Henry Tan strong performance, Nolan Mackenzie leads Venom: Ontario’s 2013 prospects on display

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TORONTO, ON–The Oakville Venom basketball tournament invited some of the top teams of the OBA to battle for bragging rights at Humber College.

As a result, Ontario’s 2013 prospects were on display.

Notable prospects incuded James Sylvester, Micqueel Martin, Henry Tan, Agunwa Okolie, Nolan Mackenzie, Matthew Beckford, Jason Quiring, and Peter Rusic, to name a few.

After witnessing a very strong performance from James Sylvester on the AAU circuit at the Pittsburgh Jam Fest, he continued to impress in a different atmosphere.

“I don’t think my role changes at all, I’m still a playmaker. You could put me at the on or the two, I’m still going to make plays, so it doesn’t make a difference in my game,” Sylvester explained.

Another rising prospect in 2013 is Henry Tan, who like Sylvester, enjoyed a successful run in Pittsburgh. While Tan played as a combo guard due to having Kaza Keane in the mix on their Grassroots Canada team, he truly displayed his lead guard skills at Humber College as he put on a passing clinic.

With fellow 2013 prospect Isaiah Watkins out yesterday, Tan was left to take matters into his own hands.

“My coach really wanted me to be the leader, the floor general of this basketball team so I just wanted to be agressive but also be a distributor,” he said.

Still, Tan remains unsatisfied and will look to improve on his weak points.

“I’ve been working on my shot a lot and also my pull up jumper. I know that I have to keep working hard,” continued Tan.

Oakville Venom vs. Mississauga Wolverines- The Rivalry

Naturally, as bordering cities, Oakville and Mississauga are expected to share a connection, at least to some degree. On the basketball court, make no mistake about it, a rivalry has blossomed over approximately a decade of basketball. At this point, it is safe to say that all the players are quite familiar with each other.

“The rivalry started a long time ago; we’ve been playing these guys [Mississauga monarchs] since grade three at provincials and all these tournaments,” explained Oakville Venom point guard, Nolan Mackenzie.

“This year we beat them three times in a row, but they will definitely come hard next game.”

Mackenzie was a remarkable surprise as he displayed all the tools necessary to emerge among the cream of the crop when it’s all said and done.

STAY TUNED FOR NPH PLAYER EVALUATIONS ON SUNDAY NIGHT!

Drop by Humber College for Championship Sunday to witness some of the top 2013 prospects in Ontario in action

 

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