Three Grade 12 basketball players and a pair of coaches at Hapnot Collegiate will be taking part in provincial all-star games this weekend.
Two members of the provincial finalist Hapnot senior Kweens - Shanti Church and Gianna Watt - and Bryson Dumas of the senior Kings will be heading to Winnipeg to play in the Basketball Manitoba A, AA and AAA Graduating All-Star Game April 15. Going along with them are a pair of Hapnot coaches, Steve Lytwyn and Garrett Whitford, both coaches for the Kweens squad that finished second in the province earlier this spring.
Church and Watt will reunite with their coaches on Team Wilson Sports in the girls’ game, which will be played at 12 p.m. at the Sport Manitoba Courts, while Dumas will join Team Kahunaverse Sports for the boys’ game at the same time at the complex.
Senior Kings coach Erik Rogalka said Dumas’ Grade 12 year was a coming-out party on the court. Despite starting the year with some academic challenges, Dumas worked through the issues and played well on court, earning a player of the game award and the player’s choice award at provincials last month. The coach said Dumas’ drive to compete and his play in all areas of the court - both as a high-impact defensive player and as one of the team’s top scorers - made him invaluable to the Kings.
“It was super rewarding to see. Bryson has dealt with a lot and for him to pick it up together and get himself going, it was rewarding,” said Rogalka.
“He was very committed to the team this season. He was spending extra hours in the gym, working on his game, always talking with the coaches trying to improve. I felt like as the season went on, he really became a leader for our team. For him to get that recognition was super nice to see.”
Church was the Kweens’ starting point guard and the team’s key ball handler and distributor, known for her speed, agility, two-way play and passing, with the ability to knock down clutch shots from all areas. Church was one of the Kweens’ five Grade 12 players and rarely left the court in big games.
“She leads by example - very hard working,” said Lytwyn, Church’s coach.
“Excellent defender, very quick. Her speed is a huge asset on both sides of the ball, for both sides of the court. She’s a very strong dribbler and she’s our ball handler, she’s very adept at bringing the ball down court, right hand, left hand. She can score and also be able to make that killer pass - she had a lot of assists.”
Through her senior season, Church had an average of 8.7 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, 4.6 steals per game and four assists per game.
Watt was the Kweens’ captain and leading scorer, a punishing presence in the key and low post. Watt battled for rebounds on both sides of the court all year and averaged a double-double each game in her Grade 12 year - double digits in both points scored and rebounds. For her teammates, Watt is a player to push the ball toward - for opponents, she’s a presence that must be avoided at all costs.
“She's a team captain, a leader on and off the court. I know that she was our top scorer on the season,” said Lytwyn.
“She’s a rebounding machine, both on offensive and defensive rebounds, scoring a lot of points, leading by example. A really, really smart and intelligent player too - she's again, similar to Shanti.”
Watt averaged 15.8 points per game this season and 13.2 rebounds per game, as well as 2.7 blocks per game.
Church, Watt, Lytwyn and Whitford’s team came within five minutes of a perfect season and a provincial title, losing their 28th and final game in the provincial championship to the Rosenort Redhawks. That same Redhawk team will have three players on the same all-star team as Church and Watt - for the first and only time, the rivals will become teammates.
Games can be streamed online for free at livebasketball.ca.
