Kigab and top-seeded Phoenix ready to roll
The Saint Francis Phoenix senior boys basketball team enters the 60th Annual Standard High School Basketball Tournament in a familiar position.
Tournament organizers have determined the defending Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AA champions are the top seeds heading into the week. Rounding out the top eight seeds are Eden, Sir Winston Churchill, West Niagara, Denis Morris, Centennial, Greater Fort Erie and Blessed Trinity.
“The Standard is something we are definitely looking forward to and always look forward to,” Phoenix head coach Jon Marcheterre said. “Certainly being the No. 1 seed brings a lot of attention and puts a target on our back but it is one that we are familiar with. We are proud of the guys and we are going to try and do our job to make sure that the seedings are right.”
Last year, the Phoenix were thumped by Eden in the championship semifinals.
“You don’t forget that. We lost four times last year and that one was really tough,” he said. “It’s not so much playing against Eden or anyone in particular. It is making sure we are doing what we are doing at this time of year to compete and hopefully there will be a chance to put another banner up on the wall.”
Seeding a tournament at this time of year is always an inexact science but Marcheterre believes there is one main factor which led to the top billing.
“We are returning nearly all of the team that won OFSAA last year and I am sure that is the biggest part of it. At this time of year, it is hard to know who is humming or firing on all cylinders. It is more what does your roster look like and what did you do previously. The top four seeds are teams that last year started to establish themselves or did and are returning a lot of their guys.”
Returning starters for the Phoenix are Andrew Ens, Jack Ciocca, Jakob Labanowicz and Tommy Goodwin (recovering from a broken hand).
One Phoenix player expected to take a step this season will be Nawaf Kigab, the younger brother of former Saint Francis great Abu Kigab.
“He is his own guy. He is in Grade 11 and he is a guy that we have known about for a while and have been looking forward to him coming up to senior since his brother was here,” Marcheterre said. “He is an outstanding young man who is really thoughtful as a player and a teammate. He gets that his role and responsibility is to be a leader now that he is a senior and he is really starting to embrace that. He gives us some size but he has that perimeter play and he is on the cusp. He is really starting to establish himself in our region as a high school player and is carving out his own path.”
Marcheterre agrees it is tough for Kigab to follow in the gigantic-sized footsteps of his older brother.
“They are bigger than any other player has had to follow at out school. We have had Kasambas one after the other come through and they all did a great job of filling shoes and establishing their own path. This is a bit daunting for anyone to try and come in and follow Abu but we’ve been very clear with Nawaf that he has to be Nawaf and that will be good enough here. We aren’t going to make him feel like he has to follow in his brother’s footsteps but there is no doubt that he is reminded about it constantly because his (Abu’s) name is all over the walls and everyone knows he is the best that ever played here.”
The 16-year-old doesn’t try and dwell on his brother’s accomplishments.
“I think of him more as a mentor. He has helped me out a lot, I don’t see the shadow,” he said. “There is a standard expected from me since I am his brother but I don’t see it as a negative. I just see it as something that keeps me going forward.”
The 6-foot-4 forward started playing travel basketball in Grade 7 with the St. Catharines Rebels and then COVID hit.
“It was pretty hard because everything was shut down. Eighth grade was like a no show and we didn’t even play. Ninth grade I came here to Saint Francis and it was a really good experience. I loved the coaching, they let me play my game and it was a good system to be in. It helped me develop my game, especially the defensive aspect and my IQ.”
He suited up for the senior team last year.
“It was really important for me because I really needed it. I needed to see what the game was like because when I first came up the game felt really fast. I wasn’t really confident because everyone was stronger than me. I have always been under-sized growing up compared to everyone else and seeing the size comparison really helped me to understand what I needed to do through the rest of the year.”
Kigab can’t wait to play in the Standard tournament.
“It is super exciting. We are looking forward to it and we really want to do well. We want to play everybody. A lot of people have been talking trash about us and we just want to prove them wrong.”
The loss to Eden in last year’s tournament was a tough loss but was an important one moving forward.
“It kept us humble and now we want it even more,” Kigab said.
The tournament starts Monday at four locations. The schedule includes: Blessed Trinity vs. Ridley College at 1:15 p.m. and Saint Francis at St. Catharines Collegiate at 2:45 p.m. at Blessed Trinity; Denis Morris vs. Thorold at 1 p.m. and West Niagara vs. E.L. Crossley at 2:30 p.m. at Thorold; Eden vs. Holy Cross at 1:10 p.m. and Greater Fort Erie at Laura Secord at 2:40 p.m. at Holy Cross; and, Centennial vs. Governor Simcoe at 1:10 p.m. and Sir Winston Churchill vs. Smithville Christian at 2:45 p.m. at Governor Simcoe.
Tuesday’s quarter-final games will be staged at Saint Francis, Crossley, Churchill and Eden with the consolation games set for 6 p.m. and the championship matches scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
All the semifinals will be staged Thursday at Ridley College with consolation games at 3 and 4:30 p.m. and championship games at 6 and 7:30 p.m.
Championship night will be held at St. Catharines Collegiate with the consolation final at 5:30 p.m. and the championship at 7:45 p.m.
