Standard unveils All-Time Team
The Standard High School Basketball tournament celebrated its 60th anniversary in style Wednesday night with a reunion at the Grantham Lions Club.
The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the tournament’s all-time, all-tournament team. Five coaches and 15 players were selected. The criteria for players was approximately 50 per cent for their performance in the tournament over their careers, 25 per cent for community involvement with the game of basketball at large or with the tournament specifically, and the final 25 per cent for the player’s post secondary career.
Following is the All Time Tournament Team as picked by a committee:
COACHES
Pat Woodburn: Three-time Standard tournament champion as a coach; played varsity basketball at Laurier, Waterloo and Ottawa; coached at Kernahan Park, Grimsby and 20 years at Governor Simcoe; coached 18 years at Mohave in Arizona and was state champion in 2006; more than 1,200 wins at high school and university level; Jack Gatecliff Award winner; Brock Sports Hall of Fame inductee; Brock women’s coach for seven years, winning a national bronze in 1983; and, Brantford Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
Kevin McKenna Sr.: Won two junior Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association championships, two SOSSA senior championships and two Standard tournaments as a player; coached teams to two Standard tournament titles; and, coached teams to one junior SOSSA championship, one All Ontario Junior Catholic championship, two senior SOSSA championships and a National Coal Bowl Championship in Nova Scotia.
Maurice Prindiville: Standard tournament champion coach for three consecutive years from 1978-80; coached basketball at Denis Morris and Saint Francis for 17 years; won multiple city and SOSSA championships, highlighted by an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations bronze medal in 1980-81; and, part of coaching staff for the 1976 championship team and credits coach Eamon O’Shea for his understanding, knowledge and passion for basketball.
Pat Sullivan: two-time Standard all-star as player; played two years at Guelph and three years at Brock, winning 1992 national championship; coached teams to 19 zone and 17 SOSSA championships, and 10 OFSAA medals (two gold, four silver and four bronze with senior boys at Saint Francis): coached three zone and two SOSSA winners with junior girls, two titles with senior girls at Denis Morris and two senior boys titles with Kevin Mckenna at Denis Morris; member of Denis Morris hall of fame; four years as assistant coach with Brock men, winning two Ontario University Athletics championships; and, coach and trainer with Niagara Tigers, Niagara United, St. Catharines CYO and Pelham Panthers.
Larry Miller: player on two Standard championship teams in 1964 and 1965; St. Catharines Collegiate male athlete of the year in 1964-65; nine Standard tournament titles as coach; coached 1,057 HS basketball games and won 744 for a .704 winning percentage; coached teams to four SOSSA championships and two OFSAA AAA bronze medals; member of our tournament committee from 1976 to present which led committee to establish the Larry Miller bursary that will be presented for the first time this year on finals night; 2007 recipient of Bill Strupp community involvement award and the Jimmy Rose Memorial lifetime achievement to basketball award; volunteered at basketball camps across Ontario; convenor of Lincoln county boys basketball and the world championships in Hamilton; 1991-93 Mike Mitruk award winner for dedication to basketball; colour commentator work for Brock basketball and Standard tournament on Cogeco and Niagara Knights broadcasts; and, St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame inductee in 2013.
PLAYERS
Mike Pullar: Standard tournament MVP 1988; member of DM hall of fame; played one year at York University and three at Brock, winning a national championship team in 1992; coached at Monsignor Clancy with Jeff MacDonald and won an OFSAA A gold medal in 1996; coached at Saint Michael from 1997-2001 and Denis Morris from 2002-2012; and, coached at Niagara Girls Academy 2014-2019 and won OBA gold in 2014 and 2018.
Mike Kemp: Standard tournament MVP in 2002 and all-star in 2001; three-time AAAA SOSSA champion at A.N. Myer, including an OFSAA fourth-place finish; two-time OBA Division 1 champion at the club level; played scholarship baseball at George Mason and led league in home runs; national all-rookie team member, second team all-star in Ontario University Athletics Association West and defensive player of the year in the OUAA West in his senior year at Brock; led the country in three pointers made; and, won national championship in 2008 and was all-star team member and MVP of championship game.
Brent Beamer: Standard tournament MVP in 1992 with Governor Simcoe; SOSSA champion 1992-93; two-time team Ontario member; including Ontario 16 and under provincial gold medal winning team; full scholarship player at Niagara University where started at small forward; was a Pepsi Marist tournament First Team All-star; and, was named as one of top 100 athletes of the last 100 years in St. Catharines in 2000.
Doug Fast: Standard tournament MVP in 1977 and OFSAA champion in 1977-78; played at Brock where he was a OUA West First Team all-star three times, OUA West MVP in 1984, CIAU All Canadian in 1984, Brock MVP 1982-84 and a two-time Brock male athlete of the year; member of Brock Basketball and Brock Athletics Hall of Fame; and, coached CYO basketball and at Governor Simcoe.
Rohan Steen: Two-time Standard tournament MVP while playing at Notre Dame; All-Conference Rookie Team at Brock; Canadian Interuniversity Sport and OUA All-star at York in 2006-07; and, starting guard on Brock national championship team in 2008.
Walt Szpilewski: Standard tournament MVP in 1965; played one year at St. Francis Xavier and three years at McMaster University, where he won an Ontario championship and a national silver medal; played at Brock while in teacher’s college and won team MVP; assistant coach to Les Korchok and Garney Henley at Brock; and, coached at OFSAA nine times with boys and girls and won five silver medals.
Mike Hurley: Standard tournament MVP in 1993 with E.L. Crossley; three-time First Team OCAA All-star at Niagara College; two-year player/captain for Brock Badgers; head coach for Niagara College men in 2017-18; Niagara Knights Hall of Fame member; vice president Pelham Panthers Minor Basketball; coaches Pelham Panthers boys and girls teams; and, basketball trainer across province.
Abu Kigab: Standard tournament MVP in 2013; two-time OFSAA medalist, including gold in 2015; national champion with Ontario provincial team; played at Prolific Prep; world champion and all-star at under 19 FIBA World Championships; Division 1 scholarship player at Oregon and Boise State and was All-conference, all-defensive team and conference tournament MVP at Boise State; played in NBA summer league for Toronto Raptors; member of senior national team; played professionally for Ottawa and Niagara River Lions; and, currently playing in Slovakia where he is leading his team in scoring and rebounding.
Skeeter Mower: two-time Standard tournament champion and MVP in 1980; two-time city and SOSSA champion; OFSAA bronze medalist in 1980; was UPEI rookie of the year; and, starting point guard at Acadia for four years, winning two AUAA championships and making three CIAU appearances, including one Final Four appearance.
Patrick Pilato: Standard tournament MVP in 2011 and 2012; played five years of senior basketball at St. Francis; played at University of Victoria and won Canada West championship in 2015 and made back-to-back appearances in the National Final Four; played final season at Brock University and made a National Final Eight appearance; and, coached at Saint Francis and Niagara United.
Tshing Kasamba: Standard tourney MVP in 2007; five-year starter with Saint Francis senior boys and won three OFSAA silvers; two-time national champion with Ontario provincial team; two-year starter with NCAA Division 1 Chicago State; returned to Brock after ACL injury and set record of eight three pointers in single game; played professionally in Italy and Spain; and, now working as trainer and mentor to young players in Toronto.
Art Wiens: Standard tournament MVP in 1963 and 1964 with Niagara District; also excelled at hockey, baseball and football at Niagara District.
John Pilling: Standard tournament MVP 1984 and all-star in1983 at Collegiate; 105 points scored in 1984 is the single season tournament scoring record; chaired the Standard tournament in three different sports, basketball, tennis and squash; played basketball and tennis at Brock; and, coached for Niagara Juel, St. Catharines CYO and the Eden Flyers, earning one Ontario club title and making three OFSAA appearances.
Brian Bleich: Two-time Standard tournament MVP in 1986 and 1987 with Governor Simcoe; provincial and national junior team member 1985-87; played in World Junior Championships in 1987; full scholarship to Niagara University where he was named freshman of the year; played at Brock where he won a national championship in 1992, and was an OUAA all-star, Wilson Cup MVP, Brock MVP and all-Canadian selection in 1993; coach of women’s team at Niagara College in 1996; assistant coach with Brock men in 1999 and head of Basketball Alumni/Community relations until 2017; president of Pelham Panthers basketball since 2017; 2018 lead for Canada Basketball hosting U18 Americas FIBA in Niagara; and, lead role in Canada Games basketball in 2022.
Dave Phillip: three-time Standard MVP, winning a championship in 1992-93 with Collegiate; was recruited by the University of Texas Longhorns before playing university basketball for three years with Cape Breton where he was an AUAA semifinalist in 1997-98, averaged 17.5 points a game for his career and was an Atlantic University Sports First Team All-Star in 1998-99 and a AUS Second Team All-Star in 1997-98.
Dan Meagher: three-time Standard tournament champion with Denis Morris and tournament MVP in 1979 and 1980; member of Denis Morris Hall of Fame; played four years at Duke University; member of 1984 Canadian Olympic team that finished fourth; sixth-round draft pick of Chicago Bulls in 1985; starting forward on 1983 gold medal team at World University games (defeated a U.S. team with Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and Johnny Dawkins); played eight seasons of professional basketball in Europe; and, member of St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame.
