St. Clair College Basketball Opens Regular Season with Mohawk | St. Clair College
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Women's basketball player Anna Ulicny
Saint's basketball player Anna Ulicny

The St. Clair College Women’s and Men’s Basketball programs open their regular season at the SportsPlex Friday night against Mohawk College and then host Niagara College Saturday afternoon.

The St. Clair women are the defending OCAA Silver Medalists and return a strong nucleus from the 2018-19 squad including third-year guard from Chatham Jana Kucera, who was the province’s leading scorer (20.2 Points Per Game) last season and decorated as a First Team West Division All-Star, OCAA Championship Tournament All-Star and a Second-team All-Star selection at the National Championship tournament.

Second-year guard Keirsten Tomkins (Sarnia) was the West Division Rookie of the Year while leading the Saints in total rebounds. Third-year guard Anna Ulicny (Tecumseh/St. Anne) averaged 15.2 PPG from the point and led the team in steals. Second-year swing player Noor Bazzi (Windsor/Vincent Massey) is also back and averaged double figures with 10.3 PPG. Third-year guards Logan Kucera (Chatham), Khuloud Ahmad (Windsor/Holy Names) and Tanay Freckleton (Windsor/Herman) will also make big contributions as returning players. Second-year 5-foot-10 post Caileigh Chauvin (Ruthven/Essex District) will supply some height along with six-foot newcomer Paloma Ducre (LaSalle/Sandwich). Rookie assistance will come in the form of Meghan Zelina (Wilkesport, ON), Kim Orton (Ruthven/Essex District), Ciara Emery (Windsor/Herman) and Melody Bojaruniec-Turner (Windsor/St. Joseph).

The St. Clair men will look to improve on their 10-10 record last season in the OCAA’s West Division and first-round playoff exit. The Saints have not been to the Provincial Championship tournament since 2007 but recruited heavily and might have the pieces to make a deeper run in the post-season. A good pre-season exhibition schedule saw the Saints take 3rd place at the Dawson College Tournament in Montreal with a 3-1 record.

Saints 4th-year point guard David Gomez Jr. averaged 24.2 Points Per Game last season for St. Clair, a number which stood 4th overall in the province and he was also 3rd in OCAA assists per game with a 5.3 average while being named a 2nd team West Division All-Star selection. Gomez Jr. set a new St. Clair standard for scoring in the regular season at 483 total points which surpassed the record previously held by David Korenic at 468 points from 2009-10.

Fourth-year six-foot-four forward Daelyn Davis (Romulus, MI) will be joined by fellow countryman six-foot-five Jalen Harmon (Ypsilanti, MI) who transferred from Macomb Community College after a year off. Third-year six-foot-six post player Glynn Willis-Paris (Detroit, MI/Kennedy Collegiate) is back and will be helped on the block by third-year six-foot-five forward Dallas Akins (LaSalle, ON/Sandwich).

But the Saints strength this season will be in their depth who will enjoy an influx of four players from perennial OFSAA power Pine Ridge Secondary in Pickering, including six-foot-four swing Jerry Mercury (Toronto, ON), six-foot-two swing Darnelle Peddie (Pickering, ON), five-foot-ten guard Miles Hall (Toronto, ON) and Jesiah Deerr (Whitby, ON) who played at Durham College (Oshawa) last year. The GTA connection does not stop there, with the addition of six-foot shooting guard Husam Shallo (Toronto, ON/Westview Centennial) and five-foot-11 Jordan Ramsay (Brampton, ON/St. Roch). Five-foot-10 guard Adrian Guenther (Windsor, ON/Catholic Central), six-foot-one guard Khodr Ahmad (Windsor, ON/Holy Names) and six-foot-four forward Javonte Mitchell (London, ON) will provide experience in their second season with St. Clair along with local newcomer Mekhai Barnett (Windsor, ON/Holy Names) rounding out the group.

The weekend schedule for the Saints Basketball program

Fri, Oct. 18th
6:00 pm - St. Clair Women’s Game vs. Mohawk College
8:00 pm - St. Clair Men’s Game vs. Mohawk College

Sat, Oct. 19th
1:00 pm - St. Clair Women’s Game vs. Niagara College
3:00 pm - St. Clair Men’s Game vs. Niagara College

Go to www.saintsathletics.ca for up to date information and results.

Saint's basketball player David Gomez Jr.