14
TOTAL SPORTS QUINTE
BELLEVILLE’S BRIGHT
Locked Out By COVID: Belleville Spiri By Geordie Michell/ Spirits Basketball
U10 Belleville Spirits
Asst. Coach Jon Bell, Howard Thiessen, Duke Botterill, Luke Milne, Judah Bell, Koi Alcindor-Ojara, Kai Fernandes, Oliver Bell, Kieyen Edwards, Ty Gallagher, Thomas Milne, Theo Oviedo, Neeson Michell, Coach Geordie Michell
The U10 Belleville Spirits were the youngest team ever assembled in the organization, but by the end of the year they played like they had been doing it for years. The team was made up of four each of 7, 8, and 9 year-olds. Meanwhile, most of their competitors in the Ontario Basketball League (OBL) were all 9 years of age. Although outsized when they played their very competitive OBL season games in Toronto, they always managed to come home winning 50% or more of their games. They were also very successful in the local tournaments in Belleville and Picton. The coaches knew the year would be a process, and focused on the players’ growth throughout the season. Assistant Coach Jon Bell said that, “One of the nice things about working with young players who are new to the game, is that you get to set and shape the level of expectation of what basketball is. If you ask more of them (and we consistently did) they are eager to learn and do the work.” The boys’ growth started to really show in their last month of play leading up to the Ontario Cup that was scheduled for early March. It started with their sweeping the last weekend of OBL season play, which included beating the #1 seed in their division, the undefeated Toronto Triple Threat, in a grueling backand-forth game. This was a huge confidence boost for the boys and they would ride that momentum to the Northern Kings tournament, with some of the top teams in the province, the following weekend. The U10 boys walked into the Northern Kings tournament ready to play. They started the weekend by taking down the Toronto JCC Maccabi Warriors. They continued their strong play throughout the round robin to earn a place in the finals against the heavily-favoured Northern Kings. The boys played their hearts out, but eventually fell to the older and more experienced Northern Kings. “You can’t underestimate the value of facing good competition. We chose the NK tournament to help the kids see the level of execution and competition that is required, and facing it helped them bring it out in each other,” shared Bell.
The boys’ growth was evident to both the coaches and the players as they went to the Ontario Cup in London ranked #2 in their division. In their first game, they got off to a slow start before beating Pelham 30 - 19. After shaking off the jitters in game 1, the boys handled the DK Dragons, defeating them 46 - 18. This set the stage for them to face their arch-rivals, the Thornhill Thunder, to see who would gain a berth to the finals. The previous time these two teams had battled each other, the Thunder hit a heartbreaking buzzer beater to take the game. This time the Spirits were determined to come out on top. The Spirits started the game with the best half they had played all season, and were up by 11 points at halftime. The Thunder tried to punch back after half, but the Spirits weathered the onslaught, taking the game 30-22, and making it to the finals against the well-coached and evenlymatched Peterborough Power. The Spirits and Power had played 4 times throughout the year with each team winning 2. The Spirits did not take the Power for granted and used their momentum from their last win to propel them to a 30-22 Ontario Cup Championship! It was a season to remember!
U12 Belleville Spirits
Back row: Coach Corey Rump, Christopher Brown, Max LaCroix, Callum Rump, Aidan Shelley, Collin Launderville, Seth Lowery, Asst. Coach Christopher Mack, John Shelley. Middle row: Gage Forbes, Hayden Tisdale, Justin Bakker. Bottom row: Theo Tie, Nate Mack, Jenson Shaver.
The U12 Belleville Spirits’ season had a lot of ups and downs, but although the process was arduous at times, the outcome was sweet. Several interruptions due to sporadic bouts of severe weather caused a multitude of rescheduled games that had the boys struggling to find their groove early on. Their results matched the weather: bright wins, mirrored by some dreary losses. Coach Corey Rump felt that the various gaps in the Ontario Basketball League (OBL) East schedule slowed the team’s growth in terms of transferring their practice efforts into game success. Despite the hardships, the boys continued to persevere, practice hard, stay positive and support one another. “We were fortunate to have a group with great leadership, chemistry and commitment to improving as individuals and as a team,” said Rump. The returning players from the previous year were instrumental in patiently helping to get their newer teammates, who showed immense growth in their first season, up-to-speed and integrated into both their offensive and team defensive systems. That cohesion and chemistry would allow the boys to overcome the stop-and-go nature of their season.
