14U CNIT Rankings Released – UPlay Canada Holds Top Spot
The 2016 Canadian National Invitational Tournament (CNIT) is coming to Niagara Falls, Ontario July 6-10, with the U12-U14 (Grade 7-9) action taking place July 6-8 and the older group U15-U17 (Grade 10-12) taking the floor July 8-10 during the NCAA LIVE period.
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The official 14U rankings are complete, and have been compiled based on the following–overall team resume (Wins, losses), fire power (top prospects), and first hand team evaluation.
CNIT 14U teams have been ranked 1-16, but there can only be ONE to rise above and claim the title. With the rankings released, it gives the basketball community an opportunity to get familiar with the 2016 field, however there is still business to take care of in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
In other words —->>> #GameSpeaks
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UPlay Blue (Hamilton, ON)
After a very competitive run during the season, UPlay has earned the #1 seed in this years U14 age division.
After pulling off a finals appearance in the CYBL grade 9 division, and a semi finals push at King James, coach Andre Smith will be looking to lead UPlay to the top again.
Watch out for PG Tim Mununga, Wing Quayvon Serron, guard Baron Bayne and forward Dylan Ovando.
Toronto Longhorns (Toronto, ON)
Coach Stephen Spencer and his Toronto Longhorns will be coming into the CNIT with one thing on their minds — win.
After winning the LeBron James Classic, being runners up in the Rumble in the Bronx, and posting a semi final finishing during their time at the Brookwood Elite tournament, this is a seasoned crew.
Look out for studs Justus Salmon, big man Paris Shand and knock down shooter Khalid Long to bring forth a high pressure, transition style game to the tournament.
Brookwood Elite
Brookwood Elite have once again brought fourth top players from the province of Quebec, and are looking to round out a competitive season with a national championship.
This high tempo, up and down group will pressure the ball on defence and, consequently, play a four guard system with penetrations and kick-out on offence.
Brookwood features two 2021 prospects who will be playing a year up in 6-foot-5-inch wing Georges Lefebvre, and point guard Jefferson Kaulibaly.
Shooting Guard Emmanuel Bonsu along with Point Guard Keeshawn Barthelemy round out this athletic Quebec attack.
Mississauga Monarchs
As staples in the Canadian basketball scene for years the Mississauga Monarchs have been catalyst to basketball in the community.
Bringing fourth one of the strongest representation to the CNIT, the Monarchs have teams at every age group.
Lorenzo Barbieri, Shy Grant and Jordan Nelson will hope to lead the Monarch to a national crown in the 14U division.
KKO Elite (Whitby, ON)
KKO Elite will be showcasing 2020 point guard and scoring machine Isiah Lee.
Lee lit up the junior season in high school netting a career-high 63 points in one game.
He also potted eight games of 25 points or higher, thus making him an interesting prospect going into July 6th. But winning a championship will require a TEAM effort at this level, and Lee is not the only one on this roster that can go.
We will find out soon enough.
UPLAY Orange
UPLAY Orange had a good season as they hovered around .500 at the CYBL this past spring.
Expect nothing less of gritty defence with hard nosed guard Omeechi Williams and forward Quincy Vaughn at the helm for Orange.
Grassroots Canada (Toronto, ON)
Grassroots enters the age group with a solid team of good athletes, with high motors.
Watch out for Joshua Haughton as the high flyer could have some big time plays ready for the CNIT.
St. Catharine’s CYO
Representing the Niagara region, St. Catharine’s CYO are the relative sleepers in this age division.
Winning the OBA division III championship by an average of 20 PPG, CYO also brings in a Blessed Sacrament and IEM tournament championship to the table.
This team carries a 2-3 zone philosophy and are fast up and down the court slashing and attacking the rim.
PG Jason Carter, guard David Jones and forward Quinton Demo lead CYO into CNIT battle.
London Gold Medal
Info Coming Soon
Waterloo Wolverines (Waterloo, Wolverines)
As the tri-cities only representation at this age group, the Waterloo Wolverines look to make a splash with head coach Jeff Lyle at the helm.
With appearances both in the OBA and CYBL this year, the team keeps a strong base of five core players, with good bench production as well.
Standout guard and last years CNIT breakout player Ladera Obang Ujulu leads this hungry group of Waterloo players.
Motion Marksmen
The Motion Marksmen and coach Cedric Carter are always dangerous with their style of play.
Never out worked, the Marksmen attack the game through their defence first mentality, and individual game planning.
Guards Jan Ariada and Denzel Faraon will lead the squad, making this one-two punch at the guard position multifaceted.
WC2P (Whitby, ON)
Another potential sleeper in the grade, WC2Play have a deep and talented group of players at their disposal.
High flying forward Jahwaun Smith, Jaylen Patterson and shifty PG Diontae Richardson will lead the attack.
Look for hard noise physical defence at the point of attack, with a strong transition game for WC2Play.
Ancaster Magic (Ancaster, ON)
Adding more representation from the Hamilton region, the Ancaster Magic bring fourth a fast-paced offence laced with tough team defence.
PG Alexander Root, Forwards Josh Lahn and Nick Murdaca can all shoot the ball well, have great chemistry, and like to get out and run.
Steel City Slam (Sault Ste Marie, ON)
Representing the SOO! Believe it or not, this region is definitely on the come up, and a big reason why is Coach Jeff Giovanatti, someone who has been pushing the bar for years within the region, by challenging his players against the very best.
Nothing different here as the Steel City Slam make the eight hour trip to Niagara to test themselves and identify where they stack up.
Lots of young prospects to learn about here.
Oakville Venom (Oakville, ON)
The Oakville Venom and coach Toney McNeil have had a great season of building, and creating a winning culture of basketball.
This team will compete on every single possession and bring good outside shooting to the table.
BTB Elite (Toronto, ON)
BTB closes out the grade 9 division as another program with strong representation at every level within the CNIT.
6 foot 9 inch Ahmed Khalid, PG Ahmed Abdussalam and Wing Asher Richards will lead the charge.
NATIONAL SUPREMACY AWAITS. #GameSpeaks #CNIT
