NPH D1 Championship Allstars Announced
From the tip, the gym was buzzing at York University for the NPH D1 Championships.
In the very first game, we saw #16 seed Full Circle Prep upset #1 seed Brampton City Prep. The March Madness was in the air early on.
We saw big time performances, highlight plays, game winners, and the Canadian Basketball Community coming together to witness the rise of talent in this country.
USPORT & CCAA Coaches, Fans, Spectators all gathered as players were able to shine on an exposure-driven platform.
When selecting the All-Tournament Teams, there were two major criteria.
Team Success, and Individual Performance.
No brainer to have Finals MVP Austin Thomson on the First Team representing for League Champions Cali Prep. His dominance inside and on the glass were instrumental to his team’s success. Came through for his team every game, most importantly in the Final. All the USPORT coaches in the gym were extremely impressed with his play all weekend. From his post-game to his high IQ, rebounding and defence. For sure a serviceable big at the next level.
Joining Austin on the First Team is his PG and fellow Champion Taj Au-Duke. Easily one of the best players in the league all season long and was excellent in the playoffs. Scoring in big moments, and steering the ship for his team as the PG.
Although they didn’t go as far as they wanted, it’s hard not to recognize two players who averaged 28ppg EACH in the playoffs. The C.O.D.E Academy dynamic duo Kymani Merraro & Amare Allen accounted for nearly all their team’s points. The top duo in league and arguably in the country when considering their chemistry, how they play off each other, their production, and how valuable/how much they both do for their team.
Rounding out the First Team is Emmanuel Owonibi of William Academy. Flat out dominant as always and went out swinging, finishing with 28 points in their loss to Polaris Prep Academy in the Bronze medal game. Top producer on one of the league’s top teams deserves a spot on the first team.
Leading the second team are two members of finalists V3 Prep Fabian Pommells and Affan Razzaq. Both came to play especially in the championship game. Affan provided high level rim protection swatting away shots left right and centre. Fabian provided his usual reliable scoring. Honourable mention to Prince Ojukwu who was also fantastic for V3.
Makes sense to have the most allstars from the Championship team in order to reward winning. Ethan Massiah makes this list because of how big he was for his team in the biggest moments. Maintained a high level of activity, energy, and shotmaking which his team fed off of. Not sure if Cali had the success they did without him.
PG Cyrus Hassan was a constant performer for third-placed Polaris Prep Academy. High IQ Point Guard with a polished skillset. From burying threes from outside to throwing no-look ally-oops to put the nail in the coffin for the bronze medal game. Cyrus was definitely one of the most exciting prospects to watch this past weekend.
Landon Wright made a name for himself this season as one of the best pure point guards in the country. What impressed me the most watching him this season was his quick decision making. Whether it was his ability to operate the ballscreen at an elite level, throwing on the mark outlet passes sparking instant offence, or getting to his spots. Confident to say he’s a PG that will have an immediate impact at the next level.
