OUA ANNOUNCES THE 2008 MEN�S BASKETBALL EAST ALL-STARS

HAMILTON, Ont. - Aaron Doornekamp (Odessa, ON) has been a staple in a leading No. 1 Carleton Ravens men's basketball program (22-0) over the last four seasons. He combines both offensive and defensive skill, and is one of the most dominant two-way players in the OUA. An exceptional player at the top of his game, Doornekamp has been named the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Player of the Year and first team all-star for the third consecutive year. Finishing the regular season with a scoring average of 15.6 points per game, this fourth-year commerce student sits near the top of the league in almost every facet of the game. Doornekamp is third in the OUA with 174 rebounds on the year, has five blocks, 57 assists, while averaging 27 minutes per game.

The No. 8 Ottawa Gee-Gees (17-6) finished the regular season second in the OUA as a defensive unit, limiting their opponents to 63.14 points per game, and that is in large part to the defensive abilities of fourth-year forward Dax Dessureault (Embrun, ON) who has been named the East Defensive Player of the Year. The six-foot-eight, Criminology student finished the season with 49 blocks to sit third in the OUA, while tallying 24 steals, 164 rebounds, while averaging 30.3 minutes per game. To compliment his strong defensive game, Dessureault also finished third in team scoring averaging 12.1 points per game on the year.

Ryan Bell (Orleans, ON) of the Carleton Ravens is the recipient of the East's Ken Shields Award, presented to a student-athlete in recognition of outstanding service to the sport and advancement of university athletics. A member of the 2006-07 National Senior Men's Team, Bell has excelled on and off the court. He has been a guest speaker at the QHBA Basketball Camp, has volunteered his time at the Firehall Basketball Camp, as well as the Rautins-House Basketball Camp. The fifth-year Psychology student has also made appearances with the Easter Seals Camp, spending the day with children, as well as the Children's Place Day Care Centre for less fortunate children. On the court Bell finished the season with a 8.7 points per game average, had ten blocks, and 21 steals on the season and brought down 76 rebounds, 67 on the defensive glass. He also finished the regular season first on his team, and third in the OUA with a three-point shooting percentage of 46.6.

Jon Ogden (Plainfield, ON) has made an immediate impact on OUA men's basketball and the Queen's Golden Gaels (14-8) in just his first season, and has been named the East Rookie of the Year. Ogden, a first year Arts and Science student finished the season with an 11 points per game average, while hauling in 108 rebounds, while playing 26.2 minutes per game for the Gaels. The six-foot-five forward also had nine blocks and 14 steals on the year.

Joining Doornekamp on the first team all-stars is teammate Stuart Turnbull (Kingston, ON). Turnbull finished the season first in team scoring, averaging 16 points per game. The fourth-year Commerce student collected 38 steals, and 100 rebounds, while playing 28 minutes per game for the Ravens. For the second consecutive season, Ottawa Gee-Gees Josh Gibson-Bascombe (Toronto, ON) joins the first-team. In just his third season, the six-foot-five Social Science student finished the season seventh in OUA scoring with 18.6 points per game, sits fifth in the OUA with 34 steals, and pulled down 92 rebounds, while playing 33.6 minutes per game for the Gee-Gees. Rounding out the first-team are a pair of Toronto Varsity Blues (17-5) teammates in Mike DeGiorgio (Toronto, ON) and Rob Paris (St. Catharines, ON). DeGiorgio, a fifth-year guard finished the season with a 9.4 points per game average, 159 assists, and 95 rebounds for the Blues. Paris, a third-year guard led Toronto with a 15.8 points per game average, with 11 blocks and 20 steals on the season. Paris also finished the season fifth in the OUA with a 45.4 three-point shooting percentage.

Toronto Varsity Blue's Mike Katz has been recognized by his peers for the first time as the OUA East Coach of the Year. Katz led the Blues to a 17-5 record, and finished the season ranked No. 9 in the CIS. In his third season as the Varsity Blues bench boss he led the team to a second place finish in the OUA East Division.
Prior to joining the Varsity Blues, Katz led the Humber College men's basketball team for 19 seasons, amassing an overall record of 503-175. During that time, he led the Hawks to the Final Four every year, winning seven provincial championships and five national titles while also producing seven all-Canadian players. Katz is also a four-time OCAA coach of the year and a three-time CCAA coach of the year and was inducted into the Humber Varsity Hall of Fame in 2004.

2007-08 OUA ALL-STARS AND MAJOR AWARD WINNERS - Presented by Wilson Sports Equipment of Canada

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aaron Doornekamp - Carleton - Odessa, ON

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dax Dessureault - Ottawa - Embrun, ON

ROOKIER OF THE YEAR
Jon Ogden - Queen's - Plainfield, ON

KEN SHIELDS AWARD
Ryan Bell - Carleton - Orleans, ON

COACH OF THE YEAR
Mike Katz- Toronto

FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Josh Gibson-Bascombe - Ottawa - Toronto, ON
Mike DeGiorgio - Toronto - Toronto, ON
Aaron Doornekamp - Carleton - Odessa, ON
Rob Paris - Toronto - St. Catharines, ON
Stuart Turnbull - Carleton - Kingston, ON

SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Boris Bakovic - Ryerson - Toronto, ON
Mitch Leger - Queen's - Kingston, ON
Simon Mitchell - Queen's - Navan, ON
Sean Peter - Ottawa - Ottawa, ON
Tut Ruach - York - Toronto, ON

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Nicolas Cooke - RMC - Toronto, ON
Travis Mitchell - Queen's - Navan, ON
Jon Ogden - Queen's - Plainfield, ON
Dalton Olinoski - York - Georgetown, ON
Elliot Thompson - Carleton - Fredericton, NB

\"24 teams, 5 CIS berths, 2 OUA champions - the OUA basketball playoffs, presented by Investors Group\"

- OUA -

Michelle Church
Communications & Media Relations Coordinator
Ontario University Athletics

Tel: (905) 540-5156
Fax: (905) 574-2840
E-mail: michelle.church@oua.ca
Web: www.oua.ca