At the recent Dinos ID Camp, Coach Dan Vanhooren could hardly contain his excitement over the prospects he was evaluating for the distant 2011-12 season.  At every position, there were new faces who looked like quality players, ready to compete in Canada West.

Two of the more prominent additions are likely to be Boris Bakovic, a scoring leader for 4 seasons with the Ryerson Rams of the OUA, who has a deft touch both inside and out, and a swift, lefty guard, Daryus Sconiers of Phoenix, AZ, who played 1 year at Lane Community College in Eugene , Oregon.  Nigel Van Oostrum, another left -handed guard who is part of the United Kingdom National program, also showed well in scrimmages.  Calgary stand-out, Jordan Jensen-Whyte, from Western Canada HS, has not decided yet, but says the Dinos are a definite possibility.

Klaus Figuerdo, from Edmonton, who has a couple of ACAC seasons under his belt, looked impressive with his quickness, defensive intensity, and floor leadertship.  SAIT’s Scott Peris also seemed capable, with his ball-handling and eye for the hoop.  At the forward spot, Michael Fosu, a 6’5” wide body from Montreal’s Vanier College looks like a solid rebounder, with a nice inside touch.  Jelani Floyd, a 6’7” veteran of seasons at both Brown University and U. California - Davis, showed some very refined skills, and is an intriguing possibility.  Ameet Kaila, at 6’7” from Vancouver’s Douglas College, was the BC Colleges League’s leading rebounder.

With all these newcomers, Vanhooren now has to sort out his scholarship situation, take a look at academic records, and remember the constraints of Canada West, which allows just 2 non-Canadian players on the roster.  Bakovic, Sconiers, and Fosu look to be highly likely at this time, but no announcements have been made as yet.

There were several outstanding grade 11 players at the camp, including Dieter Posein, a 6’7”, left-handed post man from Bishop Grandin, Cooper Hamaliuk, a point man from Cochrane’s 3A Alberta champs, Conner Foreman, an Alberta U-17 post man from Central Alberta, Cordell Minnifee, a guard from Western, and Wyatt Cole, from Churchill, whose sister, Alex, plays for the UC Women.

Notes ...

1. • Congratulations to former Dinos athletes, Chris Wright and Laura Ryan, who were married on Saturday in Calgary.  Former Dinos teammates, Jon Salgado, Adam Begley, John Riad, Brent Tyler, Ian Ferguson, Jeff Loomis, Mark Gillarie, and Rich Wiebach were among the celebrants.
   

1. • In the Dutch League, Ross Bekkering’s Leiden squad finished 1st at 30-6, as they passed Henry Bekkering’s Groningen team (29-7), who had been leading all-season until they suffered 2 untimely losses in the final week.  The playoffs get underway on April 23, but Robbie Sihota’s Rotterdam club did not qualify, with only a 1-35 mark.  Sihota won the rebounding title, however, averaging 10.6 boards a game.  Ross was the 2nd leading % shooter, with a 59% mark.
   

1. • Saskatchewan landed a key recruit in Matt Forbes, a 6’6” post, from Lumsden HS, near Regina. Victoria announced they had signed Vijay Dhillon, from RC Palmer, Richmond, who were the BC high School champs this season.