Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Morrison Back with Canadian Juniors for FIBA Americas

Media Release
Lakehead University Athletics Department

www.thunderwolves.ca
Morrison Enters 3rd Campaign With Canadian JMNT
Canadian U18's to compete at FIBA Americas in Colorado Springs, June 20-24
June 11, 2014 — Thunder Bay, Ont.
For the third year in a row, men's basketball head coach Scott Morrison will be taking on an assistant's role with Canada's Junior Men's National Team (JMNT).

For the past two summers, Morrison has served as an assistant with the U18 JMNT program that placed 3rd at the FIBA Americas in Brazil ('12) and the subsequent U19 group that earned a 6th place finish at the FIBA world championships in Turkey ('13).

This year's instalment of the FIBA Americas U18 Championship will be hosted by USA Basketball at the U.S. Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 20-24. It will also serve as the qualifier for next year's FIBA world championships.

"It is a major honour to be asked to work with the nation's best for a third consecutive summer," Morrison states. "Just like the previous years, training camp has been a grind, but an unparalleled experience working with a great staff and a top notch group of kids."

Morrison re-joined JMNT head coach Roy Rana and fellow assistant coach Kirby Shepp a few weeks back for initial workouts with the team in Toronto, as the roster comes into shape heading towards the FIBA tournament in 'The Centennial State'.

This year Canada's pool includes Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. On the other side are the USA, Uruguay, Mexico and Argentina. More info can be found on the FIBA Americas website.

Some high-profile names expected on this year's JMNT roster include 6'9" forward Chris Egi (Markham, Ont.) who is attending Harvard next year, and Montaque Gill-Caesar (Vaughan, Ont.), who attends famed Huntington Prep in West Virginia and will graduate in 2015.

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Morrison is grateful to be a part of a quickly-evolving scene around Canadian basketball that is getting more and more attention globally, and south of the border.

"Canada basketball is hot on the international scene right now and I am extremely excited to play a small part of the movement."

The Canadian JMNT has featured several high profile players in recent years during Morrison's tenure with the team, some of whom (A. Wiggins, T. Ennis) have taken their game all the way to the NCAA tournament and are poised to enter the NBA on draft day in 2 weeks.


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MEDIA:  For more information, or to request an interview, please contact Lakehead Sports Information Director, Hugh Mullally, at (807) 766-7157, or spinfo@lakeheadu.ca.
Lakehead University’s Athletics Department features a comprehensive Campus Recreation program across both its Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario campuses. Working hard to promote a healthy and active campus lifestyle, Campus Recreation provides a great selection of outdoor and indoor intramurals with its C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse (containing a 15,000 square foot Thunderdome gymnasium, state-of-the-art Wolves' Den fitness centre, 50-metre eight-lane swimming pool, cardio room, Kinesiology labs, squash court, and change rooms complete with saunas) and the 50,000 square foot ‘Hangar’ building (an athletic facility home to a 200-metre track, pro-grade artificial turf field, climbing wall, weight training, aerobic and cardio areas, as well as the University’s Sports Medicine Clinic) .

Friday, June 6, 2014

'WOLVES LAND HAMILTON PG

Media Release
Lakehead University Athletics Department

www.thunderwolves.ca
Ryan Doornick Commits to Lakehead
5'8" Hamilton guard now a Thunderwolf
June 5, 2014 — Thunder Bay, Ont.
In his latest recruiting announcement of the off-season, coach Scott Morrison of the men's basketball program has added Ryan Doornick of Hamilton, Ontario to the 2014-15 Thunderwolves roster.

"We're very excited to add Ryan to our roster," states Morrison. "He has proven to be an excellent person, student and the potential to be a very good basketball player. We expect him to fill the backup point guard role next season and develop as a player to be a major factor on our team during his entire career."

The speedy 5'8" guard will add depth at the point guard position, and comes from a winning tradition, both at the high school and the AAU club level. His Blessed Sacrament Yellow Jackets club team is currently undefeated vs. Canadian opposition, their only loss coming to the DeJuan Blair All-Stars at Pitt Jam in April of this year.

Doornick is currently averaging 17.5 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets, who are ranked #2 heading into the OBA tournament. Ryan has been a leader at his high school of St Thomas More, where he has been his team's captain for 5 years on top of earning other athletic honors.

Says Doornick, "I'm really excited to get working with the Lakehead team. They have a great group of guys who are dedicated to winning and I'm the same way. I'm looking forward to this season and playing in front of the great Thunderwolves crowd!"


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Profile: Ryan Doornick

Height: 5'8"
Position: Guard
Hometown: Hamilton
Program: English
Last team: St Thomas More HS/ Blessed Sacrament Club


Achievements/Stats:

- Blessed Sacrament stats: 17.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 6 apg
- HS Senior MVP 2014
- HS Athlete of the Year 2011
- HS Captain 5 years
- City Championship 2011


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MEDIA:  For more information, or to request an interview, please contact Lakehead Sports Information Director, Hugh Mullally, at (807) 766-7157, or spinfo@lakeheadu.ca.
Lakehead University’s Athletics Department features a comprehensive Campus Recreation program across both its Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario campuses. Working hard to promote a healthy and active campus lifestyle, Campus Recreation provides a great selection of outdoor and indoor intramurals with its C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse (containing a 15,000 square foot Thunderdome gymnasium, state-of-the-art Wolves' Den fitness centre, 50-metre eight-lane swimming pool, cardio room, Kinesiology labs, squash court, and change rooms complete with saunas) and the 50,000 square foot ‘Hangar’ building (an athletic facility home to a 200-metre track, pro-grade artificial turf field, climbing wall, weight training, aerobic and cardio areas, as well as the University’s Sports Medicine Clinic) .


-- 
Hugh Mullally
Sports Information Director
Lakehead University Athletics
Office: 807 766 7157

Sunday, June 1, 2014

DJ SMITH JOINS THUNDERWOLVES

Media Release
Lakehead University Athletics Department

www.thunderwolves.ca
East Coast All-Star DJ Smith Joins Thunderwolves
2012-13 CIS Rookie of the Year transfers from UPEI
May 29, 2014 — Thunder Bay, Ont.
Men's basketball coach Scott Morrison has landed another important piece for the longevity of the Thunderwolves' program: Deontay 'DJ' Smith, of North Preston, Nova Scotia.

"DJ's decision to join our program makes for an important addition for the future of the team," says Morrison. "DJ has been successful at all levels he has played, in part, because of an excellent natural feel for the game and versatile skill set."

The 6'0" guard is set to arrive in Thunder Bay after having played 2 years for the UPEI Panthers of the AUS, where he made a name for himself not only in the conference but across the country.

Smith was named CIS Rookie of the Year in 2012-13, a season in which he scored 17 points per game, along with 7 rebounds and 4.4 assists and led his team to a 13-7 regular season record.

Smith has been a leader since his basketball beginnings in Nova Scotia, playing with Citadel High in Halifax (under coaches Mark Parker and Ian McRae), and leading team Nova Scotia to a silver medal at the Canada Games in 2009.

DJ is due to sit out the mandatory year as a red shirt for the 2014-15 season.

Morrison is confident it will be worth the wait. "We will have to be patient and wait for one year to see him on Friday nights, but with a season in our practice system to develop his individual skills and learn how he can best fit with our system - he will be a worthy candidate to replace our current all-star Dwayne Harvey after his final season."


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(photo credit UPEI)

Profile: Deontay 'DJ' Smith
Height: 6'0 
Position: Guard 
Hometown: North Preston, NS
Program: General Arts

High School: Citadel HS
Last team: UPEI Panthers

Achievements/Stats:

- CIS ROY in 2012-13.  (17.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.4 agp)
- AUS First Team All-Star 2012-13, 2013-14 
- Silver Medal for N.S. in the 2009 Canada Games
- 3 years eligibility remaining



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MEDIA:  For more information, or to request an interview, please contact Lakehead Sports Information Director, Hugh Mullally, at (807) 766-7157, or spinfo@lakeheadu.ca.
Lakehead University’s Athletics Department features a comprehensive Campus Recreation program across both its Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario campuses. Working hard to promote a healthy and active campus lifestyle, Campus Recreation provides a great selection of outdoor and indoor intramurals with its C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse (containing a 15,000 square foot Thunderdome gymnasium, state-of-the-art Wolves' Den fitness centre, 50-metre eight-lane swimming pool, cardio room, Kinesiology labs, squash court, and change rooms complete with saunas) and the 50,000 square foot ‘Hangar’ building (an athletic facility home to a 200-metre track, pro-grade artificial turf field, climbing wall, weight training, aerobic and cardio areas, as well as the University’s Sports Medicine Clinic) .

-- 
Hugh Mullally
Sports Information Director
Lakehead University Athletics
Office: 807 766 7157