February 21, 2006
STIENSTRA REPEATS AS WEST MVP
HAMILTON - Brock Badgers centre Kevin Stienstra had a lot to live up to following a standout 2004/05 season in which he was named the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Player of the Year. The towering fifth-year Vineland, ON native didn't let up in his final season of Ontario University Athletics basketball, as he was awarded the E.C. LeBel Plaque as the West's Player of the Year for the second straight time. Stienstra, a four-time Academic All-Canadian majoring in Accounting, definitely knows numbers -- he averaged 18.32 points (second in the OUA) and 11.14 rebounds (second in the CIS), en route to his fourth straight appearance on the West's first all-star team. Consistency has been an obvious characteristic of his game. With a 19-point, 14-rebound effort in the final regular season outing of his career last weekend against the McMaster Marauders, Stienstra climbed to second on the all-time conference scoring list with 1,737 points and second on the all-time career rebounding list with 1,008. Only former RMC Paladins player Kevin Dulude remains ahead of the Brock star in those categories (2,092 points and 1,165 rebounds).
Stienstra had some company as a major award winner. Brock guard Mike Kemp (Niagara Falls, ON) was named the West's Rookie of the Year after exploding onto the OUA scene, averaging 12.18 points and 3.91 rebounds through 22 games this season. The two-sport athlete racked up 31 steals and hit 35 of 105 three-point shots, as he was counted on in the second half of the season with all-star Brad Rootes out of the lineup with an injury. After spending two years at George Mason University in Virginia on a baseball scholarship, Kemp returned home and helped the Badgers baseball team advance to the OUA Championships back in October. He was named to the second all-star team as a designated hitter.
McMaster guard Martin Ajayi (Hamilton, ON) repeats as the West's Defensive Player of the Year, after he took the inaugural award last season. The fourth-year Sociology major is relied on by the Marauders to bring some jump to the defense and he did just that, averaging 2.23 steals per game, ranking him third in the OUA and eighth overall among all CIS players. Ajayi scored 10.45 ppg and showed he could convert at the other end of the court, nailing 42 per cent of his three-point shots (21-for-50).
Ajayi's McMaster teammate Ben Katz (Toronto, ON) is the OUA West nominee for the prestigious Ken Shields Award, presented annually to the CIS student-athlete who best exhibits outstanding achievement in basketball, academics and community involvement. Katz, a former OUA all-star and national team member, has been captain of the Marauders for three years. The fourth-year guard averaged 12.14 ppg and 5.14 rbg in 2005/06 but his achievements in both school and the community are what resonate with those around him. Katz has authored two textbooks titled Hoops and Above the Rim to motivate young players and he helped establish a reading reward program in Hamilton with 300 elementary school-aged male students. The Arts and Science student has also spent countless hours involved with the operation of basketball camps, in addition to volunteering his time at local schools and as the coach of the midget boy's basketball team at Blessed Sacrament.
Former Gryphons star Chris O'Rourke was named the West Coach of the Year by his peers after leading Guelph to a solid 14-8 record in one of the most competitive divisions in the CIS. O'Rourke devoted five passionate years playing for the school and his approach to the game is reflected in the Gryphons' ethic and desire. This is his first Coach of the Year award in nine seasons at the helm and the first for the university since Tim Darling took the honours in the 1994/95 season.
One of O'Rourke's most prominent players was named a first-team all-star. First-year Gryphon J.R. Bailey (Toronto, ON) was an inside force for Guelph after arriving from Humber College. Bailey ranked 10th in league scoring with 14.52 ppg and finished fourth in OUA rebounding with 8.19 rpg. The 6'9" forward shot the ball well, hitting 125 of 158 shots from the floor (48.45 per cent), ranking him 15th in the OUA in field goal percentage. Fourth-year McMaster forward Adam Steiner (Dundas, ON) was named to the OUA first-team for the first time after earning second-team honours last season. Steiner finished sixth in OUA scoring with 15.95 ppg and was ninth on the conference rebounding list with 7.27 rpg. He also made good on 76.5 per cent of his free throws, hitting 78 of 102 attempts. Rootes (Niagara Falls, ON) is the second Brock player named to the first team following an impressive campaign that was unfortunately cut short by a knee injury. The two-time second-team all-star guard averaged OUA-highs in scoring (20 ppg) and assists (6.07 apg). He also made the fourth-highest total of three-pointers in the league with 44, despite playing only 15 of 22 games, and ranked sixth in the league in free throw shooting, averaging 82.86 per cent from the stripe. Rounding out the OUA first-team is Waterloo Warriors fifth-year guard Graham Jarman (Cambridge, ON). Jarman's 16.50 ppg was the fifth-best average in the league but the skilled Kinesiology major was relied on for much more than filling the net. Jarman was ranked third in the OUA in assists with 5.05 per game, tallied 3.23 rpg and showed he was one of the most clutch free-throw shooters in the league, averaging 84.6 per cent (third in the OUA and seventh in the country). Jarman closed out his regular season career last Saturday with a game-high 25 points in a Waterloo win against rival Laurier, including a stunning 14-for-14 performance from the line.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kevin Stienstra - Brock
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Martin Ajayi - McMaster
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Mike Kemp - Brock
KEN SHIELDS AWARD
Ben Katz - McMaster
COACH OF THE YEAR
Chris O'Rourke - Guelph
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Kevin Stienstra - Brock
Adam Steiner - McMaster
Brad Rootes - Brock
Graham Jarman - Waterloo
J.R. Bailey - Guelph
SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Kevin Kloostra - Windsor
J.S. Esposito - Guelph
Wade Currie - Laurier
Martin Ajayi - McMaster
Scott Seeley - Lakehead
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Mike Kemp - Brock
Jay Mott - Guelph
David Burnett - Waterloo
Jason Milliquet - Western
Jesse MacDonald - Laurier
- O U A -
(Photo: Brock big man Kevin Stienstra does some damage in the paint. The fifth-year Vineland, ON native earned his second straight West Player of the Year award. Photo by Shawn Whiteley.)
24 teams, 6 CIS berths, 2 OUA champions - the OUA basketball playoffs, presented by Investors Group.
Enquires can be addressed to:
David DiCenzo
Communications and Media Relations Coordinator
Ontario University Athletics
Phone: 905-540-5156
Fax: 905-540-5149
Email: david.dicenzo@oua.ca
Web: www.oua.ca
Stienstra had some company as a major award winner. Brock guard Mike Kemp (Niagara Falls, ON) was named the West's Rookie of the Year after exploding onto the OUA scene, averaging 12.18 points and 3.91 rebounds through 22 games this season. The two-sport athlete racked up 31 steals and hit 35 of 105 three-point shots, as he was counted on in the second half of the season with all-star Brad Rootes out of the lineup with an injury. After spending two years at George Mason University in Virginia on a baseball scholarship, Kemp returned home and helped the Badgers baseball team advance to the OUA Championships back in October. He was named to the second all-star team as a designated hitter.
McMaster guard Martin Ajayi (Hamilton, ON) repeats as the West's Defensive Player of the Year, after he took the inaugural award last season. The fourth-year Sociology major is relied on by the Marauders to bring some jump to the defense and he did just that, averaging 2.23 steals per game, ranking him third in the OUA and eighth overall among all CIS players. Ajayi scored 10.45 ppg and showed he could convert at the other end of the court, nailing 42 per cent of his three-point shots (21-for-50).
Ajayi's McMaster teammate Ben Katz (Toronto, ON) is the OUA West nominee for the prestigious Ken Shields Award, presented annually to the CIS student-athlete who best exhibits outstanding achievement in basketball, academics and community involvement. Katz, a former OUA all-star and national team member, has been captain of the Marauders for three years. The fourth-year guard averaged 12.14 ppg and 5.14 rbg in 2005/06 but his achievements in both school and the community are what resonate with those around him. Katz has authored two textbooks titled Hoops and Above the Rim to motivate young players and he helped establish a reading reward program in Hamilton with 300 elementary school-aged male students. The Arts and Science student has also spent countless hours involved with the operation of basketball camps, in addition to volunteering his time at local schools and as the coach of the midget boy's basketball team at Blessed Sacrament.
Former Gryphons star Chris O'Rourke was named the West Coach of the Year by his peers after leading Guelph to a solid 14-8 record in one of the most competitive divisions in the CIS. O'Rourke devoted five passionate years playing for the school and his approach to the game is reflected in the Gryphons' ethic and desire. This is his first Coach of the Year award in nine seasons at the helm and the first for the university since Tim Darling took the honours in the 1994/95 season.
One of O'Rourke's most prominent players was named a first-team all-star. First-year Gryphon J.R. Bailey (Toronto, ON) was an inside force for Guelph after arriving from Humber College. Bailey ranked 10th in league scoring with 14.52 ppg and finished fourth in OUA rebounding with 8.19 rpg. The 6'9" forward shot the ball well, hitting 125 of 158 shots from the floor (48.45 per cent), ranking him 15th in the OUA in field goal percentage. Fourth-year McMaster forward Adam Steiner (Dundas, ON) was named to the OUA first-team for the first time after earning second-team honours last season. Steiner finished sixth in OUA scoring with 15.95 ppg and was ninth on the conference rebounding list with 7.27 rpg. He also made good on 76.5 per cent of his free throws, hitting 78 of 102 attempts. Rootes (Niagara Falls, ON) is the second Brock player named to the first team following an impressive campaign that was unfortunately cut short by a knee injury. The two-time second-team all-star guard averaged OUA-highs in scoring (20 ppg) and assists (6.07 apg). He also made the fourth-highest total of three-pointers in the league with 44, despite playing only 15 of 22 games, and ranked sixth in the league in free throw shooting, averaging 82.86 per cent from the stripe. Rounding out the OUA first-team is Waterloo Warriors fifth-year guard Graham Jarman (Cambridge, ON). Jarman's 16.50 ppg was the fifth-best average in the league but the skilled Kinesiology major was relied on for much more than filling the net. Jarman was ranked third in the OUA in assists with 5.05 per game, tallied 3.23 rpg and showed he was one of the most clutch free-throw shooters in the league, averaging 84.6 per cent (third in the OUA and seventh in the country). Jarman closed out his regular season career last Saturday with a game-high 25 points in a Waterloo win against rival Laurier, including a stunning 14-for-14 performance from the line.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kevin Stienstra - Brock
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Martin Ajayi - McMaster
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Mike Kemp - Brock
KEN SHIELDS AWARD
Ben Katz - McMaster
COACH OF THE YEAR
Chris O'Rourke - Guelph
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Kevin Stienstra - Brock
Adam Steiner - McMaster
Brad Rootes - Brock
Graham Jarman - Waterloo
J.R. Bailey - Guelph
SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Kevin Kloostra - Windsor
J.S. Esposito - Guelph
Wade Currie - Laurier
Martin Ajayi - McMaster
Scott Seeley - Lakehead
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Mike Kemp - Brock
Jay Mott - Guelph
David Burnett - Waterloo
Jason Milliquet - Western
Jesse MacDonald - Laurier
- O U A -
(Photo: Brock big man Kevin Stienstra does some damage in the paint. The fifth-year Vineland, ON native earned his second straight West Player of the Year award. Photo by Shawn Whiteley.)
24 teams, 6 CIS berths, 2 OUA champions - the OUA basketball playoffs, presented by Investors Group.
Enquires can be addressed to:
David DiCenzo
Communications and Media Relations Coordinator
Ontario University Athletics
Phone: 905-540-5156
Fax: 905-540-5149
Email: david.dicenzo@oua.ca
Web: www.oua.ca
