Klassen named AUS Basketball MVP
Fifth-year Acadia Axemen forward Owen Klassen of Kingston, Ont. was named the Atlantic University Sport most valuable player at Thursday night’s banquet which was hosted by AUS at the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax, N.S
HALIFAX, N.S. - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2013-14 AUS men's basketball all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference's eight head coaches following regular season play.
Fifth-year Acadia Axemen forward Owen Klassen of Kingston, Ont. was named the Atlantic University Sport most valuable player at Thursday night's banquet which was hosted by AUS at the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax, N.S. In addition to MVP honours, Klassen was also selected as the defensive player of the year for the third consecutive season.
Other AUS major award winners announced during the banquet were Javon Masters of Kitchener, Ont., who was named rookie of the year; Saint Mary's Harry Ezenibe of Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria, who received the student-athlete community service award; and Acadia Axemen head coach Stephen Baur, who was named the AUS coach of the year.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Owen Klassen, Acadia
Owen Klassen, a fifth-year human kinetics student with the Acadia Axemen, is the Atlantic University Sport men's basketball most valuable player for the first time in his career.
A native of Kingston, Ont., Klassen finished second in the Atlantic conference and seventh in the CIS in scoring this season with an average of 20.0 points per game. He also led the AUS in rebounds, averaging 10.6 per game. His 56.1 field goal percentage was good for third best in the conference.
Klassen wraps up his AUS career with 1,473 total points, the third most career points of any Acadia Axemen player on record. Former Axemen standouts Ted Upshaw (with 1,563) and Don Ehler (with 1,537) are first and second in the Acadia records for career points scored.
This is Klassen's third consecutive year being named an AUS first team all-star. In his sophomore season, he was named to the second team all-star squad. As a freshman in 2009-10, he was a member of the all-rookie team and also took home AUS rookie of the year honours.
Last season, the 6-foot-10 forward was named a first team all-Canadian. In 2011-12, he earned a place on the CIS second team all-Canadian squad.
"Owen has led Acadia in every facet possible: defensively, offensively, and as our leader," said Axemen head coach Stephen Baur. "His impact on the Acadia program will be felt for years to come and it is nice to see the league recognizing him as well."
Klassen will now be the AUS representative for the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding player in CIS basketball. The last Atlantic conference player to win the CIS award was William Njoku of the Saint Mary's Huskies in 1992-93.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Javon Masters, UNB
Javon Masters, a 6-foot-0 guard from Kitchener, Ont., is the first Varsity Reds player to claim the AUS rookie of the year award since the 2010-11 season, when his teammate Will McFee took home the honour.
Masters led both the conference and the country in scoring this season with a 27.4 points per game average. In just his first year, he made his way into the AUS record books, posting 547 points this season, good for the second most on record by an individual in a single season. Former Saint Mary's player Joey Haywood holds the record with 575.
Masters also now holds the AUS all-time record for free throws made in a single season with 215. He is tied for second in the record books for free throws made in a single game, having made 20 during a November game versus the UPEI Panthers.
In addition to being named the top rookie, Masters also claimed a spot on the first team all-star squad and the all-rookie team. His three-point percentage (42.4) was the best in the conference this season and his free throw percentage (88.8) was second best.
"We are extremely pleased that Javon has been recognized for the outstanding season he has put together for the Varsity Reds," said UNB head coach Brent Baker. "He has made a major impact on our program and will continue to do so as he progresses through his career at UNB. Leading the country in scoring as a freshman is a rare and special accomplishment."
Masters will now represent the conference as the AUS nominee for the Dr. Peter Mullins trophy. Last year, Deontay Smith of the UPEI Panthers became the second AUS player to earn the honour. Dalhousie's Shawn Plancke was named CIS rookie of the year in 1992-93.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Owen Klassen, Acadia
Owen Klassen of the Acadia Axemen is the AUS defensive player of the year for the third year in a row.
Prior to Klassen's reign, former Acadia standout Achuil Lual was the only other Axemen player to be recognized with this award.
This is the first time the conference MVP and defensive player of the year honours have been awarded to the same student-athlete.
Klassen finished the season third in blocks in the AUS with 21, first in defensive rebounds (122) and first in total rebounds with 181 and 10.6 per game.
"Owen's ability to impact the game on the defensive end has been the key to our success," said Axemen coach Stephen Baur. "He changes shots, protects the paint, and finishes possessions. He has been a pleasure to coach for the past five seasons."
CBU's Phil Nkrumah and StFX's Garry Gallimore are the only AUS players to have been named CIS defensive player of the year since the inception of the award in 2004-05.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Stephen Baur, Acadia
Stephen Baur, in his fifth year at the helm of the Axemen program, becomes the third Acadia men's basketball coach to be named AUS coach of the year.
Six-time winner Dave Nutbrown last took home the honour in 1998-99 and Coach Ian MacMillan earned the title in 1980-81.
This year, Baur guided the Axemen to a first-place finish in the Atlantic conference with a record of 15-5, finishing eight points ahead of the second place Saint Mary's Huskies.
His Axemen squad averaged 82.3 points per game while allowing only 75.6 points per game against. Acadia had league-leading field goal (44.6 ) and three-point (34.8) percentages and also led the conference in rebounds.
Prior to taking over as the Acadia head coach, Baur spent three seasons as an Acadia assistant coach, including serving as the interim head coach during their 2008 CIS silver medal-winning season.
Baur was also an assistant coach at Brandon University after making the jump to CIS basketball from the provincial and high school level.
"Steve is very deserving of this recognition and I couldn't be happier for him," said Acadia University athletic director Kevin Dickie. "In all of my years around coaches, I've never been around someone who has such combination of respect for his student-athletes, and in turn, that respect returned in spades. His work ethic is at the highest level, as is his passion for the sport of basketball, and our Axemen Program."
Baur will now represent the AUS as the nominee for CIS coach of the year. StFX's Steve Konchalski (2000-01) is the last Atlantic conference head coach to win the Stuart W. Aberdeen Trophy as the nation's top university coach.
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Harry Ezenibe, Saint Mary's
Harry Ezenibe of the Saint Mary's Huskies is the 2014 recipient of the student-athlete community service award for the second consecutive year and will be the Atlantic conference nominee for the prestigious Ken Shields Award.
A native of Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria, the 6-foot-4, fifth-year forward appeared in 15 games for the Huskies this season, averaging 9.0 points per game and finishing fourth in rebounds with 7.7 per game.
His 58.2 field goal percentage was the second highest in the conference this season.
A 2011-12 and 2012-13 CIS academic all-Canadian, Ezenibe is completing a double major in sociology and criminology and maintains a 3.6 GPA. He is a 2013 recipient of the Saint Mary's student leadership award, given to a student who exhibits leadership qualities within the classroom and in the community.
He spends a great amount of time volunteering with youth in the community and hopes to eventually establish what he has dubbed the "Harry Cares" project as a means of giving back by empowering and creating opportunities for youth in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
Some of the other activities that Ezenibe volunteers his time with include:
- Working with youth in Huskies basketball camps and spring leagues.
- Participating and fundraising for 'Motionball', an event that raises funds and awareness for Special Olympics Canada.
- Working with youth with developmental disabilities at Autism Nova Scotia.
- Tutoring students from J.L. Ilsley High School weekly with the program 'Pathways to Education'.
- Helping to organize and host the first annual 'Harry Cares' basketball tournament for youth ages 12-14 in the Prospect Community area.
- Working as an ambassador for the Giants of Africa organization. Ezenibe was invited by Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri to speak at the opening of this foundation in November 2013.
- Mentoring students from Caledonia Junior High School as part of the 'Just Believe' program. This initiative was started to inspire youth, provide an opportunity for junior high students to interact with university student-athletes and to hopefully develop these youth into future mentors within their communities.
"Harry is completely selfless," said Huskies head coach Jonah Taussig. "He is always looking out for the greater good whether it be with his teammates or the youth he works with in the community. He is always looking to make a positive difference in the lives of the people around him."
The last AUS player to be awarded the CIS Ken Shields Award was Dalhousie University's Andrew Sullivan in 2009-10. No Saint Mary's men's basketball player has ever won the national award.
FIRST AND SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS AND ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
The Atlantic University Sport first and second team all-stars were also announced Thursday, along with this year's all-rookie team.
First team all-stars:
Owen Klassen, Acadia (5th year – Kingston, Ont.)
Javon Masters, UNB (1st year – Kitchener, Ont.)
Deontay Smith, UPEI (2nd year – North Preston, N.S.)
Theon Reefer, Saint Mary's (2nd year – Toronto, Ont.)
Will Donkoh, StFX (5th year – Ottawa, Ont.)
Second team all-stars:
Boyd Vassell, Saint Mary's (4th year – Kitchener, Ont.)
Vasilije Curcic, Memorial (2nd year - Kragujevac, Serbia)
Anthony Sears, Acadia (5th year – Riverview, N.B.)
Anthony Ashe, Acadia (5th year – Stittsville, Ont.)
Geoff Doane, UPEI (4th year – St. Margaret's Bay, N.S.)
All-rookie team:
Javon Masters, UNB (Kitchener, Ont.)
Kevin Bercy, StFX (Kanata, Ont.)
Davion Parnsalu, Memorial (Ajax, Ont.)
Julius Antoine, StFX (Woodbridge, Ont.)
Gianmarco Luciani, Acadia (Maple, Ont.)
The 2014 Subway Atlantic University Sport men's basketball championship will be hosted at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, N.S., Feb. 28 - March 2, 2014.
The championship schedule is as follows: (seeding in brackets)
Friday, Feb. 28
Quarterfinal #1: UNB (5th) vs. StFX (4th), 6 p.m.
Quarterfinal #2: Cape Breton (6th) vs. UPEI (3rd), 8:15 p.m.
Saturday, March 1
Semifinal #1: Acadia (1st) vs. Winner of Quarterfinal #1, 6 p.m.
Semifinal #2: Saint Mary's (2nd) vs. Winner of Quarterfinal #2, 8:15 p.m.