The be all and end all for Canadian hoops news, the best in Canadian High School Basketball, Toronto Raptors, sports, entertainment, commentary and opinion...not really...
Just somewhere for hoopheads,sports fanatics and entertainment lovers to get together and talk about the games, athletes and stars that affect our daily lives. Straight talk...and we dont pull any punches!
Sim with his CIA Bounce teammate Anthony Bennett
Photo by Drew Ebanks
Nice piece by Daily Press reporter Dave Fairbank...on Canadian giant Sim Bhullar...playing down at the EYBL in Hampton, Virginia this past weekend...Some nice quote's from Negus Webster-Chan as well! It's 2 pages long so click on "2" when done reading the first page...
Andrew Wiggins getting U.S. attention now.
Photo by Drew Ebanks
After a pretty successful weekend at the first EYBL stop at the Boo Williams Complex in Hampton, Virginia, Vaughan's Andrew Wiggins(playing for CIA Bounce who went 3-2 in games) getting kudos for being the man-child he is...
"Andrew Wiggins, SF, CIA Bounce- It's hard to believe that the wiry, near 6-foot-7 wing is only a member of the class of 2014. He's a rim seeking missile who navigates traffic with the speed of a whippet. Quick off the floor and blessed with great instincts, the Canadian is obviously an elite level prospect."
I love the "RIM SEEKING MISSLE" comment!
Hoopmixtape has Wiggins slamming down the middle as well...watch the defender duck for cover...
Kevin Zabo making his mark Stateside as well
Photo Courtest of CROWNmagonline.com
They also like Montreal native, Kevin Zabo...
"Speaking of point guards, 2014's Kevin Zabo is definitely one to keep an eye on. The 6-foot-1 Canadian is strong, has speed and already plays with confidence against older players."
If you want to see Kevin Pangos' last 3 high school games for Denison here they are. We at CROWN live streamed the OFSAA AAA boy's basketball Day 2 and Day 3 in Niagara Falls.
Gold Medal Final
Kevin Pangos 26pts against the Dynamic Duo of Dyshawn Pierre(26pts) and Justin Edwards(19pts while in foul trouble most of the game). Several D1 coaches were on hand including Georgia Tech to check out Edwards. Pierre is a straight up stud and was kinda under the radar before OFSAA but is now clearly gonna be in the sights of mid to high-major D1 schools! He may be running and gunning with TTC(Team Takeover Canada) this summer on the AAU circuit from what I hear!
GOLD MEDAL GAME -8:00pm Anderson Whitby(69) vs. Denison(64) St Paul HS, Niagara Falls, Ont.
Final
Anderson 20 38 52 69 69
Dension 19 35 45 64 64
Individual Player Scoring
Anderson:
D. Pierre - 26pts
J. Edwards - 19pts
J. Hutchcroft - 12pts
Denison:
K. Pangos - 26pts
B. Gohn - 12 pts
B. Zufelt - 11pts
Also, check out Denison's OFSAA AAA Quarter Final game against Governor Simcoe...live streamed by CROWN
Kevin Pangos scored 31pts in the game and 26pts in the first half. He pretty much
shut it down after the first half. It was interesting talking to a few of the spectators including coaches and referees who had not seen Kevin play before and wanted to know if all the hype was warranted or not. There were a lot of doubters before the game tipped off...but after the 1st half in which Kevin gave the business to the opposing PG from Governor Simcoe...there was a whole gym full of Pangos' converts and believers. He showed that he was a couple notches above the competition. He used his hesitation, stutter moves as well as crossovers, floaters and pull-up threes to get anything he wanted on the court. He left the crowd wanting more and all were satisfied that they had seen one of the best PG's out of Canada put on an amazing display of basketball!
Final
Denison 27 53 73 88 88
Governor Simcoe 11 25 44 53 53
Individual Player Scoring
Denison:
K. Pangos - 31pts
B. Zufelt - 27pts
Governor Simcoe:
M. Poirier - 22pts
N. Awram - 14pts
Also check CROWN...www.crownmagonline.com for your latest in Canadian H.S. Hoops.
Plus recaps of All days at OFSAA AAAA and AAA including thorough breakdowns of Semis and Finals of both tournaments.
Congrats to Vaughan(AAAA) and Anderson(AAA) for capturing gold medals!
Sr. Night, Steve Williams, Head Coach Roy Rana, Ryan McNeilly
Photo: Drew Ebanks
Ryerson University's Kerr Hall Gymnasium was the site for a very important OUA east match up between the host Ryerson Rams and the visiting Ottawa Gee Gees.
Before the game tipped-off there were some formalities as it was Senior Night and Ryan McNeilly and Steve Williams were bestowed plaques to thank them for their commitment as student athletes by Head Coach Roy Rana. The 5 year players have seen some lean times at the university in downtown Toronto but see a bright future for the program due to the talent on the squad and Rana's reputation as a quality coach and great all-round mentor to the players on the team.
The gym was packed with friends, family and supporters of Ryerson basketball, which seem to be growing with each week and game that goes by. There is a buzz now that surrounds the basketball program which hasn't been there for years.
Coach Rana brings discipline and a seriousness to Ryerson and is raising the profile of this historically underachieving program. The team is on the rise and if Rana continues to get quality recruits like Jordon Gautier, Jahmal Jones and Jelane Price the sky's the limit for the Rams going forward.
The player introductions
Photo: Drew Ebanks
GAME TIME
1st qtr.
The game started off a pretty close affair...with Ryerson taking control at the 3:35 mark as Ola Adegboruwa stole the ball and scored putting the Rams up 18-12. Jordon Gauthier was on fire in the qtr pouring in 7 points including a long three with 25 seconds left to put the Rams up 7(they then went up 9 on two Jelane Pryce FT's). But Ryerson had a lapse on defence as the clock ran down and Gee Gees forward Warren Ward took advantage by burying a three at the buzzer to make it a 6 point deficit. Coach Rana wasn't pleased with the coverage by Pryce and let him know it in the huddle!
Rana in control in the huddle
Photo: Drew Ebanks
2nd qtr.
The Rams started the quarter playing great defence forcing a shot clock violation on the Gee Gees while holding a 5 point lead. They continued to hold things down defensively as Adegboruwa got up to block an Ottawa shot to preserve a 4 point Ryerson lead. Later, Adegboruwa got caught up with a Gee Gee player throwing an elbow and earning an offensive foul but the Rams still led by 6. Gauthier continued to play well scoring a layup at the buzzer as the Rams went into the locker room ahead 44-37 on the scoreboard. Gauthier continued his stellar play scoring 9 in the quarter to lead all scorers with 16 points. Louis Gauthier(no relation to Jordon) was a handful inside for the Rams. The Gee Gee big man scored 14 points and pulled in 6 rebounds in the first half, mostly on post-ups and short jumpers.
Nice Crowd at Kerr Hall
Photo: Drew Ebanks
3rd qtr.
The Gee Gees started the 3rd firing on all cylinders, as Gauthier scored a layup and a runner and then John Berhanemeskel, a sharpshooter, buried a corner three to cut the Rams lead to 2. Ottawa then took their first lead at the 7:10 mark on a layup by Berhanemeskel. A big play for Ryerson came at 3:41 left as McNeilly converted a layup with the harm as Yacob Issayas had no choice but to foul the senior from Toronto.
Gauthier then slammed home a sweet dunk as Adegboruwa fouled him to give the Gee Gees a 5 point lead.
The game was knotted at 62 after three qtrs as Afeworki Gebrekerestos converted 3 big free throws as Dimitrios Seymour fouled him behind the arc.
Gauthier continued to lead the Rams in scoring with 22 points and 7 rebounds after 3. His opponent and namesake Louis Gauthier had 25 points and 8 rebounds going into the 4th.
Rams' players Jahmal Jones and Afeworki Gebrekerestos ready for action
Photo: Drew Ebanks
4th qtr.
Gauthier buried a long jumper for the Rams to put them up 69-66. At the 5:12 mark a little skirmish took place as Ottawa's Akeem Gardner fouled Gauthier hard going in for a score, but both guys ended up with unsportsmanlike fouls with a barrage of trash talk going back and forth. The Rams got two free throws and the ball to go up 73-67 on the Gee Gees. Ward took the reigns for Ottawa down the stretch scoring on a couple free throws and then a layup with 2:33 left to tie the game at 75.
Key play with 1:38 left and the Rams up 2, Ottawa's Gauthier lost the ball in the post to the Rams' Gauthier who had to foul him. Gauthier hit one FT to make it a three point game. Later, on a great feed from Jones, Adegboruwa finished a sweet layup to put the Rams up 5, forcing the Gee Gees to call a timeout.
McNeilly then iced the game for the rams hitting 3 out of 4 free throws as the Rams improved to 10-10 on the season and in a tie for third place with the Gee Gees in the OUA East with a 85-76 victory.
The win was a well-deserved hard fought battle for the Rams, and a very important one in the standings.
For the Rams, Gauthier collected a game-high 27 points and corralled 11 rebounds. McNeilly added 20 points and 4 rebounds and Adegboruwa scored 14 points and added a game-high 5 assists.
For the Gee Gees, their Gauthier dropped 25 points and 11 rebounds(6 offensive) in 31 minutes. Berhanemeskel knocked down 3 threes to finish with 19 points and 5 rebounds.
Rams finally down the Gee Gees
Photo: Drew Ebanks
Observations
The speed and pace of the CIS game has improved dramatically over the last dozen or so years. The athleticism is also improving as guys like Adegboruwa, Jones and Gauthier got out on the fast break several times and pulled down rebounds in traffic. Pryce has an unorthodox game but he gets the most out of his abilities.
Steve Williams' value to this Ryerson squad may not always show up on a score sheet but his tenacity and heady play defensively bailed out several of his Rams' teammates, especially while hedging and protecting the basket for the Rams guards.
The seniors Williams and McNeilly after the game.
Photo: Drew Ebanks
Loved to see the fan and student support at Kerr Hall. The Ryerson athletic department put on a great event with dancers and giveaways to make the game experience top notch.
The Rams athletic department seems serious in their game ops and organization this season and I can see a clear difference from years past.
Tons of former Rana players and friends were on hand including Tyrone Mattison(former Easter Commerce PG) and Sheldon Benoit(former CFL player). Ontario Basketball's Fred Grannum also on hand to see the Rams take down the Gee Gees.
Overall the support and positivity around the Rams basketball team seems to be growing and the atmosphere at Kerr Hall is the best I've seen in years.
Hats off to them as they make Ryerson Basketball a viable entertainment option in Toronto, especially since there's so much to do in the big city.
Jahmal Jones is a freshman with big game skills
Photo: Drew Ebanks
After the game I had a chance to speak to the two seniors, Steve Williams and Ryan McNeilly who had a lot to say about the game, the season and their careers playing for the Ryerson Rams...check it out!
To check out live streams of Ryerson basketball games go to:
Kyle Wiltjer...joins Myck Kabongo and Khem Birch on the 2011 McDonald's All-American roster!
The 6'9" Kentucky committ can play for Canada internationally because his father Greg, a former national team member, is Canadian.
Watch a video of the presentation of Kyle Wiltjer being selected to the McDonald's All-American high school basketball all-star game and listen in to an interview with Wiltjer as he talks about making the game, his ankle injury and when he plans on returning to the court. Video by Tim Brown, OregonLive.com
Findlay Prep...featuring Canadians Myck Kabongo, Anthony Bennett and Naz Long took on Bishop Gorman Saturday January 22nd and the game was a dandy...Finlay Prep takes it 89-86 in a thriller as Kabongo found Kevin Kasper alone up top and he buried the game winning three at the buzzer...
Kabongo led Findlay with 26 points!
Gorman junior Shabazz Muhammad had a game-high 33 points, including a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining in regulation to even the game at 71 and force overtime.
Also a nice article by Ray Brewer in the Las Vegas Sun on the game...Several big name coaches and scouts were in the gym according to the article:
"UCLA’s Ben Howland, Washington's Lorenzo Romar and UNLV’s Lon Kruger were three of an estimated 15 to 20 college coaches in attendance."
Recently I got to see Tyler Ennis perform up here in Canada during the Canada Basketball scrimmages over the Christmas holidays and I must say I was truly impressed with his maturation as a PG since I last saw him play at the B-Game camp at HoopDome in the summer. There's something truly different about the brother of Dylan Ennis, a rising PG as well who plies his trade for Lake Forest Academy in Chicago, Illinois. In fact Tyler was also at Lake Forest playing alongside his brother but decided to transfer to the former school of fellow Canadians Tristan Thompson and Myck Kabongo! From what I have read on the blogosphere new coach Roshown McLeod's team desperately needed a true passing/distributing PG...and that's what Ellis is! He distributes with above average efficiency, can get to the hoop pretty much when he wants and he is just several solid practice hours away from becoming a true threat outside as well.
The 6'2", 185lb'er was impressive in his first game for St. Benedict's notching 14 assists. Why that's significant besides the fact that he tallied double digit assists is because the team itself was averaging about 14 assists per game coming into that contest!
Then against St. Patrick, who are the number 2 team in the nation and feature sensational baller Michael Gilchrist, Ennis notched 13 points and 4 assists in an 8 point loss. Ennis did commit 6 turnovers in the game but that could be attributed to the fact that he's still learning about his teammates and it was a super strong opponent they were facing in St. Patrick.
Ennis gives them a player who will get the ball to players like Tyler Harris and Mike Young in their "sweet spots". He will find out by studying game tape, which he has been according to coach McCleod, where each player on his team likes to get the ball so that each teammate will get the most out of their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
The coach team is really high on Ennis and rightly so, since he's now out of brother Dylan's shadow and forging a future and name for himself on the East coast!
Check out these two articles on another rising Canadian Tyler Ennis:
Well the news has been out now for a few days...and I must say it is very shocking to hear that Pickering's Devoe Joseph is leaving the Golden Gophers after 2 1/2 years. He was suspended earlier on this season for 6 games for conduct detrimental to the team...something about off-court issues according to coach Smith.
I've heard he wasn't happy with being demoted to the first off the bench as Smith said he would benefit the team better to be the main scorer on the 2nd unit instead of starting.
There's a lot of reasons why student/athletes transfer; grades, criminal charges, playing time, coach/player conflicts etc, but the real reason for Joseph's departure is still a mystery. Apparently Joseph's mother Connie Joseph confirmed with a Minnesota Star-Tribune reporter that Joseph is indeed transferring, although where he's going is still a mystery.
Let's hope the talented, but seemingly misunderstood guard lands on his feet where ever he ends up...because no matter what the cause is, it's certainly not a positive incident w.r.t. his reputation.
Here's an article below from the Star-Tribune about his Mom and her feelings about Devoe's departure from Minnesota.
Devoe Joseph's mom: "I don't expect anything to change"
Posted by Myron P. Medcalf
Last update: January 4, 2011 - 12:27 PM
When you get an email at 3:49 a.m., you know you're dealing with a serious situation.
Connie Joseph, the mother of Gophers combo guard Devoe Joseph, reached out to me Tuesday morning.
She's traveled here from Canada to be with her son, who's preparing to transfer. She said she's convinced that her son will not change his mind.
"The decision to transfer, it’s a difficult decision," she said during a phone call Tuesday. "It’s not a good situation. … It’s not something that’s taken lightly and it’s a difficult thing to do. Having said that, it’s something that Devoe has [decided to do]."
Her view of the events leading up to Monday's news varies from what sources close to the team told the Star Tribune Monday.
Connie Joseph said her son has pondered his decision for a long time. But after the team's loss at Michigan State Friday, he told his mother that he felt like it was time to go.
Connie Joseph would not discuss the reasons behind her son's decision.
She said Devoe Joseph called Tubby Smith before the team's next practice and informed him of his decision to leave the program. Connie Joseph said her son skipped practice over the weekend because "once you've made this difficult decision, the best thing is just to move forward."
She said her son isn't suspended, as some outlets reported, but has decided to leave the team.
"No, there’s [no turning back]," she said Tuesday. "I'm going with him [Tuesday] morning to pick up his release papers. He wishes the team well. It’s a tough thing."
She added: "I don’t expect anything to change."
Connie Joseph said her son doesn't know where he's going yet. But she supports him, although she's shocked by the recent sequence of events. Just three years ago, Devoe Joseph was the top recruit in Smith's first recruiting class with the Gophers.
"I’m extremely, extremely surprised … really disappointed," said a sobbing Connie Joseph. "Devoe had dreams of playing for the Gophers."
There's nothing like Sports...The thrill of U know what and the agony of....blah blah blah!
Join me...Drew Ebanks, a former Global TV(Sports) reporter as I delve deep INSIDE the world of Dunks, Goals and Touchdowns!
TIME TO RISE UP!
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