BARRIE, Ont. - Niagara College's Van Hutchinson Jr. (Bahamas) was named the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Men's Basketball Player of the Year in a ceremony held in Barrie, Ont., on Thursday morning as part of the 2019 belairdirect OCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
The fourth-year guard led all OCAA players with 138 assists and 56 steals, while finishing second with 258 total rebounds. He was the top scorer on Niagara during the 2018-19 regular season averaging 25.3 points per game, third among all OCAA players. Hutchinson Jr. is also a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian and headlines the OCAA West Division First-Team All-Stars.
Brandon Halliburton (Brampton) of Durham is also an All-Canadian. The third-year guard was the OCAA East Division Scoring Champion averaging 22.2 points per game, while also contributing 93 rebounds, 61 assists and 17 steals. Halliburton is also an OCAA East Division First-Team All-Star.
The OCAA Rookie of the Year is Emanuel Otong (Cambridge) of Mohawk. The forward was second in OCAA scoring averaging 25.3 points per game, scoring more points (506) than any other player this season. Otong was second in three-point attempts made shooting 64-of-179 beyond the arc. Otong is also the OCAA West Division Rookie of the Year, an OCAA West Division Second-Team All-Star and headlines the West Division All-Rookie Team.
Jay McNeilly of Seneca is the OCAA East Division Coach of the Year and is the OCAA nominee for CCAA Coach of the Year. McNeilly led his Sting to an OCAA East Division championship with a 17-3 record which included a season-best 10 game winning streak. Seneca was stingy on defence with a league low 62.5 points against per game average.
The OCAA East Division Rookie of the Year is Kyrin Henlin (Pickering) of Centennial. The forward led his team in scoring averaging 14.1 points per game and sixth in the OCAA in steals with 29. Henlin is also an OCAA East Division Second-Team All-Star and headlines the East Division All-Rookie Team.
Samson Downey of Humber is the OCAA West Division Coach of the Year. A first-time head coach, Downey led his Hawks to a West Division championship with an 18-2 record, including an OCAA-best 17 game winning streak.
Gregory Roberts (Toronto) of U of T Mississauga is the OCAA League Scoring Champion. Roberts averaged 28.9 points per game, totalling 492 points. Along with being the OCAA West Division Scoring Champion, Roberts is an OCAA West Division Second-Team All-Star and a member of the OCAA West Division All-Rookie Team.
Defensive excellence was also honoured. Chris Fields (Montreal, Que.) of George Brown is the OCAA East Division Defensive Player of the Year. The third-year guard was third among OCAA players with 47 steals on a stingy George Brown team that allowed a second-fewest 66.0 points allowed per game.
The OCAA West Division Defensive Player of the Year is Foster Brown (Stoney Creek) of Redeemer. The third-year guard contributed 137 rebounds, 33 steals and six blocks in 20 regular season games.
Along with Hutchinson Jr., OCAA West Division First-Team All-Stars include Chris Parker (Toledo, Ohio) of Fanshawe; Jaylan Morgan (Brampton) of Humber; Spencer Kerssies (Hamilton) of Redeemer and Nick Campbell (Brampton) of Sheridan.
Joining Halliburton as OCAA East Division First-Team All-Stars include teammate Julian Hinckson Jr. (Ajax) of Durham; Adam Costanzo (Ottawa) of George Brown; Tyler Vanessen (Whitby) of Georgian; Angelo Sarsonas (Toronto) of Loyalist; and Isaiah Ankra (North York) of Seneca.
Joining Roberts as OCAA West Division Second-Team All-Stars are Tyvell Peters (Toronto) of Lambton; Emanuel Otong (Cambridge) of Mohawk; David Gomez (Pontiac, Mich.) of St. Clair; and Kahleek Bakari-Whyte (Brampton) of Sheridan.
The five student-athletes that make up the OCAA East Division Second-Team All-Stars are Isaiah Adeboboye (North York) and Henlin of Centennial; Anthony Meggo (Whitby) of Georgian; and Isse Ibrahim (Toronto) and Daniel Wright (Scarborough) of Seneca.
Along with Henlin, members of the OCAA East Division All-Rookie Team are David Tshimanga (Montreal, Que.) of Algonquin; Craig Hanson (Ajax) of Durham; DJ Atkinson (Toronto) of Loyalist; and Mohamed Omar (Ottawa) of St. Lawrence.
Joining Otong and Roberts on the OCAA West Division All-Rookie Team are Kevin Otoo (Toronto) of Humber; Kardon Edwards (Brampton) of Lambton; Milos Mladjan (Hamilton) of Mohawk; and Keveshawn Padachey (Markham) of Niagara.
2018-19 OCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL MAJOR AWARDS
OCAA Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Van Hutchinson Jr., Niagara
CCAA Men's Basketball All-Canadians
Brandon Halliburton, Durham
Van Hutchinson Jr., Niagara
OCAA Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year
Emanuel Otong, Mohawk
CCAA Men's Basketball Coach of the Year Nominee
Jay McNeilly, Seneca
OCAA Men's Basketball League Scoring Champion
Gregory Roberts, U of T Mississauga
OCAA Men's Basketball East Division Rookie of the Year
Kyrin Henlin, Centennial
OCAA Men's Basketball West Division Rookie of the Year
Emanuel Otong, Mohawk
OCAA Men's Basketball East Division Coach of the Year
Jay McNeilly, Seneca
OCAA Men's Basketball West Division Coach of the Year
Samson Downey, Humber
OCAA Men's Basketball East Division Scoring Champion
Brandon Halliburton, Durham
OCAA Men's Basketball West Division Scoring Champion
Gregory Roberts, U of T Mississauga
OCAA Men's Basketball East Division Defensive Player of the Year
Chris Fields, George Brown
OCAA Men's Basketball West Division Defensive Player of the Year
Foster Brown, Redeemer
OCAA Men's Basketball East Division Champions
Seneca Sting
OCAA Men's Basketball West Division Champions
Humber Hawks
OCAA Men's Basketball East Division First-Team All-Stars
Isaiah Ankra, Seneca
Adam Costanzo, George Brown
Brandon Halliburton, Durham
Julian Hinckson Jr., Durham
Angelo Sarsonas, Loyalist
Tyler Vanessen, Georgian
OCAA Men's Basketball East Division Second-Team All-Stars
Isaiah Adeboboye, Centennial
Kyrin Henlin, Centennial
Isse Ibrahim, Seneca
Anthony Meggo, Georgian
Daniel Wright, Seneca
OCAA Men's Basketball West Division First-Team All-Stars
Nick Campbell, Sheridan
Van Hutchinson Jr., Niagara
Spencer Kerssies, Redeemer
Jaylan Morgan, Humber
Chris Parker, Fanshawe
OCAA Men's Basketball West Division Second-Team All-Stars
Kahleek Bakari-Whyte, Sheridan
David Gomez, St. Clair
Emanuel Otong, Mohawk
Tyvell Peters, Lambton
Gregory Roberts, U of T Mississauga
OCAA Men's Basketball East Division All-Rookie Team
DJ Atkinson, Loyalist
Craig Hanson, Durham
Kyrin Henlin, Centennial
Mohamed Omar, St. Lawrence
David Tshimanga, Algonquin
OCAA Men's Basketball West Division All-Rookie Team
Kardon Edwards, Lambton
Milos Mladjan, Mohawk
Emanuel Otong, Mohawk
Kevin Otoo, Humber
Keveshawn Padachey, Niagara
Gregory Roberts, U of T Mississauga
- OCAA -
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