Radobenko joins Niagara College

Reese Radobenko will be reunited with former Centennial coach Phil Mosley in the next chapter of his basketball career.

The 5-foot-10 guard will be studying sports management at Niagara College and fighting for playing time on the school’s men’s basketball team.

“It’s the best opportunity for me,” he said. “I originally wanted to go to Brock but they didn’t have a coach for the basketball team (at that time). I talked to people close to me and everyone agreed this was my best opportunity for basketball and academically.”

He plans to get his three-year diploma at the college in sports management and then move over to Brock and get a sports management degree as well.

“Hopefully by the time I am finished here, I will be stronger and more experienced and I will be able to make Brock’s team.”

The former Welland Warriors and Niagara Selects travel player knows he will need to prove himself at the college level.

“I haven’t been looked at as a star player like other people are and I just want to come in, do my job and work hard,” he said. “I want to make sure I am playing hard for my teammates every second I am on the floor, hit my shots and play good defence.”

He knows the one main area he will need to work on.

“I feel comfortable reading the game at that level and at that speed but I have to get stronger.”

At the high school level, Radobenko was fearless driving to the net and took a pounding game after game. He still plans to be as aggressive as possible.

“I am going to do whatever it takes, but at college it’s a lot bigger guys so I am not going to be able to get rebounds like I did in high school.”

He plans to take a page out of the playbook of Raptors guard Kyle Lowrey.

“I am going to take charges when I can and get to the basket when I can.”

He is working hard to adjust his style of play to where he will fit in at Niagara.

“I am going to be more of a catch-and-shoot kind of guy, hugging the outside and keeping the defences guessing on me,” he said. “When I am open, I will make my shots and when they focus on me, I can create opportunities for my teammates.”

Through the summer, he has been training twice a week with his Niagara College teammates. He has also been working out at No Limit Performance and working on his lateral quickness at the Niagara Health and Rehab Centre.

Mosley is looking forward to once again working with Radobenko.

“He’s one of those kids you want to take a chance on,” he said. “If you tell him he can’t do something, he will go out and show you that he can.”

Mosley is obviously very familiar with the guard’s game.

“I have known Reese since he was a Grade 9 in high school and he has immersed himself in basketball,” he said, “I have watched him train and I have watched him develop every year. He has gotten better and he has built himself into a very good basketball player.”

Radobenko also has a great deal of familiarity with the Niagara College’s men’s basketball program.

“He has been in and around our team and our program through some of our summer and spring runs and he has really started to fit in and find a bit of a niche with our guys,” Mosley said. “I like his work ethic, I like his attitude and with more development and hard work, he can become a solid player in the OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association).”

But like any high school player taking the leap to post-secondary hoops, it’s going to be tough and there are no guarantees.

“It’s a guard-dominated league which means not only are there great guards within the league and on others teams, but there are great guards trying to play at Niagara as well,” Mosley said. “He is going to have to compete hard and maintain a positive attitude, but those are all his strengths.”