Ontario Cup: U15 Midget Girls, Danielle Nafekh of Oakville Vytis Shines

FOLLOW MARIAN AGYEI-GYAMERA ON TWITTER @M_SPALDING12 & NPH @NORTHPOLEHOOPS

KITCHENER, ON–On Friday, April 29th, the annual U15 Ontario Cup was well underway in the Kichener/Waterloo area. It was hosted by the Ontario Basketball Association and hosted over 48 different teams in seven divisions. This tournament gave teams within the OBA a chance to come out and showcase the talents of some of the brightest young female stars for all to see. 

The division 1 games showed promise; teams included Oakville Vytis, Barrie Royals, Scarborough Blues-Robertson, Blessed Sacrament, Windsor Valiants, Dundas Dynamos AAA, Mississauga Monarchs and the Tecumseh Saints. All eight teams played hard and by the end of day two, the Oakville Vytis were clearly the top team present, in addition to being the fan favourite. They played well offensively and were able to execute their plays with efficiency. They also ran their various defenses in unison and caused their opponents to constantly turn the ball over. Vytis cruised to a 3-0 record with all victories being by 10+. 

A player that stood out at the tournament was Vytis’ very own Danielle Nafekh. Only 15 years old, Nafekh is able to produce at a high level through her sound court vision and great leadership skills. She is always able to find teammates, and is aware of what plays to run with or without the coach’s guidance, in all types of situations. Danielle credits her high basketball IQ to her father, Philip Nafekh, who is also the Vytis’ assistant coach.

Nafekh is also a point guard with height and length, standing tall at 5’11 which, creating a mismatch for her opponents. This gives Nafekh the ability to play in the post, run the ball and make shots when necessary. Overall, a versatile prospect to keep on tabs.

Nafekh made the 2011 provincial team and hopes to play basketball at the university level when the time comes.

The U15 Ontario Cup tournament is simply a snapshot of the future for Canadian basketball and continues toserve as a platform for the.

To view complete scores/results, visit: Basketball Ontario