Arnold shines for Zone 4 Top 20 all-stars
Blessed Trinity’s Cole Arnold went into Wednesday’s top 20 Niagara Regional High School Basketball All-Star Games not looking to score.
“Scoring doesn’t really matter in an all-star game like this,” the Grade 11 student said. “I came here looking to get better and looking to improve on my defence while a lot of the other players are trying to get better on their passing, shooting and dribbling.”
That being said, the 16-year-old Beamsville resident grabbed player of game honours after scoring a team-high 11 points as the Zone 4 team dropped a 97-59 decision to its Zone 3 counterparts.
Arnold has just started his travel basketball program in the spring and summer with the Niagara Tigers and that practice helped him to match the play of other all-stars Wednesday.
“It has helped me huge with intensity,” he said. “You are running non-stop and on the Tigers, defence is the No. 1 priority.”
He feels that philosophy will be crucial if he wants to pursue basketball at the next level.
“If you get beat on defence, you are sitting and it’s like that in college and university.”
Arnold is also a distance runner in track and field and he placed second in the 3,000 metres at the Zone 4 track and field meet last spring.
“It helps me a lot with my cardio and by VO2 max (maximal oxygen uptake) is huge now,” he said. “Track and field and basketball are both run, run, run.”
Arnold says basketball is his favourite sport.
“I love the intensity it brings,” he said. “Cross country and track and field don’t have that much intensity. You work hard, but when you get around the back side of the track, no one is cheering. In basketball, you are getting cheers from everywhere.”
Niagara Tigers cofounder Pat Sullivan loves what Arnold bring to the organization’s Grade 11 roster.
“He is a great teammate who is only concerned with the team doing well,” he said. “He plays hard consistently, is a good shooter and understands how to play.”
Zone 3 97 Zone 4 59
Johnny Rocco’s/Mick and Angelo’s Players of the Game: John Graovaz, Saint Paul with 19 points for Zone 3; Cole Arnold, Blessed Trinity with 11 points for Zone 4.
Zone 3: John Graovaz, Saint Paul 19; Carter Teal, E.L. Crossley 16; Neil Wangler, Niagara Christian 12; Rock Benjamins, Niagara Christian 12; Aiden Belding, E.L. Crossley 10; Austin Ladouceur, Greater Fort Erie 8; Micah Stewart, Greater Fort Erie 7; Neil Mahraj, Stamford Collegiate 7; David Lai, Niagara Christian 5
Zone 4: Cole Arnold, Blessed Trinity 11; Jerrell Plumadore, St. Catharines Collegiate 7; Braydon Harrietha, Thorold 8; Evan Craig, Laura Secord 7; Isaiah Bultje, Heritage 7; Brendan Barker, Sir Winston Churchill 6; Noah Monteforte, Blessed Trinity 6; Adrian Waszak, Holy Cross 4; Charlie Edgar, Eden 3. Also playing, Michael Conlon, Denis Morris.
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