I have been waiting for Brendon Chevannes to break out for some time now, as the 5’11 point guard has always had the physical ability, speed and overall talent.

The 2013 Father Henry Carr Early Bird was the stage that Chevannes needed to make a statement…and that he did as he lead FHC to the tournament championship, 46-43 over a strong D’Youville team.

Brendon Chevannes posted a game-high 22 points, while capturing the Early Bird MVP.

“The coaches all challenged him to be a leader and every game we talked about it. We tried to motivate him and give him the green light that he is the leader…to lead on offense and defence,” FHC Head Coach Paul Melnik told NPH.

As each game progressed, so did Chevannes, and in the championship game, he stepped up in a big way to spearhead the Crusaders defensively, displaying great anticipation in the passing lanes and registering at least four steals in the contest.

Henry Carr started slow as D’Youville controlled the first half.

However, halftime was a wake up call as Coach Melnik and the Carr coaching staff managed to light a fire under their team.

“We weren’t playing basketball in the first half, they definitely brought a lot more intensity, energy and fire…we had to match it,” explained Melnik.

Again, it was the collective defence of the Crusaders that allowed them to keep the championship at home, after last year’s defeat over Eastern Commerce in the final.

“We’ve shown it [defensively] in spurts and the reality is that we had to do that today, otherwise that deficit would’ve grown,” continued Melnik.

Marcus Bonnick, who was named a tournament all-star, also had a coming out party of sorts. Last season, he was strictly a three-point specialist, however this year he now enters an expanded role.

Bonnick, who is certainly Carr’s best shooter, has transformed his body to increase speed and mobility. In the process, it has allowed him to become a bigger threat on the floor for FHC.

Henry Carr has captured the first major tournament of the season, but will head into arguably the biggest one of the year at the Humber Classic [outside of OFSAA] next weekend.

For the teams that will be in attendance at the Humber Classic, the following is what you can expect, according to Coach Melnik.

“Just a very good defensive team that is going to get in your grill, force you into turnovers and get in the transition.”

 

FHC Early Bird Tournament Team

• Brednon Chevannes (Henry Carr/ MVP)
• DamiAnn Prehay (D’Youville)
• Marcus Bonnick (Henry Carr)
• Curwin Elvis (Campion)
• Ty Stewart Nelson (Henry Carr)