To call it an assembly of the best the country has to offer would be misleading but before they were household names and a who’s who in Canadian basketball circles some of the nation’s most highly touted hoops talents first made their mark in the PHASE 1 Rising Stars game.

The yearly showcase event features some of the brightest young ball players before they’ve developed into the well-known athletes leading the charge for Canada’s basketball revival.

Amongst the former alumni of the showcase event are the Cleveland Cavaliers Tristan Thompson (2007), former Syracuse Orangeman and All-American Kris Joseph (2004), former St. Bonaventure standout Andrew Nicholson (2006), lightning quick Texas Longhorn Myck Kabongo (2008), smooth shooting Baylor Bear Brady Heslip (2006) and high flying Oregon Fighting Duck Olu Ashaolu (2005) to name a few of the boys who have participated. Not to be out done representing the ladies are notably Duquesne Dukes standout Wumi Agunbiade (2009), former Michigan Spartan star Kalisha Keane (2006), and Syracuse Orange stalwart Kayla Alexander (2007).

With such an illustrious list of former participants its clear the Rising Stars is a breeding ground for Canada’s future standouts.For those former alums the Rising Stars was an opportunity to first showcase their talents on a broader platform and get recognized as players to look out for in the future. Much like its sister event, the Rumble in the T-Dot “All-Canada Classic”, the Rising Stars is a righto passage for Canadian ball players trying to make their mark as the nation’s next big thing. Entrenched in tradition it’s often times the first step for Canadian basketball players in realizing their dream to play basketball on the next level.

This year’s event will be no different as it will highlight some of the brightest young talent in four marquee matchups on June 2nd at Seneca College Newnham campus. There will be a meeting between some of the newest names on the hoops circuit, as the top boy and girls in the 8th and 9th grade go head-to-head in the first two games. Some of the more seasoned underclassmen will faceoff later in the day as the up and coming 10th and 11th graders matchup in the other two showcase games. Along with the games there will be an opportunity for players to educate themselves with seminars in athletic development, marketing yourself, athletic testing and basketball skill testing using the PHASE 1 training system.
 

By: Umar Ali