Lakehead Wins Three Major OUA West Awards

From the OUA:

SCRUBB, RUSSELL TAKE HOME MEN'S BASKETBALL MVP HONOURS

HAMILTON, Ont. - Ontario University Athletics (OUA) this morning announced the
major award winners at the Wilson Cup awards breakfast at the Holiday Inn, in
Waterloo, Ont. The defending champion Lakehead Thunderwolves led the pack in
the west division while defending national champion and No. 1 ranked Carleton
collected four of five major awards in the east.

This season’s west division Player of the Year is Lakehead guard Venzal Russell
(Detroit, Michigan). The fourth-year guard led the No. 2 ranked Thunderwolves
in scoring with 347 points, good for tenth in the league, and converted 140
field goals, fourth most in OUA. His strong play was also evident at the
defensive end of the floor as he finished third with 52 steals. Russell has
also been named a First-Team All-Star.

Greg Carter (Ottawa) is this year’s west Defensive Player of the Year, giving
him his third straight honour. The Thunderwolves’ guard helped lead Lakehead to
the second-best defence in the west, surrendering just 72.0 points per game.
Normally matched against his opponents’ best offensive player, he finished
second in OUA with 56 steals for an average of 2.55 steals per game. Carter has
also been named a Second-Team All-Star.

Leading a strong rookie class is Adam Presutti (Oakville, Ont.) of the McMaster
Marauders who takes home this year’s west Rookie of the Year award. The
first-year guard led the No. 8 Marauders in minutes played and netted 243
points while collecting 75 rebounds in his first campaign. Presutti has also
been named to the All-Rookie team.

The winner of this year’s west division Ken Shields Award, given to the
student-athlete who best exhibits outstanding achievements in basketball,
academics, and community involvement, is Guelph’s Daniel McCarthy (Guelph,
Ont.). The fourth-year biomedical science student is now a two-time west
division all-star and also excels in the classroom. Outside of his
student-athlete routine, McCarthy is active in the Guelph community. He is
currently the regional coordinator for Brain Day, an organization that educates
children about brain safety and is a student athlete mentor, helping fellow
student athletes academically. He also volunteers in schools as part of the
Boys, Books and Basketball program and the Believe to Achieve program. McCarthy
has also been named a Second-Team All-Star.

Lakehead bench boss Scott Morrison is the 2011-12 west Coach of the Year,
earning his third consecutive award. Morrison has turned the Thunderwolves into
a juggernaut in the west division, finishin! g the year with a 20-2 record and
their highest national ranking in program history at the No. 2 spot.

In the east, Carleton once again owns the Player of the Year, this time in Phil
Scrubb (Richmond, B.C.). The second-year guard followed up his rookie of the
year campaign last year with more impressive numbers. He finished tenth in
league scoring, averaging 16.18 points per game, and sixth in field goal
percentage at 55.7 percent. He also finished with 61 three-pointers to lead the
league and his 57.0 three-point field goal percentage was tops in both OUA and
CIS play. Scrubb has also been named a First-Team All-Star.

For the third straight year, Carleton’s Cole Hobin (Ashton, Ont.) takes home
the east Defensive Play! er of the Year award. The Ravens had the stingiest
defence in the nation, allowing just 56.6 points per game against. Hobin
tallied 55 defensive rebounds, 27 steals, and 15 blocks this year and kept the
opponent’s top players in check.

Mike L’Africain (Oakville, Ont.) is this year’s east Rookie of the Year. The
first-year point guard excelled right off the bat and dressed in all 22 games
this season for the Ottawa Gee-Gees, averaging just over 30 minutes per game.
L’Africain finished second in team scoring with 264 points and ran an efficient
offence, finding his teammates for 73 assists. He also finished eighth in OUA
with a 46.3 completion percentage from beyond the arc. L’Africain has also been
named to the All-Rookie team.

The east Ken Shields Award, given to the student-athlete who best exhibits
outstanding achievements in basketball, academics, and community involvement,
goes to Kevin Churchill (Toronto). The Ravens’ forward is an Academic
All-Canadian and excels in his philosophy studies. On the court Churchill has
shown his dedication, working his way from being a twelfth-man into a
considerable scoring threat and decision maker. Giving back to the community is
important for the third-year player and he is actively involved with both the
Ottawa area Spirit Program and Camp Merrywood, helping children with special
needs. He also volunteers at the Swish for the Cure event in Toronto to help
raise money for Childhood Cancer Canada.

Carleton head coach Dave Smart earns this year’s east Coach of the Year
distinction. This is Smart’s seventh such honour which comes on the heels of
his second straight 22-0 season. The Ravens were ranked No. 1 for the entirety
of this year’s campaign and look to continue their dynasty-type run as they
look for their fourth Wilson Cup in five years and eighth national championship
in ten years.

2011-12 OUA MEN’S BASKETBALL WEST DIVISION MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

Player of the Year: Venzal Russell - Lakehead
Defensive Player of the Year: Greg Carter - Lakehead
Rookie of the Year: Adam Presutti - McMaster
Ken Shields Award: Daniel McCarthy - Guelph
Coach of the Year: Scott Morrison - Lakehead

2011-12 OUA MEN’S BASKETBALL EAST DIVISION MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

Player of the Year: Phil Scrubb - Carleton
Defensive Player of the Year: Cole Hobin - Carleton
Rookie of the Year: Mike L’Africain - Ottawa
Ken Shields Award: Kevin Churchill - Carleton
Coach of the Year: Dave Smart - Carleton