The George Brown women and men’s basketball teams will begin their seasons by hosting the Seneca Sting on Friday October 28 at the Casa Loma Athletic Centre. The women’s game will begin at 6 pm and men’s game is scheduled to tip-off at 8 pm.
WOMEN’S TEAM - Led by third year head coach Omari Wiltshire, the Huskies women’s basketball team is looking to continue building off last year’s shortened post-pandemic OCAA season. They finished with a 3-5 record, with the season coming to and end after a crossover playoff game loss to the Durham Lords. The 2022-23 team will have several first-year players on the roster including notable recruits Kiara Graham, Jordyn Dawkins, and Ava Proskos.
Graham played in one of the top leagues in Ontario last season with the Redmond Redhawks of the OSBA. She averaged 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. In addition, she was a multisport athlete who also competed in varsity track and field, soccer while being named MVP of the track and field team and YRAA championships the same season.
Dawkins played for the UEWB Canada Academy for numerous seasons and recently played on their U19 team during the 2021-2022 campaign. In addition, she has collected notable awards including Athlete of the Year, Young Woman of Community Service and Most Improved Player. Coach Wiltshire believes Dawkins will make an immediate impact with the Huskies this season.
Proskos graduated from Dunbarton High School in Pickering, Ontario and during her time there, Proskos was named MVP of the basketball team for three straight years. She also found success with the Durham City Chameleons of the OBA, making it to the provincial finals in three consecutive seasons.
MEN’S TEAM – Led by fourth year head coach Jason Dawkins, the Huskies men’s basketball team will look to make a push for another OCAA medal and spot at the National tournament. The team won gold for the first time in 44 years during the 2019-20 season after toppling the Humber Hawks 78-65 in the final contest, qualifying for the CCAA National Championship A Championship that was unfortunately subsequently canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Led by fifth year veterans Robert Ocampo (2022 OCAA Men's Basketball East Division Second-Team All-Star) and Chris Fields (2019-20 OCAA Men's Basketball East Division Defensive Player of the Year), and a strong supporting cast of Dieu Betoukoumessou (4th Year transfer – Centennial College), Jeremiah Brown (4th Year transfer – Loyalist College) and Caldre Campbell (4th Year), the Huskies have a wealth of experience in both the front and backcourts to start the season.
Coach Dawkins is pleased with the way his team has prepared for tonight’s season opener and believes they are ready for anything. “As we enter the new season, I’m optimistic that our team will perform well.”, Dawkins said. “We know that we can’t control certain things that happen on the court, but we can definitely control how we react to things that may seem to not go our way.”
Leading up to the regular season, the Huskies played in several exhibition games including against York University where they won 86-69 and won the Wayne Allison Bruins Bash Tournament that was hosted by Sheridan College, taking down the host team in convincing 98-80 victory. At the tournament the Huskies also defeated Mohawk College 82-68 and St. Clair College 94-83. They will look to carry that momentum into the season home opener tonight at Casa Loma at 8pm.
Can't make the games in person? Make sure to watch the game on our Livestream Channel!
