WIT Admission Prices
Session 1 (wed) $2.00
Session 2 (thur) $2.00
Session 3 (fri) $3.00
Session 4 (Sat-early) $4.00
Session 5 (Sat-evening) $4.00
Tournament Pass $6.00
WIT 2007 - Meet The Teams
Leboldus – The Leboldus Golden Suns travel to Winnipeg from Regina, Saskatchewan where they compete in the Regina high school basketball league. This years edition of the Golden Suns returns 5 players from last years team, none of which were starters. However the junior players who have moved up to join the varsity team won the city championship last year. With 5 players returning and a strong group of grade 11’s the Golden Suns will be very deep this year. Look for them to run, pressure the ball full court and shoot the three. Players to watch include 6’3 Jerad Kozey and 6’2 Jordan Bissonette. Jerad has played on the varsity team since grade ten. He is a pure shooter who has developed the ability to get to the basket. Jordan is a very athletic player who has the ability to play on the perimeter or in the post.
Maples – The Maples Marauders return to WIT after a number of years absent from the tournament. This years edition features a new coaching staff who are dedicated to building a strong team concept “in which players work together to achieve excellence. The Marauders will be a fast breaking team who will use multiple defenses to try and create easy baskets off of turnovers. Don’t expect Maples to spend much time in the front court running set plays as they will rely on their motion offence to break teams down. The Marauders return three starters and five players from last years team. Players to watch for include Mike Sebastien, Tyrell Thomas, and Adam Kuzbyt. Mike is a 5’8 point guard who is offensive minded. He does a good job of pushing the ball in transition. Tyrell is a 6’2 forward who is a threat from long range. He is also a very good athlete. Adam is a 6’3 post who likes to play with his back to the basket and is does not shy away from working in the paint.
Crosby – Ironton – The Crosby-Ironton Rangers come to WIT from Minnesota, and it is their first trip to the tournament. The Rangers hope to give more head aches to their Canadian competition as the American visitors have done in the past. Last season Rangers head coach Dave Galovich won his 400th career game and enters this season with a record of 424 wins and 258 losses. Crosby-Ironton has 4 starters returning and 12 players intotal back from last years team that went 24 and 6. With this depth the Rangers will look to wear teams down by playing full court on both offense and defense. Players to watch include Bryce Tesdahl, Trevor Dickie and Kody Burtels. Bryce is a 6’4 forward who is the Rangers best player. He is averaging 21.5 ppg to lead the team as well as the team leading the team in rebounding and assists. Trevor is a 6’0 point guard who is the second leading scorer and rebounder. Kody is a 6’4 post who last year shot 62% from the field last year.
Tec Voc – The Tec Voc Hornets are a mix of grade 11 and 12’s this year. The Hornets will look to have a balanced attack with the ability to score in transition and in the half court. Their guards are talented and although their posts are not huge they are very skilled. Players to look for include guard Gerald Macalintal, Guard Jeff Faschauner and forward Raynard Mercado. Gerald has the ability to fill up the stat sheet. He can score, defend and is a great rebounder from the guard position. Gerald also has the ability to set up his teammates. One of the guys he will be setting up is Jeff Faschauner. Jeff is lightning quick in the open court. He has the ability to get to the rim and is a deadly outside shooter. Jeff is also one of the Hornets best defenders. Raynard is a difficult matchup for opposing teams because he can play any position from point guard to post. He is a great decision maker and exciting to watch. The Hornets have spent the season so far in the top ten and look for this years WIT to be their coming out party.
Churchill – The Churchill Bulldogs are an exciting hard working team. They have a mix of skill and toughness that make them a tough team to beat on any given day. The Bulldogs feature arguably the best player in the province in Dan Purvis-Collins. He can score himself or distribute the basketball to his teammates. He has great size for a guard and is a tough matchup for teams to defend. Dan is not alone though, watch out for Jamal Torres-Garner and Rex Salvador. Jamal is a 6’1 guard for Churchill who Coach Briol calls “The teams floor general”, because he can control the tempo of games. Rex is the defensive leader for the Bulldogs. You could say he gives the dawgs their bight. The Bulldogs will be a high scoring team with many players capable of filling it up.
Silver Heights – The Silver Heights Huskies hope to celebrate their last year as the Huskies with a WIT victory. Coach Schepp has is players believing there is still time to make history at Silver Heights. So far they have been listening as they are the number 1 ranked team in the province as of press time and have already claimed victory in the Wesmen Classic. Silver Heights is one of the deepest teams in the province this year. Coach Schepp feels this is the best Silver Heights team he has coached. Players to watch for include the dynamic duo of Gil Gapit and Jeral Santos, Kevin Oliver and big man Riley Draward. Gil and Jeral are a two headed monster who never let opposing guards rest with their defensive pressure. Kevin is a 6’6 perimeter player who can handle the ball and score with the best of them. He is also a very good defender and an unselfish player. When he is at his best the Huskies are tough to beat. Protecting the paint for Silver Heights is 6’7 Riley Draward. Riley has the ability to block or alter shots at one end of the floor and score at the other. He is quite agile for a big man and gets up and down the floor quickly. The Huskies will play end to end basketball trying to run their opponents off the court.
Oak Park – The Oak Park Raiders could also lay claim to the deepest team in the province. The Raiders have a nice mix of talented big men and guards. The current grade 11’s for Oak Park were provincial champions last year as junior varsity players. Players to look for include Ben Kingdon, Justin Roper, and Colin Tibbs. Ben is a 6’6 post who can score with his back to the basket or facing up. He is currently averaging 15 ppg and 8 rpg. Ben has commited to play for the U of W Wesmen next fall. Point Guard Colin Tibbs will have the ball in his hands a lot for the Raiders. He is very quick in transition and is a great ball handler. He can score himself, but will look to set up teammates first. Justin Roper is only in grade 11 but plays well beyond his years. He is very poised on the court and seems to come up with baskets whenever the Raiders need one most. Justin will be one of the best long range shooters in the 2007 WIT.
Sisler – The Sisler Spartans are the defending provincial and WIT champions. The Spartans graduated the bulk of their team from a year ago but their grade 12’s this year are no push overs. The Spartans will once again be a hardworking disciplined team who will try to push the ball at every opportunity. Players to watch include Kevin Tipan, Myles Posthumus, and Eric Guieb. Kevin is one of the best guards in the province, he played for the Juvenile Provincial Team this past summer. Kevin can really fill it up on any given night. If he is on other teams will be in for a long night. Myles is an athletic post who although being undersized is a great rebounder. He also has an uncanny ability to finish around the rim. Eric is a very good shooter who benefits from Kevins ability to drive and kick out. He is also quite athletic and can therefore defend. The Spartans will enter this years WIT as underdogs to repeat but no ones counting them out.
JH Bruns – The JH Bruns Broncos enter the WIT as one of the top teams in the province. They return all of their starters from a year ago, and have added some size and toughness. Man for man the Broncos starting five is arguably the most talented in the province. The Broncos feature two provincial team players in Kyle Vince and Randy Kezie, another player to look for is Adam Erickson. Kyle is a do it all player for the Broncos. He can defend, shoot and put the ball on the floor. With his size he can take smaller players inside or bigger ones to the perimeter. Randy is one of the best athletes in this years tournament. He uses his athleticism to really defend in the full and half court. Randy can also contribute at the offensive end for the Broncos. Adam Erickson is a 6’6 post player who is deadly from 10 – 12 feet. Adam can also get to the rim and finish. He is long and athletic which makes him a great defender around the rim. The Broncos have an all around inside and outside game which they hope will lead them to play late Saturday night.
Lord Beaverbrook – The Lord Beaverbrook Lords from Calgary, Alberta are no strangers to WIT. In 2006 they were the tournament champions. This years edition of the Lords returns four starters and moves up a talented group of grade 11’s. Coach Ray Raymonds team are always hard working, and very sound fundamentally and this years team is no exception. Players to watch for include 6’3” power forward Duncan Jones, 6’2” forward Justin Bechtold, and 5’10” guard Geoff Keifer. Duncan is a good ballhandler and a great shooter. He plays bigger than his size and is currently averaging 14 ppg. Justin is a very good defender and is strong on the boards. He is currently averaging 8 ppg. Geoff is a good outside shooter and ballhandler, he also has very quick feet which make him a solid defender. He is currently averaging 10 ppg. The Lords are a disciplined strong defensive team who will try to work their way to the finals of the 32nd edition of WIT.