On Point Basketball is very proud to once again support and sponsor the All-Star and MVP tees for the latest edition of one of Toronto’s and Canada’s top Sr. Boys basketball events; the Father Henry Carr Early Bird Classic. This tournament is always highly anticipated and highly attended by the basketball community. It will definitely be standing room only, especially on Championship Saturday. Some top teams in the field include Orangeville Prep, Vaughan Prep, Thornlea Prep, Bill Crothers, Pine Ridge and other top squads.
Father Henry Carr Prep is coming off it’s first OFSAA AAA Sr. Boy’s title, but has committed fully to the OSBA (Ontario Scholastic Basketball Assoc.) this season so won’t be vying for the provincial title this season. Head Coach Paul Melnik, a father figure and role model for his team and the community, is very impressed by this year’s field, “We are all extremely excited about the incredible talent & coaching that the Early Bird has attracted.”
The tournamant has grown over the years and Melnik truly appreciates the support from corporate partners, “Having sponsors like Jordan, Nike Team, T Litzen and BioSteel has allowed us to open the season with as strong a field as I have ever seen in my 30 years on the high school scene.”
As for his Crusader team, Melnik knows that losing some key players from last years squad will be tough and he’ll be leaning on guys like John Akende, Carlo Dubria, Shae Brown and A.J. McNish, who’s returned from a stint in the U.S., “We have been working hard to regenerate the TEAMwork we developed last season. Our senior leaders are trying to get the younger players accustomed to a higher level of competition. Our work is cut out for us…but this core group taught me to never underestimate the heart of a Champion!”
Team On Point’s Drew Ebanks and Toronto Basketball Legend Richard Stewart will be calling the game with Play-by-Play and Colour Commentary respectively on a webstream presented by Ill Minds Media. Ill Minds Media (Zayne and Chris) have been an avid supporter of the Father Henry Carr Prep program for several years and provide some of the top multimedia content surrounding the tournament and Henry Carr Season. The stream will start on Thursday and will be accompanied by commentary on Championship Saturday for the semi-finals, bronze and gold medal games. The link will be posted here as well as on our social media channels: Instagram: @onpointbasketball Twitter: @drewebanks and Facebook: onpointbasketball
This is an event you do not want to miss! Good luck to all the teams.
Written by Drew Ebanks
Early Bird Tournament Schedule
Thursday November 3rd to Saturday November 5th, 2016
Admission: is $5/day
Pool A: Henry Carr Prep, Pine Ridge, Bill Crothers Prep
Pool B: Vaughan Prep, Mother Teresa, Athlete Institute
Pool C: Central Tech Prep, St. Joseph (Mississauga), Orangeville Prep
Pool D: Thornlea Prep, Cardinal Newman (Hamilton), Crestwood Prep
Thursday November 3rd: Pools A & B
G1: 1:30pm – Vaughan Prep vs. Mother Teresa
G2: 3:00pm – Pine Ridge vs. Henry Carr Prep
G3: 4:30pm – Mother Teresa vs. Athlete Institute
G4: 6:00pm – Henry Carr Prep vs. Bill Crothers Prep
G5: 7:30pm – Athlete Institute vs. Vaughan Prep
G6: 9:00pm – Bill Crothers Prep vs. Pine Ridge
Friday November 4th: Pool C & D
G7: 1:30pm – St. Joseph (Mississauga) vs. Central Tech Prep
G8: 3:00pm – Thornlea Prep vs. Crestwood Prep
G9: 4:30pm – Central Tech Prep vs. Orangeville Prep
G10: 6:00pm – Crestwood Prep vs. Cardinal Newman (Hamilton)
G11: 7:30pm – Orangeville Prep vs. St. Joseph (Mississauga)
G12: 9:00pm – Cardinal Newman (Hamilton) vs. Thornlea Prep
Saturday November 5th
Consolation Semi-finals:
G13: 9:30am – 2nd Pool A vs. 2nd Pool D
G14: 11:00am – 2nd Pool B vs. 2nd Pool C
Championship Semi-finals:
G15: 12:30pm – 1st Pool A vs. 1st Pool D
G16: 2:00pm – 1st Pool B vs. 1st Pool C
G17: 3:30pm – Consolation Final: Winner G13 vs. Winner G14
G18: 5:00pm – Championship Bronze: Loser G15 vs. Loser G16
G19: 6:30pm – Championship Final: Winner G15 vs. Winner G16
Draw Courtesy HooptownGTA
Drew Ebanks
