Carleton’s Osvaldo Jeanty becomes the fourth back-to-back recipient of the Moser. Jeanty averaged 17.1 points per game in his final regular season at Carleton, good for seventh place in the OUA, on 45-percent shooting from the field and 39.2 percent from beyond the arc. The six-foot team captain, who played close to 32 minutes per outing, also averaged 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per match as he led the Ravens to the best conference record in Ontario (19-3), a seventh straight OUA East regular season title and a berth in the CIS championship for the fifth consecutive year. The two-time first-team All-Canadian became one of only a few players to graduate with five CIS rings. He was MVP of the gold-medal final in four consecutive years. “Osvaldo’s value to our program is immeasurable,” said Ravens coach Dave Smart. “The little things that he brings to the program can never be measured by statistics. His leadership on and off the court, his intensity and his will to win have guided our team for five years.” Carleton athletic director Drew Love said that “I am very proud of Osvaldo, he has been a true leader and ambassador for not only our men’s basketball program but the entire Department of Recreation and Athletics at Carleton University.” Jeanty told the Ottawa Citizen: “Wow. To do it once is wild. To do it twice, well, I’m speechless. It’s unbelievable because there are so many great players out there. It feels great to be recognized. I’m just trying to keep working hard and not forget what got me there.” Jeanty conceded this season had been a greater challenge because he invariably faced defences designed to shut him down. “It was harder this year, but you expect it to be harder because after winning such an award, every team in the country knows you can play. You’re not going to surprise anybody. Everyone went after me. “But coach did a good job of preparing me for that in practice. He’d put the best defenders on me or he’d put two defenders on me and he didn’t call many fouls. He was teaching me that, when I get to the hoop, I’m going to get hammered and should expect to get hammered.” Jeanty also credited his teammates with easing the load. “They really helped me out. Just by Stu (Turnbull) and Aaron (Doornekamp) being there, and Ryan (Bell) and Manny (Jean- Emmanuel Jean-Marie) and Rob (Saunders) and everybody else doing their job, it’s harder for opponents to key on me.” Smart said Jeanty “has done what Oz does: He has found ways to win. He has certainly has had his struggles, in terms of injuries, but he just finds ways to get it done when it matters. He has done that for five years.” That Jeanty can get the job done against intense defensive pressure is a testimony to his will, work ethic and strength, Smart added. “I just think he’s a determined kid, plus he can really shoot it and he’s really strong. I think his strength helps him and it hurts him. It helps him because he is so strong that guys have a tough time dealing with him. It hurts him because he does get nearly as many calls as he should get.
“If he was weaker, he’d be shooting 15 foul shots a game. There’s so many times there’s contact on him. If you knock Oz off-stride, you’ve hit him. Yet there are so many times he gets knocked off stride, yet there’s no call just because he’s so strong and he doesn’t fall down.” Jeanty’s ability to deliver in the crunch is a function of his confidence, Smart added. “It’s a true confidence. He just goes out there and believes he can get it done, and a lot of times, he does get it done. He’s not afraid of failure.”
The Aberdeen
was awarded to Brandon’s Barnaby Craddock. In only his second season at the
helm, the former Lethbridge Pronghorn All-Canadian guard guided his team to the
best record in Canada West (20-2), the top of the national rankings for the
first time in over a decade – for five weeks -, a close three-point loss to UBC
in the conference final (76-73) and a berth in the Final 8 tournament. Prior to
taking over the Brandon program, Craddock, who played and coached
professionally in Europe for six years, was an assistant at Lethbridge (2003-04)
and Winnipeg (2004-05). “We are extremely proud of Barnaby,” stated Rick Nickelchok,
Athletic Director at Brandon. “Nobody is more deserving of this award. In two
short years, he has brought success to the court, in the classroom and our
student athletes love playing for him. Barnaby epitomizes everything that
Stuart W. Aberdeen stood for as an outstanding coach in University sport.”
Laval’s Jean-Francois
Beaulieu-Maheux was selection the Mullins Trophy winner as national rookie of
the year. The six-foot-three forward out of Collège Montmorency finished second
in Quebec and sixth in the country in his university debut with 21.3 points per
game. Averaging 36.8 minutes per outing, second only in the QSSF to teammate
Jean-Philippe Morin, he also placed third in the conference with an 80.4-percent
success rate at the free-throw line and fifth in three-point shooting (37.7%).
His outstanding play helped Laval reach the conference final against No.
1-ranked Concordia despite a lineup including no less than eight freshmen. “Jean-François
has showed the poise of a veteran from day one,” Laval coach Jacques Paiement
told the Ottawa Citizen. “One of the most impressive things about his rookie
season is that most of his best performances came on the road.”
The Defensive Player of the Year
was awarded to Martin Ajayi of McMaster. The 5-9 guard became the first player
in OUA history to lead the conference in scoring and be named the top defensive
player in the same season. In addition to his 22.1 points per game, the
fifth-year senior finished fifth in Ontario with 2.09 steals per contest and
grabbed 90 rebounds. The OUA defensive player of the year for a third straight
campaign and a back-to-back conference all-star, Ajayi was chosen McMaster
player of the game in 22 of the Marauders 32 overall matches in 2006-07. “Martin
is the fastest, quickest player in the country. He is the fiercest competitor I
have coached and in my mind is the most multidimensional player in the country,”
McMaster coach Joe Raso told the Ottawa Citizen.
Joining Jeanty as 1st-team All-Canadians were: Casey Archibald (U.B.C.); Patrick Perrotte (Concordia); Andrew Spragud (Saskatchewan); and Paulo Santana (Acadia). Jeanty was born in Gloucester, Ont. …………………………………………………… Archibald from Salmon Arm, B.C., was selected first team for the consecutive campaign. …………………………………………………… Perrotte, from Verdun, Que. …………………………………………………… Spragud, from Saskatoon, stepped up from second-team All-Canadian status a year earlier…………………………………………………… Santana, from Angola.
The 2nd team selections were: Brad Rootes (Brock); Eric Breland (Cape Breton); Erfan Nasajpour (Winnipeg); Jean-Phillippe Morin (Laval); and Dan Eves (York). ……………………………………………………Rootes, from Niagara Falls, was the OUA West player of the year. …………………………………………………… Breland, from Cooksville, Maryland. …………………………………………………… Nasajpour, from Winnipeg, Man. …………………………………………………… Morin, from Aylmer, Que. …………………………………………………… Eves, from Barrie, Ont.
Joining Beaulieu-Maheux on the all-rookie team were: Christian Upshaw (St. FX); Boris Bakovic (Ryerson); Jeffrey Lukomski (Regina); and Andrew Wedemire (Western Ontario). …………………………………………………… Upshaw, from Halifax, was chosen AUS rookie of the year. …………………………………………………… Lukomski, from Regina, was chosen Canada West rookie of the year. …………………………………………………… Bakovic, from Toronto, was chosen OUA East rookie of the year. …………………………………………………… Wedemire, from Sarnia, Ont., as chosen OUA West rookie of the year.