By: Teru Ikeda and Kajan Thiruthanikasalam
Photos By: Nicole Ventura (Album Link: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmGh17dT)
The young Centennial Colts men's basketball team had many highs and lows last season. They finished 4th in the OCAA East, but were sent home after losing to the Redeemer Royals in a crossover playoff game.
Head Coach Trevor Challenger and his coaching staff went to work, determined to find recruits to help the team reach unprecedented heights for the future.
Challenger recruited selfless players who will compliment pure scorers like Isaiah Cromwell-Wright.
"You have to have guys that can play multiple positions, but more importantly, not be selfish on the court," he said about the type of recruits he looked for. "We're trying to find guys that are grit guys that'll do whatever it takes."
Challenger and his coaching staff added five new recruits to the Colts family. A pass-first point guards in Tyrese McCarty; twin towers in six-foot-nine Owen Shirley and six-foot-eight Vasay Nadeem; a hustling combo guard in Asher Richards; and a defensive-minded forward in Shermar Brissett.
Here is a sneak peek at each of the following athletes:
OWEN SHIRLEY
Position: Forward/Centre
Height: 6'9"
Age: 18
High School: Louise Arbour Secondary School (4 years), Toronto Basketball Academy (TBA) Prep (1 year)
Program: Music Industry Arts and Performance (2 years)
Hometown: Brampton, Ontario
Strengths: Rebounding, passing ability, team player, mid-range scoring (15 to 18 foot range)
Areas of Improvement: Physical strength, jump shot, ball handling
Owen Shirley is the tallest recruit added to the Colts roster. Standing six-foot-nine, he has the ability to clean the glass and defend all five positions.
Like six-foot-eight recruit Vasay Nadeem, Shirley spent his last high school basketball season in the National Preparatory Association (NPA). Coming to Centennial was an easy choice as his former Toronto Basketball Academy coach, Mike Jackman, will be the newest addition to the Colts coaching staff as an Assistant Coach.
Shirley spent the last year witnessing the work ethic of the NPA's top players.
"Those guys are not afraid. They will take charge at any moment," said Shirley about the leadership quality of his elite-level teammates.
He humbly admitted his area of improvement, saying, "I tend to shy away, whereas those guys, they have a dog [in them]. They want to take over, they want to be the best player, so that's what I learned a lot from them."
He also praised the Colts head coach for being honest during the recruitment process.
"Coach Trevor (Challenger) made me feel like I was at home. He was just honest with me," Shirley said. "From the start, he told me what he expected of me, what he wants from me, what he wants me to do in the classroom, and stuff like that."
Shirley is excited to start school and basketball season, and plans to use his two years at Centennial to play university-level basketball as well as continue his education.
VASAY NADEEM
Position: Stretch Forward
Height: 6'8''
Age: 19 years old
High School: Stephen Lewis Secondary School (4 years), Oakville Prep (1 year)
Rep Team: Runndunk, Brampton Rep
Program: Business Administration and Marketing (3 year advanced diploma)
Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario
Strengths: Energy, team-first mentality, mid-range shooting, shot blocking
Areas of Improvement: Physical strength, ball handling
Stretch forward Vasay Nadeem is excited about joining his former high school teammate Isaiah Cromwell-Wright as a Centennial Colt.
Nadeem spent his post-graduate year at the National Preparatory Association's Oakville Prep, honing his basketball skills. He has learned a lot being surrounded by elite-level talent throughout high school.
"They're team-first guys, guys that always go hard from tip-off until the last buzzer sounds," says Nadeem about the toughness he was surrounded by.
He will bring the same mentality to the Progress gym. But he also brings tangible assets to the Colts table.
"When it comes to offense, I'm just a quick one dribble to the rim guy, or shoot the ball and knock down the three. Or when it comes to the post, making use of my mismatches," said Nadeem about what he adds to improve the Colts offense.
Nadeem will sit out for the first half of the 2019-20 season due to injury, but he knows that he can rely on Centennial's athletic therapy resources.
"Hopefully, with trainers here, I can work out and get back to the basics," said Nadeem as he will spend the first half of his rookie year rehabbing and working to get back on the court.
Injuries plagued Centennial's frontcourt, DM Betoukoumessou and Darnell Richards, last season. At six-foot-eight, Nadeem adds size on offense and defense, and he has the versatility to play on the wing, which will force mismatches for opponents' defenses.
SHERMAR BRISSETT
Position: Forward
Height: 6'5''
Age: 17
High School: Heart Lake Secondary School
Program: Mechanical Engineering (2 year)
Hometown: Brampton, ON
Strengths: Communication, defensive rebounding, defense
Areas of Improvement: Confidence with the ball, lateral quickness
Greg Hamilton, Colts assistant coach, discovered the six-foot-five Shermar Brissett at a tournament while Hamilton was refereeing one of his games.
Brissett comes from Heart Lake Secondary School in Brampton, typically not known as a basketball powerhouse. Brissett, who was the 2018 Trojan Invitation Tournament MVP, believes his intangible assets, like his toughness and constant communication on the court, that caught the eye of Hamilton and had Challenger singing his highest praises.
"Shermar's going to bring toughness, grit and rebounding," Challenger said.
Although Brissett will immediately be a force to be reckoned with defensively, Challenger admitted that the offense will take some time to catch up.
"Offensively, he still needs more work to finetune his skills," noted Challenger. "But he's going to help us a lot, especially in the key, on changing shots and limiting second-chance shots from opposing teams."
Brissett, who likes to work with his hands, doing home renovations and working with cars, adds a blue-collar grit to the Colts. His commutes will be far, travelling from Brampton to Ashtonbee to Progress Campus, but he says "it's worth the journey for basketball."
He looks most forward to forming a bond with his new teammates. Like other recruits, he has also bought into a selfless brand of basketball.
"I want to see everybody happy for each other on the court and work sort of like a family," said Brissett.
He wants to go as far as he can with the game. Brissett will be using the next two years to finetune his basketball and mechanical skills.
TYRESE MCCARTY
Position: Point Guard
Height: 5'10"
Age: 19
High School: Westview Secondary School
Rep Team: STLA
Program: HVAC (Heating and Refrigerating)
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Strengths: Shooting (one dribble pullup, mid range), driving, drive and kick
Areas of Improvement: Full court defence, quickness
McCarty, another one of assistant coach Jackman's former rep players, is coming in looking to fill the point guard position that was left after the departure of Adeboboye.
"As a point guard, I have to find guys, get guys to their spots, and get guys open," McCarty said of his play style.
When asked about what NBA player he can relate to in terms of his play style, McCarty came up with Chris Paul.
"I can come off the pick and roll and find guys," McCarty said. "I'm a pass-first guy; I don't like to score first. I like to get my teammates going and then look for mine after."
What drew McCarty to Centennial came down to the love and support he received from Challenger and the coaching staff.
"I really felt welcomed so that's one of the biggest things that I had in mind when I came to this team," McCarty said of his reason to come to Centennial. "The team welcomed me with open arms and I really respected that."
Playing for his former STLA (Shoot To Learn Academy) coach Jackman also shaped him towards becoming a better player, especially in such a critical position as the point guard.
"He (Coach Jackman) showed me a lot of different areas of being a true point guard," McCarty said of his time at STLA Academy. "Sometimes, Asher likes to catch it on the fly and I'll sometimes dump it off to Owen in transition. Little things like that is what I noticed."
The expectations, according to McCarty on the court for the season, comes down to the defensive end of the ball and that each possession cannot be wasted. Off the court, the five-foot-ten guard expects him and his team to be positive in the classroom.
He says his time at Westview opened his eyes not only on being a basketball player but being a better man, as evidenced by his teacher being in attendance at his signing. McCarty ended off by crediting his teacher, Jeanie, and his mother for having his back.
"My mom means everything to me; she's been there since day one and my teacher has helped me through everything during my years at Westview," McCarty said of his two biggest supporters. "Both of them have my back."
And as for how he wants to be remembered once his time is done at Centennial?
"I want to be remembered as a legend, to be honest," McCarty said, smiling. "I want to be remembered as the guy that was always positive. Goofy at times, but got the job done."
ASHER RICHARDS
Position: Point Guard/Shooting Guard
Height: 6'3"
Age: 18
High School: Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute
Rep Team: STLA
Program: Fitness and Health Promotion
Hometown: Scarborough, ON
Strengths: Motor, defense, rebounding, finishing at the rim, mid range
Areas of Improvement: Ball handling, all-around consistency, playmaking, jump shooting
After his final year at STLA, combo guard Asher Richards wasn't so sure if he was going to even play basketball at a competitive level next year. That was, until his former coach Jackman told him otherwise.
"He told me there's a coach out there who wants to give me a look and (invite for) a workout; that coach was Trevor Challenger," Richards says of the process. "I played my game and everything was clicking that day. He wanted to get another look at me and everything just went from there."
It was evident when talking to Richards that he was a no-nonsense person who loves the game of basketball… and will be frustrated when others, especially his teammates, lack that same passion and drive for the game.
One example of that came after a high school game while he was at Mowat in Grade 12. His coach asked everyone why they were on the team. Most of them said it was to get out of class. Richards' response?
"I told my coach that I love the game of basketball, which is true," Richards said. "That pushed me to do well on the team."
When Richards was in the eighth grade, his brother, along with his friends, told him to go to Pope or Bill Crothers but he chose to go to Mowat given that it was close to his house and that he valued his education. Mowat was not known as a basketball school at the time but Richards changed that.
"I never really thought about leaving a legacy at Mowat, more so just getting an education and then getting out of there," Richards said. "Leaving a legacy just came over time and I started realizing that people were noticing that I was really good."
The way Richards played basketball changed when he met Mike Jackman in Grade 12 after bouncing around the CYBL on different teams in the previous three years.
"He really made me look at basketball differently… like a stress reliever," Richards said of the now Colts assistant coach. "He worked on all aspects of my game and especially my confidence on the court."
Which leaves this question. How does Richards want to be remembered when he leaves Centennial?
"I just want to be remembered as someone who worked their tail off and gave it their all. Someone who's always in the gym, working on their game and setting an example for my teammates," says Richards. "Someone who came from the ground up, came from Scarborough, and show people that I represented the Centennial name very well."
These five athletes will look to immediately contribute to the Colts men's basketball team and make a statement this upcoming season. Congratulations on signing!