OFSAA Releases 2016 AAA Basketball Championship Seeding & Draw
The city of Windsor, Ontario will again be the host of 2016 OFSAA AAA Basketball Championships which is set for March 7-9.
The official release for seeding and the draw came out this morning with Father Henry Carr at #1. There is no expectation of any first round upsets.
OFSAA is familiar territory for FHC, they have been back at this tournament year after year and have come up short. The hounds that are on the 2015-2016 roster have what it takes to get it done but there are a few squads that will be in the way of provincial supremacy.
Vaughan has proven to be the most improved and championship ready over the course of the season. A guard oriented team with superb spacing and three point shooters.
Moreover, they have recently got head coach Gus Gymnopolous back as their bench boss after the Ontario Court of Justice ruled in his favour in a battle with the referee board that has been ongoing since an interaction in last year’s OFSAA Championship.
Under interim head coach, Claude Nembhard, the Vaughan Voyageurs have shown great discipline and coachability. This composed group is the most dangerous because they have multiple pieces who are capable of having big games with over 20 point outputs.
Unless it’s a very lengthy and speedy one, there is no point of putting on a press against Vaughan, there hasn’t been signs of getting flustered under pressure. In fact, they break presses quite easily as a result of tight ball handling from 2019 prospect Andrew Nembhard and use of the middle of the floor.
Vaughan will have a tough first game in front of a Catholic Central home crowd, but if there’s any team that can handle this pressure it’s the Voyaguers.
There can’t be an OFSAA discussion without mentioning St Michael’s College.
Overall, they are much weaker then some of the championship teams they’ve had in the past, however there are still experienced champs in Danilo Djuricic and Jahmal Abbey-Wright who are expected to carry a lot of the load.
From a preparation standpoint they will be mentally ready and well coached as always.
This is a team that has shown to live and die by the three. If they are hot, the opponent is in trouble, otherwise Djuricic is taking care of business down low.
Oakwood has long been a provincial powerhouse and one that should be taken seriously in this tournament.
Kadre Gray is in his final year and is looking to end of the season with a punch for the Oakwood Barons. He’s no stranger to this stage since his day as an Eastern Commerce Saint.
Instead of a breakdown on each team, tune in and learn about them through live stream as 2016 OFSAA tips off on March 7.
Most Sought After CIS Prospect
Nedim Hodzic is a high caliber CIS prospect that is expected to announce a university decision at the end of this championship tournament. This braniac of a student-athlete has a 90% academic average and will be studying biomedical engineering wherever he ends up.
Before cutting his list, he had a bevy of schools on him from all over the country. Hodzic has now narrowed down his list to Ryerson, University of Waterloo and Western.
At 6’5 with a strong frame he muscles his way into the paint before abusing the rim or to finish around the hoop with contact. Lately, the Kitchener-Waterloo product has began to show more of an outside game. This CIS gem still has a high ceiling and is expected to have a stellar freshman year.
His SJAM team has a tough Hamilton opponent in the first round against Sir Allan MacNab.
Seedings
There can always be debate on the seedings of teams. This year the debate has stirred up instantaneously.
Oakwood over St. Mike’s, MacNab deserving of a higher seed these are clear areas that deserved more thought in the decision making process.
Spots 8 through 14 is where there is most room for discussion. This is not meant to be disrespectful to the teams in those seeds, but resumes, schedules, strength and history should have been more strongly considered by the committee.
At the end of the day, every team must win and move. On this stage there is no room to have a slow start or bad game. Whoever the opponent is and whatever their seed, it’s win or go home.
