Kellen Tynes Commits to Rothesay Netherwood, Atlantic Canada’s Top Prospect Stays in the East!

Rothesay Netherwood School are very pleased to announce, Kellen Tynes, arguably the top prospect in Atlantic Canada, has committed to the program for the 2017-2018 NPA season.

Tynes’ decision for the Nova Scotia born point guard to remain at home and play in the NPA, is further evidence of the evolution of Canadian Basketball.

Damian Gay, head coach of the RNS Riverhawks, has been a huge part of the transformation for Rothesay’s basketball program and the commitment of Tynes is another big step forward.

“In my eyes, he was arguably one of, if not the, top Atlantic Canadian basketball player there was to recruit this year. It is with great pride knowing that he had three other very noteworthy basketball programs on his list to choose from and he chose to play at Rothesay Netherwood School. That alone gives me a tremendous amount of pride that what we are building, people are starting to notice,” said Gay.

Tynes adds experience on the national level, not only winning with Nova Scotia at the 2016 U15 National Tournament but also earning MVP honours at the tournament. He finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in the Finals against Quebec to secure the gold medal. Kellan is the younger brother of Ottawa Gee-Gees incoming freshman Chase Tynes–former all-Canadian, National champion & MVP.

Gay believes Tynes is a leader on both ends of the floor and has the perfect X-factor he was looking to recruit for the upcoming season.

“The thing that caught my eye first is his defensive anticipation. He is extremely electric on defense, always in a stance and eager to run the gap and get off to the races. That being said, he picks and chooses when to attack defensively and rarely puts himself in a bad positional situation.”

Gay continued to say, “On the offensive side of the ball, it is his passing ability that we like. He is without a doubt a pass first PG, but being able to knock down the open looks, and finish around the rim gives him a little advantage over any defender. Lastly, he has a killer instinct which is evident when you watch him play. He has a fire that cannot be taught, and that was what we were looking for this recruiting season.” 

Along with the commitment of Tynes, Rothesay has made huge improvements to their roster this summer. The Prep school from New Brunswick locked in Shyheim Malcolm from Toronto, ON and Chris Stoecker from East Hampton, NY.

The dynamic of Tynes and Malcolm at both guard positions will prove to be potent as the season begins.

“I have no doubt whatsoever that Kellen and Shyheim will play great together. Both are very unselfish players, both know their own games very well and don’t try to do too much. It is just a matter of getting on campus, getting familiar and comfortable with the community and getting the brotherhood started. Both are eager for that,” said Gay.

As for expectations for the upcoming NPA season, Gay wants the RNS basketball program to continue growing and is hungry for the season to begin.

“Our expectations are to build on last year. As we say everyday in the classroom, the gym, the weight room or the community in general, you NEED to be better tomorrow than you are today, and today has to be better than yesterday. Keep it simple, and focus on the things you can control. We need to walk into gyms around the country with an expectation to win, whereas last year we walked in with an expectation to compete. It is all part of the process, and we are just eager to get started!”

The National Preparatory Association enters into season two. Launched in the spring of 2016, the NPA strives to be a national building block for Canadian basketball, offering elite level options for our elite level student-athletes across the country.

Canadian prospects no longer have to leave the country to seek prep opportunities, due to infrastructure (NPA), maximum exposure (NPH Live Broadcasting, Recruiting) along with the academics, competition and development provided by NPA members from coast-to-coast.

With the expansion announcements of Colchester Academy (Nova Scotia) and Crestwood (Toronto, ON) the NPA has moved from nine to 11 teams. Stay tuned for more expansion announcements coming soon!