Men's basketball team poised for success next season
April 21, 2009
Head coach Don Phillips and the Ooks men's basketball received good news this week: standout guards Cyril and Dennis Ashworth will return next season.
Cyril had considered leaving school to work for Alberta Rebar after completing his ironworker apprenticeship, but has since decided to remain with the team and explore other educational opportunities at NAIT.
"After I had time to think about it, I knew I would miss basketball too much if I didn't come back," said Cyril.
"I called up [coach Phillips] and told him the news. He was pretty understanding about it."
The 24-year-old lead the Ooks in assists (3.37 per game), steals (1.82 per game), and minutes played (17.3 per game). He was also second among the Ooks in scoring with a 10.3 average and 46.5 shooting percentage, finishing behind his brother Dennis, 22, who had an average of 11.7 points per game and was named to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference second all-conference team.
After spending the previous year upgrading, Dennis plans to enroll in NAIT's digital media and design program.
"It's very important to retain student-athletes who play as much as Cyril and Dennis," said Phillips. "Having them around next year will have a huge impact on our program."
Not returning to the Ooks, however, are five players that finished the year with the team. Forward Jonathan Honey completed his fifth and final year of eligibility, while first and second-year guards Marcus Bennett and Jerome Makasiar have elected to pursue employment opportunities.
Second-year forward Levi Williams, who, aside from Honey, was the only player from last year's squad to finish this season with the team, will be transferring to the University of Saskatchewan to continue his education.
Fourth-year forward Ashley Grewal will also not be returning for personal reasons.
"All of these guys are leaving for good reasons," said first-year coach Phillips. "We'd love to have them back, but at the same time we understand and respect their decisions to leave.
"These guys believed in our program, our system, and wore the Ooks jersey with pride. They were all instrumental in creating the foundation that this program will need to succeed next year and beyond."
Phillips expects the rest of the Ooks team that finished fourth in the ACAC north division before bowing out in the first-round of the playoffs to the eventual national champions, the Mount Royal College Cougars, to return next season.
He's already bolstered his roster with two transfers from Sheridan College Bruins of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association, Shane Reece and Shane Cox, who were part of the Bruins team that finished fourth at nationals in 2008.