Written by John Malnerich on Sunday, 02 January 2011
Read about the 23rd Annual Saints' Invitational Tournament including the official draw!
The 23rd Annual Saints’ Invitational High School Basketball Tournament
will tip off Friday morning
with a total of 32 Senior Boys teams from across Ontario competing. It is one
of the largest senior
tournaments in Ontario with teams competing for one overall champion. Action
will continue all day Friday
(Jan 7) and throughout Saturday (Jan 8) at St. Benedict CSS, Monsignor Doyle
CSS and Jacob Hespeler
gyms.
The tournament concludes with “Championship Night” on Saturday at
St. Benedict with game times as
follows:
Consolation Championship - 6:00pm
Championship Game - 8:00pm
Both these games will be broadcasted on Rogers Cable 20.
At the conclusion of the tournament championship game, an awards ceremony will
feature the recognition of
the championship and finalist teams and the selection of the tournament all-star
teams and tournament MVP.
Tournament passes are good for all games over the weekend including championship
night. They can be
purchased at the door for $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students. They are
good at all three sites.
Tournament organizers are predicting another great weekend of basketball this
year. The teams competing
come are from all over Ontario and are some of the best in their areas. The
Saints’ Invitational 23 will
feature some great hoop action and keep moving towards being one of the premier
tournaments in the
province.
Tournament Overview
Any team wanting to lay claim to this year’s tournament championship will
have their work cut out for them.
Not only will they have to win five games over two days, the tournament committee
has assembled a thirtytwo-
team field, which is strong from top to bottom. Tough squads from Brampton,
North Bay, Guelph, Sault
Ste. Marie, Lindsay, Toronto, London, Hamilton, Waterloo, Kitchener, and Sudbury
make-up the draw and
will be battling to become tournament champions. As a result, fans should expect
to see quality, competitive
games from the opening rounds through to the finals. An overview of the host
school and some of the
tournament favourites are below.
St. Benedict, Cambridge (Host School):
The Saints jumped out to a great start this season winning the Championship
at the Falcons Classic
Tournament at Centre Wellington in Fergus, as well as, some tough exhibition
games. They have struggled
as of late with defensive inconsistencies but are hoping to re-discover their
scrappy defensive style which
enables them to grind out wins. A focus on defense and effort will be key for
the Saints in the second half of
their season. This will hopefully lead to some upsets at their own tournament
this weekend. Look for Santo
Dak, Kueth Geng and Tyrone Tyndale to lead the perimeter attack for
the Saints while David DiAngelo and
Kieran Senior clean-up the area around the glass. The outside shooting
of Shakur Tag El Din and Tevin
Heath enables balanced scoring and a team-orientated offensive attack. One
player doesn’t do it all for the
Saints as all players contribute on the score sheet. The Saints just finished
competing in a series of
exhibition games in Stratford over Christmas and sit at 12 and 6 on the year.
They are now focusing their
sites on a strong second half to their season.
Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School, Brampton:
Last year’s tournament champions return to Cambridge with six players from
last year’s team, including two
starting guards, Stefan Simpson and Rory Hylton. Hylton
led the team in 3 point shooting here last year,
hitting ten from long range. This veteran group of players and the first year
seniors have really meshed well
so far resulting in an impressive 10 and 3 start. Notre Dame is quick, athletic
and play hard to the last
whistle. The Knights know what it takes to win this tournament as they defeated
Bluevale in OT last year on
the final play of the game. Notre Dame is looking to become the first team to
win back-to-back Invitationals
since St Benedict did it in 2001 and 2002. They have the weapons to do it -
so look out!
Bluevale Collegiate, Waterloo:
Last year, the Knights were the WCSSAA and CWOSSA champions, finishing undefeated
in league play.
They earned their first ever birth to the OFSAA AAAA Tournament in Oshawa. With
a veteran squad
returning, the Knights are on a mission to joust their way back to OFSAA and
be one of the best in the
province. Bluevale is led by last year’s tournament First Team All-star
and top scorer, Stefan Cvrkalj. The
6’4” shooting sensation recently signed his letter of intent to play
Division 1 basketball for Lehigh University
of the Patriot League. Cvrkalj will need to bring his “A” game
this weekend to help lead his team back to the
finals, but, he can’t do it alone. Solid play from Fraser Voll and
Karsten Beney will be needed. Voll has
become a point guard to watch out for and Karsten Beney is an outside
threat from 3 point range. Bluevale
will be a definite force this weekend as they try to avenge their close loss
to Brampton Notre Dame in the
Championship Final last year.
Resurrection Catholic Secondary School, Kitchener:
Last year the Phoenix had a great addition of talent coming up from their junior
ranks. This helped propel
them to a District 8 Championship. At CWOSSA “AAAA” the team lost
an opportunity to play in the semifinals
due to a heartbreaking plus/minus situation. This year most of the team is back
and they are hungry to
make up for falling short at CWOSSA. The team is led by 6’3” forward
Andrew Mwangi and sharp shooting
guard, Tyler Schneider. Both were District 8 All-Stars last year and
are playing at that level again this year.
One of the team’s greatest strengths is their ability to go deep into their
bench without missing a beat. Their
size is a definite advantage too as eleven players on their roster are 6’
or taller. This year the team is focused
on proving that they belong with the elite teams in the province and, so far,
they are doing a great job
showing it! Look for the Phoenix to turn some heads this weekend and are definite
title contenders.
Forest Heights Collegiate Institute, Kitchener:
Last year was the first time in three years that the Trojans did not win either
the consolation or championship
finals. They are back this year to regain gold! This squad has only one grade
11 player, so they have
experience to go along with their height. The Trojan’s only have two players
on their roster less than 6’ so
they should be tough on the glass. Leading the charge for the Trojans is Srdjan
Stanivuk, Gage Paquette, and
Javon Masters. Srdjan Stanivuk is a standout guard/forward who
can play multiple positions. Known as a
creative scorer, this year he has played the role of defensive stopper. Gage
Paquette is an athletic
forward/centre. He has developed a jump shot to go along with his impressive
physical attributes. Tall and
long, Gage is a shot blocking threat and a strong offensive rebounder
who runs the floor extremely well.
Javon Masters is the only grade eleven this year but is a starter and
team leader. Javon is an extremely hard
worker with a natural scoring touch, good handle and blazing speed. He plays
above the rim and makes his
teammates play to their potential. Look for the Trojans to reclaim the tournament
title they held in 2008.
St. Basil Secondary, Sault Ste. Marie:
The St. Basil squad is one of the best in the north as they finished with a
42 and 5 record last season and
marched their way to the OFSAA AA quarter finals. Unfortunately, they lost to
Dundas Parkside, the
eventual gold medalists. Despite the fact they are a very young team who lost
four starters from last year, the
Saints haven’t skipped a beat. They have jumped out to an 8 and 2 start,
losing only to Pickering High
School and Windsor Catholic Central, both by 7. The Saints are led by veteran
point guard Matt Bertolissi.
He is an excellent point guard who was listed in the Hoop-La Top 70 Players
last year. St. Basil’s is a team
not to take lightly this weekend as they know how to compete and how to win.
They could be a surprise so
opponents watch out!
John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute, Guelph:
Last year the Royals were District 10 Champions, runner up at CWOSSA AAAA and
qualified for OFSAA.
The Royals bring back many players who experienced these successes and, at 10
and 2, are continuing to
succeed. They are led by Shamlo Saeed, (D10, CWOSSA and Court Heinbuch
All Star), Jack Cornett
(Georgian Classic Hustle Award Winner), Evan Karl, Wil de Groot
and Trey Larue. Huge contributions
from rookies Mike Friesen (Georgian Classic All star), Nick Maule
and Matin Binawa have enabled the
Royals to win the Bronze Division at the Court Heinbuch Classic and Silver at
the Georgian College Classic.
JF Ross is coming to Cambridge for one reason only and that is to win five games
and the Championship
Title! Look for the Royals to be a force to contend with as they set their eyes
on a trip to their first ever
Saints Invitational Final.
North Park Collegiate, Brantford:
North Park returns five of their top eight players from last year’s BCSSAA
and CWOSSA “AAA”
championship team. This team went 1 and 1 at “AAA” OFSSA losing in
the quarter-finals to eventual bronze
medalists Jarvis Collegiate. So far this season, the Trojans have captured the
Brantford Expositor Sr. Boys
Tip-Off Tournament. The team looks forward to competing in the Court Heinbuch,
UWO Purple and White
and Queen’s University basketball tournaments. Key players for this year’s
team include shooting guard Cale
McDonald and athletic forward Brandon Webster. Look for the Trojans
to go far this weekend.
St. James Catholic Secondary School, Guelph:
The Lions return a veteran lineup to this year's tournament. It is this experience
and maturity that will be
counted on to achieve success this season. The Lions won the East Side Mario's
Shootout in Owen Sound
before Christmas and were also semi-finalists at the WCI /Bluevale Classic.
St. James has their sights set on
being in contention for league honours in the highly competitive District 10
loop this year. Although the
Lions feature a balanced attack, players to watch for are guard Ryan Higgins
and forward Alex Campagnolo.
St. James is looking to make a name for themselves this weekend by capturing
their first ever Saints
Invitational title.
Collingwood Collegiate Institute, Collingwood:
The Fighting Owls are returning to this year’s Saints Invitational as reigning
Consolation Champions. They
are a young team that is scrappy, hard-working and just finds a way to win.
They were 21 and 8 last year and
continue to win this year. They won the Consolation Championship at the Midland
St Theresa’s Invitational
and finished second at the 32-team Tomahawk Invitational in North Bay. The Fighting
Owls are lead by
outstanding guard Andrew Voelker. He was a second team all-star here
last year leading the tournament
with 15 made three-pointers and he was in the top five in scoring. He was selected
as an all-star in the
Tomahawk tournament this year as well. Andrew is supported by two other
players who’ve had All-Star
performances in tournaments this year; Dan Halos (Tomahawk Invitational)
and Brad Niermann (St Theresa
Invitational). Look for the Fighting Owls to fight their way to a championship
title this year.
Waterloo Collegiate Institute, Waterloo:
WCI got off to its typical late start this season due to the success of their
volleyball and city championship
football squads. This won’t hold them back though as they are expected
to be contenders for the WCSSAA
title again this season. The Vikings are led by 5th year guards Alex Copp
and Alex Despotovic, as well as, 5th
year forward Mark Rossi. Alex Copp is considered to be one of
the top guards in Waterloo County. In
addition to the talented seniors on this roster, WCI has had an infusion of
young talent from last year’s Junior
WCSSAA Champion and CWOSSA Finalist team. The Vikings returned to Tucson, Arizona
over Christmas
to participate in the Northwest Desert Classic and should be ready to play this
weekend. WCI was the best
defensive team in the tournament last year and will use this asset to fight
their way to this year’s final.
The rest of the teams in this weekend’s field cannot be overlooked. All
are capable of making it to the
finals. It will be a great weekend of basketball!
Draw Information
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