birds top targets, 6'2" point guard Denny Dumas has opted to move south of the border after recently making a committment to attend the University of North Dakota and play for the Fighting Sioux, currently an NCAA Division 2 school with plans of moving into NCAA Division 1 in the coming seasons. L.A. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson is an alumnus of North Dakota. Here is an article from the Burnaby NewsLeader summarizing Dumas decision Dumas to play for Fighting Sioux

The most recent Jim Thomas Report has been published on Hamilton-based basketball web site "The Hoop-la.com" Thomas Report May 10, 2007

MORE FIBA NEWS: FIBA Americas have launched their web site for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament in Las Vegas and there is already plenty of information on the site including tournament schedule, news items, articles, interviews and ticket information among other things. While the Canadian roster is obviously not yet set, there is some Canadiana on the site already as Quebec's Mike Homsy has been identified as one of the referees for the tournament. Congratulations to Mike and best of luck in the tournament. FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying web site

A follow-up to yesterday's news item on Carlos Defino and an apparent conflict in the Argentine camp as one of Argentina's top officials has announced their desire to have Delfino part of this summer's team Vaccaro: Delfino part of Argentina's plans

Three Canadian referees will be honoured for their career achievements on May 25th Referees to be honoured

Although Halifax native Matt Davies will begin his second season as Head Coach of the UPEI Panthers this coming fall, given the timing of his hiring last season, realistically this season will the first with a class that Davies himself has recruited entirely. The Panthers lost 3 senior starters including two of the better players in the history of the program in 6'5" Sherone Edwards and 6'9" Doug McKinney. With the graduated starters each representing about 30 minutes per game, Davies was forced to hit the recruiting trail hard to find quality replacements, which he did and his hard work garnered a strong initial class, addressing key needs including a solid point guard, an experienced scoring wing, a pair of big, strong rebounders and a pair of high-potential wing players.

Headlining UPEI's first recruiting class under Davies is 6'3" Seneca College transfer Andrew Black from Toronto, who averaged 19 ppg in his final year with the Sting. "Andrew is a physically and mentally mature swing forward who can flat-out score", commented Davies. "At 215 pounds, Andrew is strong enough to work inside but also has the perimeter skills to take advantage of more favorable matchups facing up." Black, a two-time OCAA All-Star at Seneca, sat out last season after completing his diploma with a 3.0 gpa and is returning to school to obtain a university degree. Davies was not finished in the Toronto area as he obtained a commitment from 6'7" 225 pound forward Vlad Farcas, from Toronto Brebeuf, a big, strong forward/center with solid perimeter skills and the physical strength to be a solid rebounder at the CIS level. Farcas proved he can play against top competition with a 25 point effort against one of Canada's top high school teams, Henry Carr Crusaders, in the recent TDCAA playoffs.

Filling a need at the point, the Panthers welcome 6'2" Todd Williams, the starting lead guard on Sackville H.S. (Lower Sackville, NS), which lost in the Nova Scotia provincial championship game. "Todd is exactly the type of leader we want to build around with solid skills, a high basketball IQ and most importantly a fierce competitive nature that should rub off on teammates" stated Davies. UPEI also welcomes Williams' teammate from Sackville High in 6'6" jumping jack Andreas Franz, another solid big forward who is a tremendous rebounder.

Not finished yet, Davies was able to attract two of the best players in New Brunswick to Charlottetown with the commitments of 6'8" Mitchell McQuaid (Fredericton Leo Hayes) and 6'5" Nick Kaminski (Moncton Bernice McNaught). McQuaid is described as a long, athletic swingman who can get up and down the floor. Kaminski was one of the better regarded players in New Brunswick as a productive wing before breaking his foot midway through last season. With his foot fully rehabbed, Kaminski could push for significant minutes immediately. Expect the Panthers to possibly bring in one more player who would likely be of significant, immediate-impact quality in the coming weeks.

Official press release from UPEI Sports Information Panthers announce additions for 2007-08

Lethbridge Head Coach Mike Connolly rounded out his newest recruiting class with a 7 footer as Remington Stenler (pictured), a transfer from North Dakota School of Science, a U.S. Junior College, has committed to the Pronghorns. Stenler, originally from Calgary's William Aberhart High School, played two seasons with the NDSCS Wildcats, averaging 5.4 ppg last season. He will enter his third year of eligibility with the 'Horns and addresses a requirement for a big "5" man. The official press release from the Lethbridge sports information office can be found by clicking Seven Footer transfers to Lethbridge

McMaster's Martin Ajayi, CIS Defensive Player-of-the-Year, is seeking to continue his basketball career in Europe and as usual Larry Moko from the Hamilton Spectator has written a solid piece on Ajayi's quest Mac star eyes Europe as college days end

Morris Dalla Costa reports on Western's splashy news conference announcing significant new funding across all sports including more money for scholarships Low profile teams rewarded for persistence Here is the link to the official Western press release for this announcement Western announces $1.7M committment to athletics

FIBA NEWS: Argentina will be one of the teams in the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament this summer that our Canadian National team needs to finish at least 5th in to move closer to the Beijing Games in 2008. The Argentinians are putting their team together and Carlos Delfino from the NBA's Detroit Pistons seems like a reasonable candidate. An update on Delfino and the Argentina National team Delfino annoyed over failure to meet with Argentina coach Hernandez ... Another article related to the Argentine's as there appears to be some controversy in how the San Antonio Spurs have advised Manu Ginobli with regard to his participation in the FIBA Americas qualifier Spurs management may have crossed the line with Manu

The USA has selected their coaching staff for their entry in the FIBA World U-19 championship tournament in which Canada will also participate. The 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship will be contested July 12-22 in Novi Sad, Serbia. Wainwright selected to lead USA's U-19 team

High schooler D.J. Wright, originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, who spent the past 2 seasons in Toronto, most recently playing for TAPS, has asked for his release after committing to LSU Tigers LSU signee Wright asks for release

Former Laurentian head coach Virgil Hill, who resigned from his position recently to move back to B.C. with his family, has been hired by Collingwood High School, a private school in West Vancouver. Hill will teach mathematics and establish Collingwood's basketball program as head coach. "It is not often you get the chance to hire someone who has the extensive basketball background and proven track record that Virgil has", commented Collingwood Dean of Academics Bob Corbett. "His experience at Laurentian, at Simon Fraser and with Canada's National program is impressive and he has a history of making whatever situation he goes into better."

Hill, originally from Sarnia, Ontario where he played high school for some great Sarnia Northern teams in the mid-80's, had a solid university career at Simon Fraser University under current Toronto Raptors assistant coach Jay Triano and later worked as an assistant under Triano. Virgil has called the Vancouver area home since his playing days in the late 80's/early 90's. Continued Corbett: "We want to establish a winning basketball program at Collingwood and the opportunity to have a university level coach work with our students is a tremendous advantage for us. All of the other coaches (on both the boys and girls sides) are excited about his arrival and being able to work with him. Our players are also very excited, and I am asked about his arrival date almost daily. Our program is young, but Virgil is the perfect person to build it. On top of it, he is an outstanding educator and will be a very strong asset in the classroom."

No doubt Virgil will remain close to CIS basketball as a fan and probably very soon as a high school coach with players being recruited by CIS programs. No matter what the situation, Virgil was always a class act making time for those of us covering CIS basketball and I will miss our weekly chats during the season. Best of luck Virg and enjoy your new job and your family.

In a related story, yesterday was the final day for applications to be received for the vacant Laurentian head coaching job. Expect a replacement for Hill to be announced in the late May/early June timeframe.

Congratulations to Cape Breton's Kerwin Liverpool (pictured left), who will graduate this weekend and will be validictorian for his graduating class. Kerwin made the trek out east from Toronto a few years ago with a view of combining his basketball talents with academics and comes out of Cape Breton University with degree: bachelor of arts in community studies with a major in communication and has been chosen to represent his student body at the commencement ceremonies. Well done, Kerwin! Grad Tidings for CBU this weekend

An interesting piece from the Toronto Sun on a fledgling webcasting operation with an apparent bias toward amateur sports The Voice inside the box

An article from the Niagara Gazette from Niagara Falls, NY on the growing popularity of basketball in Canada, especially in Toronto Game Grows in Toronto

Official announcement from Lethbridge on a pair of Ontario recruits Horns get Ontario pair

A nice article about Laurie Burgess, founder of the very successfully Regina Cougars women's breakfast fundraising event, celebrating its 10th anniversary Founders of program will be honoured

A short note appeared in this morning's Ottawa Sun announcing Taffe Charles as Carleton's women's head coach Taffe Charles named head coach of Carleton women

Finally, Carleton has unveiled a new web site for Ravens teams called "Go Ravens"; the link for the men's basketball portion of the site can be found by clicking here

Concordia Stingers' 6'2" forward Patrick Perrotte knocked down a step-back "3" as the buzzer sounded giving Canada Red, coached by John Abbott College's Scott Mawhinney, an 85-82 victory over Canada White, coached by Windsor's Chris Oliver in the 2nd annual Be One All-Canadian game played before a sparse crowd at Humber College on Saturday afternoon. With the game tied and only 4 seconds remaining on the clock, Perrotte (pictured below) took an in-bounds pass, got free and then swished a jumper to give his team the victory. Perrotte was a difficult check inside and out all afternoon, leading all scorers with 25 points and garning MVP honours in the game. Team White was led by UPEI's 6'9" Doug McKinney, who flashed his shooting range and also scored inside on a series of turnarounds to finish with 21 points. McKinney, who fouled out of yesterday's game having to deal with Canada Red's front court duo of 6'7" J.P. Morin and 6'2" Perrotte, looks to have lost some significant weight and played with much energy in what appears to be a concerted effort to attract attention for representing Canada.

Other top performers in the game included UBC's 6'4" Casey Archibald (19 points/5 assists in 34 minutes), who made several tough shots as part of a 5 for 8 effort from 3 point land and worked well with Ottawa's 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe (7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists/0 turnovers in 31 minutes), who after a silent start came on somewhat down the stretch of the game; 6'2" Osvaldo Jeanty (13 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists in 35 minutes) from Carleton who as always played every possession as if it were his last and looked much fresher than he did during the latter stages of the season when it was pretty clear to many observers that he was playing through a number of aches and pains (see below for a sizeable piece on Jeanty from this morning's Ottawa Sun); Laval's Morin (18 points on 8-12 shooting in 25 minutes) who again showed his tremendous inside/out game and continues to mature physically and mentally as a player; 5'8" Martin Ajayi (12 points on 3-9 shooting, 5 assists) from McMaster who applied his usually-tough ball pressure defensively and created turnovers for his team and 6'8" Dan Eves (11 points including 3 of 5 from three) from York, who showed off his perimeter shooting and underrated passing skills from the forward position. 5'10" Brock guard Brad Rootes, coming off a rib injury sustained in the OUA West playoffs in early March, appeared to be rounding back into form and showed off his solid floor leader skills. 6'1" AUS MVP Paolo Santana from Acadia who had 13 points on 5-9 shooting in only 14 minutes but saw limited action and generally struggled while usually dominating the ball when on the floor. 6'5" Cape Breton forward Eric Breland worked well inside but appeared to be struggling with his fitness since the end of the season. 6'3" Jean-Francois Beaulieu-Mahieux unfortunately suffered a severe charley horse during workouts earlier in the week and could not play in the game while 6'4" Jerome Turcotte (7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists in 30 minutes), chosen to the game after a stellar season at CEGEP Ste-Foy and will suit up for Coach Jacques Paiement's Laval Rouge et Or showed observers that he will add another element of talent to Laval in the coming season and played as hard as anyone on the floor.

Here is a nice article mentioning former Canada National team star Howard Kelsey and some work he is contributing to for a Vancouver project Vancouver Street Basketball gets a boost

A nice piece by Neate Sager from "Out in Left Field" on Carleton's recent hiring of Taffe Charles as women's head basketball coach Can Taffe pull the women's Ravens out of the doldrums

Finally a very nice piece from Rob Brodie of the Ottawa Sun on Osvaldo Jeanty The Wizard of Os

Here is the officiall Press Release from Canada Basketball on yesterday's event:

MEDIA RELEASE

www.basketball.ca

May 5, 2007


Team Red Victorious In Both Games of Be One

All-Canadian Weekend Double-Header

(Etobicoke, Ontario) The top University and College basketball players from across the country converged on Humber College this weekend for the second annual Be One All-Canadian Weekend. Celebrating and rewarding the accomplishments of Canada’s collegiate players, the weekend culminates with a Men’s and Women’s All-Star Games. Led by Sarah Crooks, Team Red won the first game of the double-header 72-62, while Patrick Perrotte scored 25 points to power Team Red to an 85-82 victory over Team White in the men’s action.

The women’s game kicked off at noon with a back-and-forth first quarter that saw Team Red, coached by Vanier College Head Coach Ruby Viray – who led her team to the Canadian College title earlier this year -, take a slim 20-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Team White battled back in the second quarter however, outscoring red 24-17 in the period to take a 42-37 halftime led by a game-high 16 first-half points by team white’s Laurelle Weigle, the CIS rookie of the year from Simon Fraser University. Two other players finished in double-digit scoring, both from Team Red, CIS player of the year and national team player from the University of Saskatchewan, Sarah Crooks tallied 16 points while Laurentian University’s second team All-Canadian Cassandra Carpenter added 10 points.

Team Red battled back in the second half holding white to just eight points in the third quarter while tallying 23 themselves to take a 60-50 lead into the final stanza of play.

Both teams scored 12 points apiece in the fourth quarter as Team Red maintained their 10-point lead to ensure the victory.

“This event is a great opportunity for the best in Canada to showcase their talent”, commented winning team red Head Coach and Canada West Coach of the Year Scott Edwards. “Coaching Sarah (Crooks) was fun, after coaching against her several times in the season.”

Crooks led all players in points (22) and rebounds (11) and was named the games MVP. Team white was led by 20 points from Weigle.

“It was really fun to come in and play against players that you hear about all year and never had a chance to play with,” commented Crooks. “It’s great to come together and make a team and then interact with each other”.

The men’s game tipped off at 2:30 p.m. with Team Red, lead by Canadian National team member Osvaldo Jeanty, owning a 23-18 after a closely fought first quarter.

Team Red extended their lead early in the second quarter before Team White battled back with an 8-2 run in the middle of the stanza. Team White went on to win the period 23-19 and cut Red’s lead to 42-39 at the half. Doug McKinney, an AUS All-Star from the University of Prince Edward Island, led all scorers in the half with 14 points for Team White. Two other players scored in double figures with 10 points; University of British Columbia and Team White guard Casey Archibald, and Douglas College and Team Red forward Andrew Sturgeon.

Both teams fought hard in the third quarter, with Team Red outscoring Team White 21-19, on the strength of Concordia University and First Team-All Canadian Patrick Perrotte. Team Red held a 63-58 lead into the fourth quarter.

Team White closed the gap in the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run, making the game a back-and-and forth affair down the stretch until in the final seconds when Perrotte hit a three pointer as the buzzer sounded to win the game for Team Red and make the final score 85-82.



“The three point shot happened so fast,” said Perrotte. “We had nothing to lose. I hit the shot, we win the game, I miss, we go to overtime.”



Perrotte also earned game MVP honors, leading all scorers with 25 points and adding four assists. Team White was led by McKinney with 21 points.



“The weekend was a really great experience and it was exciting to showcase our skills in front of national team coaches,” added Perrotte. “It was really great to compete with and against the best collegiate players in the country”.



“It was a great weekend. The player and guest coaches got a chance to watch and learn from the national team head coaches and everyone learned a lot,” said Head Coach Scott Mawhinney. “The kids played extremely hard and you could see their improvement over the course of the weekend.”

The second annual Be One All-Canadian weekend brought together Canada’s top basketball talent under one roof. This game and weekend celebrated the accomplishments of the top players and coaches across the country, giving them the opportunity of being watched by National Team coaches.


For further information please contact: Tanya Phillipps, Canada Basketball, 416-614-8037
tphillipps@basketball.ca

Congratulations to Taffe Charles who has accepted the head coaching job for the Carleton Ravens women's program. Charles has an extensive affiliation with Carleton basketball beginning in the early 90's as a 6'4" forward who won a pair of OUAA East scoring titles, was a three-time all star and won numerous career achievement awards including being named to the Naismith Museum and Hall of Fame Honour Roll in 1995 for his academic and athletic achievements. Charles then began an 11 year stint as an assistant coach with Ravens basketball including the past 8 with the five-time defending champion men's program under current Canadian national team assistant Dave Smart. Charles been a Raven for almost twenty years since joining Carleton as a player out of Ottawa Notre Dame H.S. Taffe ranks third on the men's Ravens all-time scoring list and graduated as the OUA's fifth all-time leading scorer. Taffe also won the Black Business Professional Association Award for Excellence in Sport (1994) and is married to former Raven soccer and basketball player Christiane Fox.

Wayne Kondro once again breaks the story in an article in this morning's Ottawa Citizen Charles nets job as Ravens women's hoops coach

An article from York University's daily bulletin, the "Y", on Dan Eves and his participation in this afternoon's "Be One All-Canadian" game at Humber College Eves Selected

Former Hamilton St. Mary's star Rachel Hart is excited about being named to the Be One All-Canadian game on the women's side this afternoon All you need is plenty of Hart

The Akron Beacon-Journal reports on the attention to detail exhibited by Mike Malone, the newest member of Canada's national team coaching staff Malone knows X's and O's

According to sources in the Greater Toronto Area, Lethbridge has secured the commitments of a pair of athletic, competition-savvy forwards from recent OFSAA "AAAA" champions Pickering Trojans as 6'5" Sefton Spence and 6'6" Brandon Thomas-James, both starters on the Trojans, who have confirmed that they will attend the southern Alberta school. This is the most recent phase of a virtually-full makeover of the Pronghorns who return only 4 players from last season's roster. Spence, who participated in the recent Rumble-in-the-T-Dot all-star game in Scarborough, was recruited by several schools for accomplished skills as a wideout on the football gridiron but chose his first love of basketball. The 'Horns expect Spence to play up front primarily at the power forward position. Thomas-James is another jumping-jack type athlete who has emerging perimeter skills and appears to have a solid future as a CIS wing at the "3" spot. This brings to 7 the number of new recruits who have pledged to attend Lethbridge next season. With only 4 returning players from last season's roster, the 'Horns aren't finished yet and are likely to bring in a couple of more players in the coming weeks with a view of filling their final need for some size at the "5" spot.

The rosters have been set for the 2 teams in tomorrow afternoon's Be One All-Canadian game. Twenty-one players have been divided up into 2 teams: Canada Red and Canada White and some interesting matchups have emerged for the game as Canada White coach Chris Oliver (Windsor) and Canada Red coach Scott Mawhinney (John Abbot) contemplate game strategy. Oliver's White team has a pair of ultra-quick, waterbug guards who can defend the ball in CIS Defensive Player-of-the-Year 5'8" Martin Ajayi (McMaster/Hamilton, ON) and 6'1" AUS Player-of-the-Year Paolo Santana (Acadia/ Toronto, ON) both of whom will contrast nicely with the skill and poise of OUA West Player-of-the-Year 5'10" Brad Rootes (Brock/Niagara Falls, ON) and Canada West First Team All-Star 5'9" Erfan Nasajpour (Winnipeg/Winnipeg, MB). Expect Oliver to push the tempo with his athletic guard tandem while Canada Red will look to Rootes and Nasajpour to control things from the guard spots. Team White has a pair of big guards in 6'4" Canada West Player-of-the-Year Casey Archibald (UBC/Blind Bay, BC) and 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe (Ottawa/Toronto, ON) who can play both guard spots but both are effective shooters and scorers when playing the wing. Archibald and Gibson-Bascombe went at it head-to-head in the first round of the recent CIS Nationals in Halifax with both players earning Player-of-the-game honours for their respective teams. Team Red counters with two-time CIS Mike Moser Memorial Award winner 6'2" Osvaldo Jeanty and CIS Freshman-of-the-Year 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux, both of whom have range beyond the three point line and who should find the playmaking abilities of Rootes and Nasajpour to their liking. Up front, Canada Red features three tremendous scorers in 6'8" Dan Eves (York/Barrie, ON), 6'7" J.P. Morin (Laval/Aylmer, PQ) and 6'1" Patrick Perrotte (Concordia/Montreal, PQ), all of whom averaged over 20 points per game this past season. Team White features the AUS combination of 6'9" Doug McKinney (UPEI/Charlottetown, PEI) and 6'5" Eric Breland (Cape Breton/Baltimore, MD). Expect a competitive, up tempo affair that offers some intriguing player combinations and matchups.

Canada White
Head Coach: Chris Oliver (Windsor)
6 Ajayi, Martin; McMaster
7 Santana, Paulo; Acadia
8 Hynes-Guery, Adrian; Dawson College
9 Gibson-Bascombe, Joshua; Ottawa
10 Archibald, Casey; UBC
11 Turcotte, Jérôme; Sainte-Foy
12 Sewell, Patrick; Fanshaw College
13 Anthony, Doyle; Mount Allison University
14 McKinney, Doug; UPEI
15 Breland, Eric; Cape Breton University

Canada Red
Head Coach: Scott Mawhinney, John Abbot
5 Rootes, Brad; Brock
6 Nasajpour, Erfan; Winnipeg
7 Jeanty, Osvaldo; Carleton
8 Eman, Ahmed; Algonquin
9 Beaulieu-Mahieux, Jean-Francois; Laval
10 Hemmings, Jadwey; Humber
11 Kamand, Jean-Paul; Capilano
12 Eves, Daniel; York
13 Morin, Jean-Philippe; Laval
14 Perrotte, Patrick; Concordia
15 Sturgeon, Andrew; Douglas

For more information visit the Canada Basketball web site by clicking here

The invitees to the Be One All-Canadian weekend completed their first two-hour workout at Humber College in Toronto last night under the tutulage of Guelph Gryphons head coach Chris O'Rourke, who will be Canada's Head Coach at the FISU Games in Bangkok, Thialand this summer. The group will be on the floor again this morning for 2 hours followed by a classroom session this afternoon culminated in another 2 hour session tonight. Game time for the men is 2:30 pm tomorrow at Humber College (note that original game time of 2 PM has been changed to 2:30).

Larry Moko of the Hamilton Spectator reports on the post-CIS basketball career goals of Martin Ajayi which begin with his appearance at the All-Canadian game tomorrow afternoon Two elite Marauders

6'4" Casey Archibald from UBC recently was one of 5 B.C. athletes to have their photo on B.C. lottery tickets as a charity fundraiser Archibald appears on latest lotto ticket series

Canada Basketball also announced that both the men's and women's All-Star games will be broadcast (tape delayed) on the Rogers Television network across Ontario. The women’s game will air on Saturday May 12th, at 2:00 pm, while the men’s game will air on Saturday May 19th, also at 2:00 pm.

Stay tuned for more information on the weekend as it becomes available.

As speculated here and in other media outlets yesterday, Calgary basketball Dinos recruit Henry Bekkering was chosen in yesterday's CFL Draft of Canadian eligible players in the 5th round (35th overall) by the Calgary Stampeders. Speculation is that the Stamps originally hoped to bring in Bekkering as an undrafted free agent but ended up using a pick on the 6'8" athlete to ensure they got him. There is extensive coverage of the CFL draft and the drafting of Bekkering in mainstream media outlets today:

Front page coverage in the Calgary Herald of Bekkering getting drafted Stamps like this gamble

Allan Maki's Globe and Mail article on CFL Draft

Calgary Sun: Stamps Gambling

Stamps GM comments on his draft picks (including Bekkering)

Thompson Rivers coach Nevin Glennie announced two recruits for next season Alberta, Manitoba MVP's to play for Wolfpack next season

The two-sport athlete theme seems to be predominating here recently so it is with great interest that we review the following article by Globe and Mail football writer Allan Maki, who reviews the CFL draft possibilities of 6'6" Henry Bekkering, who as readers know is one of the key recruits in Dan Vanhooren's Calgary Dinos incoming class as a transfer from NCAA Division 1 Eastern Washington. Bekkering is also an accomplished kicker who some folks believe is good enough to kick in the CFL Getting a kick out of a hoops player and another article from Allen Cameron of the Calgary Herald on Bekkering (courtesy of Dave Wells, our man in Southern Alberta :) ) Basketball star a dark horse pick

UPEI's fifth-year graduating senior, 6'9" Doug McKinney, one of the players named to this weekend's Canada Basketball Be One All-Canadian weekend, is preparing for the coming weekend with the hopes of garnering an invitation to the main camp in a few weeks. Charles Reid of the PEI Guardian reports Panthers McKinney gets his shot

Howard Tsumura of the Vancouver Province compiled this article on the importance to the UCFV men's program of attracting a high profile recruit like Dylan Gatner Gatner opens the door

We don't even nearly do a good enough job of covering CIS women's basketball or any women's basketball for that matter but are endeavoring to do so. Thus it is with great pleasure that we post an article form Philip Croucher of the Halifax Daily News on 15 year old Justine Colley from Halifax who is in the process of making a big decision Big choice for star athlete

Alberta comes off a somewhat-disappointing finish to their season, losing the Best-of-3 Central division final at home to Saskatchewan and looks to replace a pair of stellar fifth-year seniors in 6'5" forward Scott Gordon and 6'3" Tyson Jones. Coach Don Horwood has added a freshman with strong basketball lineage and three CCAA transfers to next season's team in his latest recruiting class. 6'7" Patrick Maloney from Augustana University College was a second team ACAC North division all-star and is a former Calgary all-star who was nominated for the Laurie Robertson Award. Maloney will begin his third season of eligibility with the Bears in the fall. The Bears were also able to attract the son of a former Alberta great in 6'5" James Suderman 6’5” from Edmonton Strathcona High school, an Edmonton Journal All-Star for the past 2 seasons and the captain of Team Alberta Juveniles in 2006. Suderman will be Coach Horwood's first second generation player as James' father Mike Suderman was a Canada West all-star for the Bears in 1984 and 1987. James comes to Alberta with a reputation as a tough, physical post player with solid experience playing in big games. The Bears also secured a committment from 6'5" forward Braydon Janzen from Camousen College in Victoria, a 3 year veteran of BC's provincial team for 3 years and a Vancouver Island all-star. As well, the Bears welcome Patrick Unger, a 6’3” guard from Germany who played at Grant MacEwan College last year. Unger played several seasons in a German league before coming to Canada and is described as an excellent team player with maturity that should add leadership to the Bears.

The Paladins suffered significant losses to graduation after last season but have some young talent coming back. Still Head Coach Kevin McGuire hit the recruiting trail hard and will bring in a very solid class that will significantlyimprove his roster at all 5 positions. We previously mentioned that 6'9" Nick Cooke from Toronto Eastern Commerce has committed and is targeted to get all the starting reps at the "5" spot from Day One. Cooke comes from arguably the most successful high school program in Canada over the last decade, bringing instant credibility to the program and has tremendous upside with a maturity beyond his years including a career goal of being a pilot. The Paladins look to offset the loss of star forward Adam Asquini with the committment of 6'6" Matt Wookey (Sarnia St. Patrick's) a big "3" man who can also play the "4" spot. McGuire plucked a pair of solid athletes from Victoria, B.C. in 6'3" Cameron Spurr, brother of Thompson Rivers leading scorer Charlie, who is described as a solid defender who shoots the "3" and was MVP at the recent B.C. "AA" provincial championships and 6'6" Simon Dakin, an athletic leaper and two-sport athlete who is also a Provincial team volleyball player. The Paladins needed a point guard to step in immediately and 5'11" Gavin Viray-Cox from Georgetown H.S., who quarterbacked a Princeton-type offense in high school, will likely push for the starter's role at some point in the season. Finally, RMC brings in a solid, spot-up three point shooter with range in 6'3" Kyle Foulkes from Belleville St. Teresa's, who was a key member of his team's OFSAA "AA" participants. This class already shapes up as a very solid group and the Paladins are likely to announce 1 or more recruits in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

As previously announced, the gem in the Stingers latest class is 6'6" James Clark from Toronto Eastern Commerce. The Saints historically are a guard-oriented group but have produced their fair share of big men and Clark ranks as one of the better big men the program has had, playing very well in big games down the stretch. In addition to Decee Krah from Hamilton Cathedral who was announced earlier, the Stingers further added to their backcourt with U.S. import 6'1" Dustin Holness, a big, strong back court player from Dade County, South Florida, who has not played for a couple of seasons but is a mature combo guard who should add experience. Up front, Concordia welcomes 6'6" Brent Clancy from Vancouver St. George's where he was coached by former St. FX great Brian Lee. Clancy is a late blooming baller after spending much of his earlier athletic career pursuing a hockey career. The Stingers also welcome 6'9" Ian Robertson from the solid Halifax Queen Elisabeth High School program, who has sprouted up from 6'3" in the last 2 years. Robertson is also transitioning to basketball after spending much of his time as a football player and will try to put his new found height to good use for the Stingers. Concordia may or may not announce 1 or 2 more recruits going forward.

Also, an article from the Regina Leader-Post on one of the Cougars top recruits for next season Lance Aldcorn from Regina Balfour Cougars snare star

Another two-sport CIS star is emerging as McMaster's OUA West All-Rookie team selection Jermaine DeCosta, one of the keys to the basketball Marauders future, participated in spring practice with Mac's nationally-ranked football program. DeCosta, who lined up a tailback and returned kicks during the spring workouts, plans to pursue his two sport ambitions. In recent years, Mac had another football/basketball star in Jon Behie. Good luck to Jermaine. DeCosta goes for two Speaking of Behie, the former quarterback and guard is trying to earn a spot on a CFL roster this spring and the Hamilton Spectator caught up with him recently Hopes still with CFL

Article in the Welland Tribune on a great name from the past Tom Skerlak who was one of the most highly recruited players out of high school in his final year in 1975 out of Welland Notre Dame and ended up at Simon Fraser and then on Canada's National team Tom Skerlak article

Get ready for a tremendous three days of basketball this coming weekend at Humber College in Etobicoke as Canada Basketball hosts their 2nd annual Be One All-Canadian Weekend, Thursday through Saturday May 3-5. The men's roster includes a "who's who" of CIS basketball in 2006-07 including 6'2" Mike Moser Trophy winner Osvaldo Jeanty (Carleton), 6'1" Quebec Player-of-the-Year Patrick Perrotte (Concordia), 6'1" AUS Player-of-the-Year Paolo Santana (Acadia) and 6'4" Canada West Player-of-the-Year Casey Archibald (UBC). CIS stars will be mixed and matched with fellow All-Canadian selections from the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA), culminating in an all-star game on Saturday. The two days of practice and drills leading up to the game and the game itself will allow Canada's Senior National team coaches to evaluate players and then follow up with invitations to the main Canada Basketball camp later in May. Other CIS players who will participate in the event include 5'9" guard Efran Nasajpour, a two-time All-Canadian and former Canadian Jr. National team player from Winnipeg Wesmen, 6'8" forward Dan Eves (another two-time All-Canadian) from York, a pair of stars from Laval Rouge et Or 6'7" J.P. Morin and CIS Freshman of the Year Jean-Francois Beaulieu-Mahieux, 6'5" Eric Breland (Cape Breton), 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe (Ottawa) and 6'9" Doug McKinney (UPEI), another former Canada National Junior team member. As well, 6'4" Jerome Turcotte, a CCAA All-Canadian from CEGEP Ste. Foy, who will attend Laval next season, was one of the stars from the CCAA named to participate in the event. CIS coaches who will be participating during the weekend include Acadia's Les Berry, Windsor's Chris Oliver, Guelph's Chris O'Rourke, Ottawa's Dave DeAveiro and Carleton's Dave Smart.

For more information visit the Canada Basketball web site by clicking here

UBC Thunderbirds Key Losses: Casey Archibald 6'4", Adam Freisen 6'2", Jason Birring 6'3", Sean Stewart 6'5" (all graduated). Key Players Scheduled to Return: Chris Dyck 6'3" (4th), Bryson Kool 6'8" (4th), Matt Rachar 6'7" (4th), Alex Murphy 6'1" (2nd), Brent Malish 6'6" (2nd), Cody Berg 6'9" (5th), Brett Leversage 6'1" (3rd). Comments: Despite the loss of at least 3 key players in the rotation, the T-Birds return a top core of veterans beginning with Dyck, a pure scorer who can knock shots down and get to the rim. Kool is a solid inside player on the verge of all-conference-type status and Rachar adds an athletic dimension to UBC's front line. Murphy showed that he will be a top lead guard in the CIS as the season progressed and Malish is a solid, emerging wing player. Berg provides depth and size up front. Recruiting Focus: The back court is an area of focus that has been addressed with the commitment of 6’2” combo guard Nathan Yu (Vancouver, BC/Vancouver College also B.C. Provincial team). To complement the three returning forwards in the rotation, the Birds bring in another B.C. Provincial team player, 6’5” forward Graham Bath (Langley, BC/Brookswood) plus 6’8” centre Nick Adair (Courtenay, BC/GP Vanier). UBC does not appear to be done as of yet, looking to add another scoring guard and possibly one more player.

Victoria Key Losses: Graeme Bollinger, Steve Moore, Brandon Ellis (all graduated). Key Players scheduled to return: Jacob Doerksen 6'6" (3rd), Tyler Hass 6'5" (4th), Josh Whyte 6'3" (3rd), Mitch Gudgeon 6'7" (4th), Cyril Indome 6'0" (3rd), Isiah Pasquale 6'3" (3rd), Rob Kinnear 6'8" (5th). Comments: Despite the loss of 3 regulars from one of Canada's top teams, the Vikes return at least 3 players with All-Canadian potential in former CIS Rookie-of-the-year Doerksen, athletic forward Hass and last season's pleasant surprise in the back court, Whyte. Gudgeon provides size and perimeter skills as a big man off the bench and Indome provides depth in the back court at both slots. Recruiting Focus: The Vikes still need a pure point guard as they would like to have Whyte on the wing exclusively, making 6'1" Brandon Dunlop, a pure point guard who was a 1st Team BCAC choice at Camosun College in Victoria last season, a welcome addition. With returning talent up front, Vikes added athleticism at the wing spot with a pair of blue chippers: long, athletic 6'4" Ryan MacKinnon from Comox, BC, who has already has a mature game with his court sense and passing abilities and could be one of Canada West's top rookies plus 6'4" wing Julian Spearchief-Morris, who was generally regarded as the top player in Alberta high school this past season at Lethbridge LCI and should be one of the top athletic talents in the West. Coach Craig Beaucamp may also look to bring in another transfer with some experience to bolster what will be a very young team with no 5th year players only 2 regulars entering their fourth seasons.

Simon Fraser Clan Key Losses: Aaron Christensen, Alex MacIver Key Players Scheduled to return: Nolan Holmes 6'8" (5th), Greg Wallace 6'7" (4th), Shawn Burke 6'4" PG (3rd), Kevin Shaw 6'3" (3rd), Vladimir Rusic 6'8" (4th), Jeff Dolan 6'5" (2nd). Comments: Holmes is a nice big guy in the middle, while the athletic Wallace is tall and athletic. Starting point guard Burke is a big guard while Shaw is a dead-eye three point shooter. The athletic Dolan looks to build on his freshman season while Rusic provides depth in the post. Recruiting Focus: The Clan will need a big forward who can score to add depth to their front line. Another three-point shooter or two would also be helpful as would a back-up point guard who can spell Burke.

University College of Fraser Valley (UCFV) Key Losses: 6'3" Duane Wilson (reserve wing) Key Players scheduled to return: 6'8" Joel Haviland (5th), 6'6" Jamie Vaughan (5th), 6'4" Anthony Lao (5th), 6'8" Kyle Graves (5th), 5'11" Lee Jackson (5th), 6'1" Darren Johnson (4th), 6'5" Jesse Smith (3rd), 6'6" Nick Alderliesten (3rd). Comments: The Cascades will be arguably the most experienced team in all of the CIS with five 5th year starters returning and their three top bench players in their 3rd years or higher. Vaughan, an athletic swingman who rebounds and defends the paint, is one of the top returning scorers in Canada West. In Haviland, UCFV features a scoring 3 man with size. Graves is a classic post player who shoots a high percentage from the floor, rebounds and can be a presence defensively. Jackson, a U.S. import, runs the show from the point guard spot. Lao is a taller wing with all round shooting, passing and rebounding skills. Wilson and Johnson are solid all-round players with the ability to make "3's" when right and have started several games in their careers. Recruiting Focus: With six players graduating after this coming season, UCFV will recruit primarily for '08-'09 and have already began their foundation for the next generation by gaining the commitment of 5'9" Dylan Gatner, a solid point guard who started on B.C.'s Provincial team and is the heir apparent to Jackson. The Cascades also brought in 6'8" Jay Valeri, out of G.P. Vanier Secondary School in Courtnay, B.C., a high school teammate of UBC recruit Nick Adair to add front line depth. To ensure there is more quality experience this season and next, UCFV welcomes 6'4" Devon Krahn, a fourth-year transfer from Columbia Bible College and 2nd team BCCAA all-star this past season.

Trinity Western Spartans Players Lost: David Bron 6’5” (graduated). Key Players scheduled to return: Brian Banman 6’2” (5th), 5’11” Jon Schmidt (ACL surgery, status unknown) (5th), Luke Robinson 6’3” (5th), Michael Erickson 5’8” (4th), Joe Vroom 6’9” (3rd), Jason Keegstra 6’7” (3rd), Trevor Nerdahl 6’2” (2nd), Drew Slaght 5’8” (2nd), Daniel Demian 5’8” (2nd), James Powell 6’1” (3rd). Comments: With the majority of their regulars back, the Spartans return an experienced group but have a couple of question marks on the roster related to significant injuries. TWU employs an up tempo offense patterned around getting many shots up in short periods of time. Banman is one of Canada West’s top scorers but has battled through back injuries including late last season when he missed the playoffs as a result. Schmidt is a solid scorer but recently underwent knee surgery to replace his ACL. The diminutive Erickson is another top three point threat while Robinson is a strong wing player who can slash to the rim. The two bigs Vroom and Keegstra, shared time last season but as they enter their third years, both have a chance to be above average Canada West post players. To run as much as they do, the Spartans require a deep bench and Nerdahl is the most experienced of the supporting cast. A pair of sophomores-to-be Slaght and Demian look to continue the trend of smaller, quicker players who can shoot the ball. Recruiting Focus: In the face of injuries to 2 key guards, the Spartans could use some higher quality shooters and a point guard who can set the table for their array of shooters. Another athletic wing who can slash to the rim to be groomed when Robinson graduates would also be helpful. Finally, another big man to add depth to the front line would be helpful.

Thompson Rivers University Key Losses: None Key Players scheduled to return: 5'10" Charlie Spurr (3rd), 6'5" Kamar Burke (2nd), 6'5" Brian Smith (5th), 6'4" Braeden Jones (4th), 6'4" Connor Agnew (2nd), 6'1" Navanga Burke (3rd), 6'4" Chris Vandeweide (2nd), 5'11" Jesse Brown (2nd). Comments: The Wolf Pack was one of Canada's most inexperienced teams last season and usually turned to the offensively-skilled Spurr for scoring and playmaking. The multi-faceted Burke was considered by some to be the freshman who could make the most impact in Canada West throughout his career and last season pushed a triple-double on several occasions. Smith provides experience at the forward spot while Jones and Agnew other contributors to TRU. Recruiting Focus: The Wolf Pack needs more quality players to support Spurr and Burke. A point guard who can set the table for their scorers would be an ideal starting point while a big man in the middle who can assert himself offensively and protect the paint should be another priority. A tough, rebounding forward who can provide muscle up front would also help. The Wolf Pack has yet to announce any recruits.

Last night's Rumble in the T-Dot high school all-star game at Centennial College in Scarborough was successful with a number of future CIS players participating including James Clark, the 6'5" forward who had such a tremendous OFSAA "AAAA" tournament for Eastern Commerce Saints in March. Clark recently told observers that he will attend Concordia next season to play for John Dore's Stingers which will significantly help offset the loss to graduation of All-Canadian Patrick Perrotte. Other CIS commits who participated in the game included 6'8" Aaron Chapman (Belleville Nicholson - Carleton), 6'3" Yannick Walcott (Toronto Northern S.S. - Dalhousie verbal - awaiting acceptance) and 6'1" Ryan Barbeau (Belleville Nicholson - Western). Several other players are on CIS teams radar however no firm committments have been announced. West Hill Collegiate's 6'4" guard Kyle Johnson was named MVP of the boys game and long-time Bathurst Heights and current Emery C.I. Head Coach Bob Maydo was honoured for his career achievements which span into the early 1980's.

In other recruiting news, it appears that 6'1" Joe Kelman from Barrie Eastview will be attending Brock next season and suit up for the Badgers. Kelman was a first team Simcoe County all-star while playing for his father Steve Kelman. The York Lions have won the recruiting battle for 6'4" swingman Chad Bewley from Toronto Peoples Christian.

Finally, Chad Lucas, who does a great job covering CIS basketball for the Halifax Chronicle-Herald reports that Acadia Axemen are being investigated for allegedly using a player last season that had not sat out the requisite amount of time after transfering from an NCAA Division III school Eligibility at issue for Acadia hoop team

Ned Bekavac from the Guelph Tribune reports on the possibility that the University of Guelph will soon invest in new athletic facilities University eyes sports facilities facelift

Wayne Kondro's article in this morning's Ottawa Citizen on Carleton's latest recruiting class which he describes as one that may go down in history as the Ravens finest Basketball Ravens Reload

Larry Miller named this year's winner of the Jimmy Rose Memorial Lifetime Achievements award for contributions to Niagara Region basketball as presented by the Brock Badgers men's basketball program Miller named winner by Brock

Former Canadian National team coach Ken Shields, who directed Victoria Vikes to 7 consecutive CIAU men's national championships and 8 overall, continues to teach and is scheduled to give a clinic today in Port Coquitlam. A tremendous anecdote that epitomizes Coach Shields' greatness is the example of Kelly Duckshire, a former Vike who played center in high school, forward in university and went for his first tryout at guard and made the National team - all because he understood how to play the game. Ken Shields coaching clinic in Port Coquitlam

One of the most sought after post players in Ontario has decided to return to high school for a fifth year. 6'8" Andrew Nicholson from Mississauga Father Goetz H.S. (Peel Region) had strong interest from many CIS schools including York, Toronto, McMaster, Ottawa, St. Francis Xavier and Windsor among others. Recently he advised coaches recruiting him that it was in his best interests to return to high school. Nicholson led Goetz to the Peel Region championship and a berth in OFSAA "AAAA" Here are some articles on Nicholson from the Toronto Star Professor of the Hardwood and a short thumbnail profile of Nicholson Nicholson Profile

Stay tuned for more recruiting news sure to come out of this weekend, which includes the Rumble in the T-Dot in Scarborough and several OBA tournaments in Southern Ontario. Nicholson will play in the Rumble Hoop Stars Ready to Rumble also check out the rostes for this event here

Bisons Add a Recruit: Manitoba reports that they have added 6'7" forward Richard Reimer from the Oak Park Raiders to their recruiting class. Coach Rick Suffield comments that he expects Reimer to redshirt this season. Bison Recruit Oak Park Champion Player Reimer for 07-08

International News:

Here is a story that received little fanfare in Canada and the U.S.A. but is a very interesting development in FIBA Americas region basketball FIBA Americas - Americas League given green light

FIBA Americas Senior Men's Championship News ARGENTINA - Argentina coach Sergio Hernandez understands the decision by national team veteran Manu Ginobili and emerging star Walter Herrmann to withdraw from the FIBA Americas Championship squad. Ginobili and Herrmann will not play Another story confirming Ginobili will not play with speculation as to why Ginobili will not play for Argentina Luis Scola has given Argentina's Olympic qualifying hopes a shot in the arm by confirming he will play for the country at this summer's FIBA Americas Championship. BC Khimki veteran Ruben Wolkowisky has also said he intends to play. With Walter Herrmann having all but ruled himself out and his fellow NBA-based players Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and Andres Nocioni hinting they will miss, national team coach Sergio Hernandez was desperate for some good news and now he's got it. Scola, Wolkowisky give thumbs-up to Argentina Argentina's Olympic gold-medal winning point guard Juan Ignacio Sanchez admits he is still undecided whether or not to compete in August's FIBA Americas Championship where the Athens victors will hope to book a ticket to defend their crown at the Beijing Games. Sanchez undecided on national team

VENEZUELA - Venezuela have confirmed their participation in a quadrangular tournament in Mexico ahead of the FIBA Americas Championship. The Vinotinto, coached by Nestor Salazar, will take part in the mini warm-up competition against the Mexicans, Uruguay and the US Virgin Islands on August 14 and 15 Mexico Senior Men's Warm-Up Tournament

USA - New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul had a screw inserted in his left foot Monday and will likely be unable to train with the U.S. basketball team this summer. Paul unlikely to play for U.S. Villanova coach Jay Wright has been selected as USA Basketball's head coach for this summer's USA squad that will compete at the Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil in July Wright to coach US team at Pan-Am Games Canada's entry at the Pan-Am games will be in a group with Puerto Rico, Brazil and Virgin Islands with games beginning on July 25th. CIS fans in the Nation's Capital will be able to watch Wright's Villanova Wildcats this coming Labour Day weekend as they come to Ottawa to face Carleton, uOttawa and McGill. Here is an article from USA Basketball previewing the United States team at the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifier in Las Vegas USA to open against Venezuela

BRAZIL - Anderson Varejao is having no second thoughts about playing for Brazil this summer at the FIBA Americas Championship later this year. While the participation of Leandro Barbosa (Phoenix Suns) and Nene (Denver Nuggets) in Las Vegas is in doubt due to concerns about the insurance that the Brazilian Basketball Confederation has to pay to the NBA clubs to allow them to play for the national team, Varejao, a Cleveland Cavaliers forward, has said that he will have a "busy" summer with the Verdeamarelos. Varejao unwavering in commitment to Brazil Meanwhile Tiago Splitter doesn't hesitate when asked if he will play for Brazil this summer at the FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas.
Splitter will hit the ground running in Vegas

FIBA U19 World Championship ARGENTINA - Argentina U19 coach Enrique Tolcachier has selected 24 players to begin preparations for the FIBA U19 World Championship in Serbia. Real Madrid reserve team guard Diego Gerbaudo and Tau Ceramica's 16-year-old guard Matias Nocedal, on loan at Utebo, are the key players on the roster. Argentina's U19 Team

USA - The U.S. U19 team spent much of April in Memphis training and preparing for the NIKE Hoop Summit at FedEx Forum which they won 100-80 over the World All-Stars. Many of the players on this team were on last season's U18 Gold Medal winning side and the Americans are the likely favorites for the U19 Worlds in Serbia USA Aiming To Take Advantage Of International Experience Here is a recap of the recent game in Memphis USA captures 10th NIKE Hoop Summit over World team

A pair of teams who participated in the CIS Nationals this past season, including five-time defending champions Carleton Ravens, have secured committments from top rated players, one of which returns to Canada after a stint at a U.S. Division 1 program. The Ravens capped off what is probably one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory, welcoming 6'4" Elliot Thompson, generally regarded as the top high school player in New Brunswick and one of the better players to come out of New Brunswick in recent memory Thompson chooses Carleton Thompson was being pursued by a number of CIS schools including home town UNB Varsity Reds, Bishop's Gaiters where close friend Andrew Wright had a solid freshman season as point guard and Queen's Golden Gaels among others. Thompson joins fellow New Brunswick native Graeme Scott, who sat out last season at Carleton due to injury, on the five-time defending champions, adding to a stellar recruiting class that includes the top player in Eastern Ontario 6'7" Aaron Chapman and 6'5" Cole Hobin, originally from Ottawa who spent this past season playing at Eastern Commerce Prep in Toronto. The Windsor Lancers today announced that 6'7" Andre Smyth, originally from Windsor, will return home after transferring from Central Michigan Chippewas (NCAA Division 1 Mid-America Conference) where he redshirted in his first season and then played about 14 minutes a game last season. Smyth will sit out this season as a redshirt but will have 4 seasons of eligibility remaining when he suits up for the Lancers in 2008-09. Smyth to Windsor The Ottawa Gee-Gees have secured the committment of 6'6" forward Justin Bell, an athletic swingman from Mississauga Rick Hansen High School who will likely push for time immediately on the Gee-Gees front line with the departures due to graduation of Ottawa's two starting posts Curtis Shakespeare and Jermaine Campbell.
RMC's Kevin McGuire has been working very hard on the recruiting trail and has a number of committments, most noteable of which is 6'9" Nick Cooke from Toronto Eastern Commerce who promises to be a solid CIS player. Cooke is arguably the Paladins top recruit since a little-regarded, unsized forward named Kevin Dulude arrived in Kingston from Orleans, ON in early 2000's and left as the all-time leading scorer in OUA history. McGuire is being rewarded for his hard work on recruiting trail.

The usually competitive Great Plains division comes off another solid year in which Brandon represented the division in the National championship game, playing Carleton as tough as anyone to lose by 3. Generally speaking, teams in the division return the majority of their top players with Winnipeg and Manitoba not losing anyone of note and the Wesmen returning All-Canadian Erfan Nasajpour while Brandon and Regina lose some quality yet hanging on to the basic core of their teams. All teams will be experienced and with solid recruits the division should be more competitive. Brandon still looks to be the class of the league but expect the other 3 teams to challenge the Bobcats more next season than they did this season when Brandon went 15-2 including 8 in a row after the holiday break against their Great Plains division rivals en route to the division championship.

Brandon Bobcats Key Losses: 6'0" Chad Jacobsen (graduation), 5'10" Taylor Cherris-Welding (graduation). Key Players scheduled to return: Dany Charlery 6'3" (3rd), Yul Michel 6'1" (5th), Adam Hartman 6'5" (5th), Yuri Whyms 6'9" (5th), Stevens Marcelin 6'7" (3rd), Nathan Grant 6'0" (3rd), Jon Thomson 6'5" (5th), Chris Schmidt-Watt 6'6" (3rd). Comments: The bulk of the national finalist team returns led by the versatile Charlery, a top scorer and defender. Michel is one of Canada's top lead guards who distributes and defends the ball. Hartman is a very underrated offensive player in the post with his blend of scoring and passing skills. The combination of Whyms and Marcelin in the post is athletic, long and provides plenty of defensive presence inside. Grant is an emerging point with the ability to finish in transition and get to the rim who is the heir apparent to Michel while Thomson and Schmidt-Watt contribute solid, underrate minutes off the bench with their rebounding and defending. Expect the Cats to continue their entertaining, up-tempo style and be one of the pre-season favorites in the CIS. Key Recruiting Targets: The Cats lost their two primary spot up three point shooters and will need to find at least one more guy who can stretch defenses from the perimeter. Brandon looks to fill this void with 6'7" Kevin Oliver, the MVP from the high school side of the Wesmen Classic, who comes in with a reputation as a solid shooter with range. Oliver's fellow starter on last summer's Manitoba's provincial team, which lost in the national finals, 6'6" swingman Kyle Vince from Winnipeg J.H Bruns will also join the Cats in the fall. Coached by ex-Winnipeg Wesmen All-Canadian Norm Fromel, Vince should add depth at big forward spot behind Adam Hartman after leading Silver Heights Huskies, the #1 Ranked team in Manitoba.

Winnipeg Key Losses: Will Bergmann 6'7" (graduated) Key Players scheduled to return: 5'9" Erfan Nasajpour (5th), 6'6" Matt Opalko (5th), 6'4" Ryan Roper (4th), 6'9" Ivan Saric (4th), 6'6" Dan Shynkaryk (4th), 6'0" James Horaska (2nd), 5'10" Nick Lother (2nd) Comments: With every key player returning including All-Canadian Nasajpour to score and lead, the Wesmen are well stocked offensively. Up front, Winnipeg has at least three experience contributors led by Shynkaryk, who with more consistency has potential to be an all-conference player, the athletic Saric, a solid defensive and low post presence and Opalko, who missed significant time because of injury last season. Roper is a big wing who can be a threat from the perimeter while Lother, who can run the point for stretches, and Horaska, both look to improve on their freshman seasons. Key Recruiting Targets: With all key players returning, not alot of time is available but the Wesmen welcome 6'0" Cam Hornby, (originally from Winnipeg Glenlawn) who returns home after a season and a half with South Dakota State Jackrabbits, where he redshirted in '05-'06 and then played sparingly last season before deciding to transfer. Hornby becomes eligible on November 17th and could get his freshman status after playing in only 4 games at South Dakota State. Hornby will fit into the Wesmen back court as a combo guard. Winnipeg could use another "3" man who can create, defend and rebound and also bring in another forward with a view of restocking their front line for after next season.

Regina Key Losses: Brad Fekula 6'2", Drew Kuzminski 6'5", Michael Enns 6'6" Key Players scheduled to return: Bryden Wright 6'3" (5th-injury redshirt last season), Jeff Lukomski 6'0" (2nd), Jamal Williams 6'5" (3rd), Paul Schubach 6'2" (3rd), Sarain Soonias 6'6" (5th), Jordan McFarlen 6'2" (2nd), Adam Huffman 6'7" (5th). Comments: The Cougars return White who was one of the top offensive players in Canada West prior to injuring his knee on the eve of last season's first exhibition game causing him to miss the season. Schubach emerged as the Cougars most consistent and accurate shooter from both inside and beyond the arc and at the free throw line. Canada West Freshman-of-the-Year Lukomski knocks down the "3" with consistency while Williams emerged as a legitimate all-conference candidate in the post down the stretch last season. Soonias provides depth up front and can be a presence in the paint defensively. Recruiting Focus: After losing 3 of the top 8 players in the rotation, including point guard Fekula and leading scorer Kuzminski, the Cougars look to fortify the lead guard and forward spots. 6'7" Brett Weiss, a versatile wing who can play anywhere from the "2" to "4" spots, could be an immediate impact player for the Cougars with his combination of size and athleticsm. Weiss, originally recruited by Regina out of high school in Wilkie, SK, spent the last 2 seasons at Montana State-Billings, an NCAA Division 2 school, redshirting for one of the seasons before transfering back and will be starting his second season when he becomes eligible immediately in the fall. The Cougars also will bring in a pair of big two guards who can shoot the ball in 6'5" Reid Quest (Regina Winston Knoll) and 6'5" Lance Aldcorn (Regina Balfour), both freshmen directly out of high school who should push for time on the wing. Coach James Hillis may also look to bring in one more player later in the summer.

Manitoba Key Losses: None. Key Players scheduled to return: 6'1" Issac Ansah (4th), 6'4" Darcy Coss (5th), 6'5" Brian Crowe (5th), 6'1" Chris Pereira (4th), 6'9" Sean Landry (3rd), 6'1" Joel Pankewich (2nd), 5'9" Graeme Mitchell (4th), 6'4" Myron Dean (4th), 6'5" Grant Rayner (3rd). Comments: The Bisons have a possible All-Canadian candidate in Ansah, an all-around scorer who shoots it beyond the arc and gets to the rim. Coss is a veteran three-point threat with the size to shoot over smaller defenders. Crowe provides a solid inside presence at both ends while Pereira is another long-range threat. Landry provides size and is a nice complementary player inside. Pankewich was Bisons top freshman last season while Mitchell provides depth in the back court. Dean is a wing off the bench. Recruiting Focus: With every top player scheduled to return, Manitoba can recruit for both this year and subsequent years - targets are up front, depth at the point and wing players. In 6'8" Clarence Smith (Lakeland College - Alberta colleges league), one of the leading scorers and rebounders in the ACAC, the Bisons get a formidable post presence who can score, rebound and protect the paint defensively. Smith, who is originally from Fort McMurray, Alberta - Lloydminister Composite, will be in his third year of eligibility with the Bisons. The Bisons also welcome another 6'8" post from Lakeland, Trevor Assels (Stonewall MB, Stonewall Collegiate), also entering his third year of eligibility, fortifying Manitoba's interior even further.

Mike Tucker, who does a wonderful job with University College of Fraser Valley Cascades sports information, has released an announcement on the Cascades Labour Day schedule Cascades host Air Force, Boise State

An article in the Abbotsford News on UCFV's top recruit for this season's class, 5'9" Dylan Gatner Cascades get the point Also, the official release from the UCFV sports information office Cascades get their point

Howard Tsumura's article on Canada West's games on the Labour Day weekend which appeared in his excellent High School and University Sports site in the Vancouver Province Canada West teams face off against NCAA competition

An interesting piece in the Hamilton Spectator about parental-led fundraising for athletics Fundraising School Threat

Another article on Jay Triano's induction into the A.N. Myer High School Hall-of-Fame in Niagara Falls this coming weekend Triano credits his past coaches

A very good article from San Grewal from the Toronto Star on the growing interest in basketball in Toronto and Canada bouyed primarily by the recent success of the Toronto Raptors. A sobering set of data however puts the popularity into some perspective as television audiences for the Raptors, although growing significantly, still are between 1/6th and 1/10th of a typical audience for Hockey Night in Canada and Maple Leaf hockey games Raptor Nation: Hockey is still our game, but another sport is making a full-court press

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports on Duquesne University men's basketball coach Ron Everhart, who accepted the United States Basketball Writers Association's Most Courageous Award on Monday in Atlanta, and also announced that the Dukes are planning to take a preseason trip to Toronto, where they will play a four-game exhibition schedule against Canadian competition. Duquesne eyes pre-season trip to Canada

Recruiting and Labour Day news: OUA West - The Brock Badgers will welcome at least 4 new faces to next season's lineup, led by 6'6" Andrew Ferguson from St. Catharines Governor Simcoe, one of the Top 50 players in Ontario according to Jim Thomas' All-Ontario Scouting Service. Ferguson has a nice touch from the perimeter and should push for playing time as a freshman with the Badgers, especially with the graduation of "4" man Chris Keith. Coach Ken Murray also got commitments from 6'6" Gidon Frank (Toronto Community Hebrew Academy (CHAT) and Vaughan S.S.), 6'4" Joe Kendrick who played on a provincial championship team at Horton H.S. in Wolfville, Nova Scotia and 6'4" Pat Orvidas from Jamie Girolametto's St. Mary's Crusaders from Hamilton. The Badgers will also host the University of North Florida Ospreys, an NCAA Division 1 team (Atlantic Sun conference - same conference as Belmont) from Jacksonville, FL and possibly one more NCAA team during the Labour Day weekend. One of the top power forwards in Ontario, 6'6" Adam Bering (Tecumseh St. Anne's) has decided to attend the University of Guelph and play for the Gryphons. QSSF - Craig Norman's McGill Redmen travel to the Nation's Capital during the Labour Day weekend to join Ottawa and Carleton in a pair of games against visiting Villanova Wildcats and Alabama Crimson Tide, playing one game each at the Ravens Nest and Montpetit Hall in Ottawa. Norman hopes to gain committments from 1 or more recruits within the next 3 weeks or so. Canada West - We will release the Great Plains pre-summer overview in the next day or so however in the interim, Regina has announced two more recruits to add to another key recruit who earlier transfered back from the U.S. The Cougars got a pair of tall, sharpshooting freshmen in 6'4" Reid Quest (Regina Winston Knoll) and 6'5" Lance Aldcorn (Regina Balfour). Both come to Regina with a reputation for shooting the ball and will add depth on the wing and up front. Earlier, the Cougars had announced that 6'7" Brett Weiss, a versatile wing who can also play the "4" if needed, has transfered to Regina from Montana State-Billings, an NCAA Division II program where he redshirted in his first season and then played parts of another season. Weiss, who can shoot beyond the arc and has a live, athletic body, sat out this season while transfering and will be in his second year of eligibility beginning in the fall.

Finally, here is an excerpt from Rivals.com from April 22, 2007 about a Canada Basketball student team hopeful who recently turned heads at the Pitt Jam Fest, an AAU tournament in Pittsburgh, PA. Joseph helped Grassroots Canada play the role of giant killer as they captured the tournament championship including a knock out Boo Williams, one of the favorites to win the tournament. One of the reasons why the kids from Toronto played so well was the outstanding play of guard Devoe Joseph. The 6-foot-2 combo from Pickering (Ont.) High School started his day with a 30-point effort against East Coast Fusion. He drilled six three-pointers in that victory. Later in the day, Joseph poured in 22 points and connected on four three-pointers against Boo Williams. The game later, Joseph and Grassroots Canada knocked out Juice to advance to Sunday's quarter final game against a surging Arkansas Hawks team. The Canadian team then went on to capture the tournament championship on Sunday. Joseph was one of the best, if not the best, guard on Saturday. He scored at will against good teams. Don't write him up as just a shooter. Joseph has good ball-handling skills and picked apart defenses with little trouble. He said Washington State, Duquesne and Minnesota (former staff) have offered scholarships. It will be interesting to see how much that list transforms after this weekend in Pittsburgh. Although Joseph is not likely to play in the CIS, he has helped Canada internationally in the past and here's hoping that Joseph continues to play a role for our country in the future including this summer on coach Greg Francis' U-19 team at the world championships.