Top seeds eye Standard threepeat

The St. Francis Phoenix senior boys basketball team finds itself in familiar position heading into the 57th Annual Standard High School Basketball Tournament.

The winners of the last two Standard tournaments, five of the last seven and seven of the last 11 Standard championships enter the event as the top seeds.

“The Standard is huge at St. Francis,” Phoenix guard Igor M’Baya said. “We take pride in it and always have it on our agenda.

“We always prepare for it and are ready for anything.”

The 17-year-old views the past successes of St. Francis in the tournament as a benefit rather than added pressure.

“For me, it’s good pressure because I take a lot of pride in winning,” the 5-foot-10 guard said. “We have been dominating The Standard every year and this year I feel like we are going to come out and defend our title again.”

St. Francis is looking to threepeat at The Standard for the second time in school history.

“The players take incredible pride in it and it’s something we don’t take for granted,” St. Francis head coach Jon Marcheterre said. “We are very conscious of the amount of work required to continue do it.”

He knows the team carries the weight of expectations upon it.

“It might also put a little bit of pressure on the guys to live up to the previous teams and whatnot even though we try not to put that pressure on them,” Marcheterre said.

Although it’s early in the season, the tournament is important to both players and coaches.

“Although everyone knows when it might be, it’s one of the first things guys are asking me when the Standard starts and they are always anxiously waiting to see the seeding and to see who we are playing against in that Game 1,” he said.

The Phoenix will try to live in the moment.

“We try to focus on that Game 1 and not get too far ahead because that’s where mistakes are made,” Marcheterre said. “The student body and the school are certainly aware its Standard tournament next week and it’s a big deal.”

The Phoenix are the defending Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AA silver medalists and have made a habit of long and deep playoff runs.

“Not to sound like a broken record, but it’s built from the time that a student enters our school in Grade 9 with the junior program, led by Rich Alderson and Mike Lucas,” Marcheterre said. “It starts with those guys who have been coaching junior for an extended period of time.

“It’s where they learn the fundamentals and when they graduate to senior, it’s a matter of continuity.”

That St. Francis is still top seed despite losing six of its nine top scorers at last year’s tournament is a testament to the strength of the overall program.

“It’s a bit frightening for the coaches, but we also trust in that process,” Marcheterre said. “The juniors won SOSSA last year and I think it is the third straight year they have won.”

That being said, success at the junior level doesn’t guarantee the same at senior.

“We know there are pretty good players coming up and we’re excited to see the young guys, but there’s no doubt that we are a far less experienced and less mature team,” Marcheterre said. “It’s a work in progress and a much different coaching experience than last year.

Marcheterre uses a hockey reference to explain that difference.

“Last year was more like Scotty Bowman in the 1970s. He’s just opening the gate and letting them play and making sure the guys got enough touches and minutes,” he said. “This year, there is a lot more technical coaching and working at developing the players and teaching.”

One player who will play a key role for the Phoenix this season is M’Baya.

“This year is different because we don’t have the vets that we did last year,” he said. “We are a younger team this year and I had to come in and step up.”

The Grade 12 student is comfortable in assuming a larger role with the Phoenix.

“I play travel ball with most of the guys on the team so I am already used to playing with most of them. I’m a senior this year, it’s my last year and I have to step up.”

M’Baya feels a sense of urgency in his Grade 12 year.

“I want to take advantage of every minute on the court and play as hard as I can every single time down the court,” he said.

Marcheterre describes M’Baya as a quiet leader.

“It’s tough to get any sort of rise out of him, good or bad, and he is very even-keeled,” he said. “He has that calming effect and he’s that prototypical point guard who is looking to create, push the pace when it is there and slow it down when we need to.”

M’Baya, who can also score for the Phoenix if needed, is much the same player as last season, Marcheterre said.

“It’s just a matter of him getting more minutes because of guys graduating and allowing him more opportunities,” he said. “At OFSAA last year, he really came on as a defensive force, locking down on guards and contributing where he could.”

The second-seeded Governor Simcoe Redcoats are also a radically different squad compared to the team that competed at last year’s Standard tournament. Simcoe lost three of its top four scorers in last year’s event.

Simcoe coach Shaun Feor is proud of his team’s second seed.

“It’s something that the boys have worked hard for and we know it’s a honour to be there,” he said. “I know to climb the mountain we have to get over St. Francis eventually.

“Their program is very elite and I want to get our program to the same calibre.”

Rounding out the top four seeds are Blessed Trinity and Denis Morris.