SportsXpress Windsor Jan/Feb 2018

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The Road to Victory: Holy Names O.F.S.A.A Champs One on one with Stefan Cebara

Shane Topalovic - Elite Trainer www.nxlathletics.com • 519-984-6607 • shane@nxlathletics.com

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sportsfiles

Windsor football community comes together

A huge thanks goes out to the University of Windsor, Sandwich Secondary Athletic Department, Windsor Minor Football Association, Essex Ravens Football Club, and the Windsor Essex Football League (WEFL) for making a local teenage girl’s dream come true.

This past fall, Taya Jackson was invited to an all-female football camp in Boston, free of charge by her idol/mentor Dr. Jen Welter. Dr. Welter is best known for being the first woman to coach in the NFL, not to mention all her experience as a player, and for getting her Doctorate Degree in Psychology.

The two follow each other closely through social media. “Jen has had a huge impact over me, both with football, and everyday life”, says Taya. The Football community heard about Taya’s invite and

decided to come together and raise money to help Taya and her Mom go on this trip. Support came in from many organizations and individuals throughout Essex County. Through bake sales, raffles, and donations, enough money was raised for an all expenses paid trip.

Taya started playing football with WFMA, and then played for the WEFL before going on to play in High School for the Sandwich Sabres junior team.

A teammate once said that Taya was one of the hardest hitting players that he played against.

Others have said that her work ethic, and dedication are second to none. Taya gives back by volunteering at her high school senior games, and by helping coach her younger brother’s team with her dad.

People say that football is just a game, but for all of us who have played know different. We can

all say the game of football has changed our lives in a positive way.

When asked on how this experience made her feel, Taya responded with “I am such a happy girl, I got to experience a lot of amazing things and meet amazing people, I’m so thankful to everyone who helped me get to where I am now. I am so thankful and blessed to have these opportunities and have supportive and loving family and friends with me on my journey, thank you for making this all possible”.

The Windsor Essex Football League season came to a close on December 19th. That only means that there are no games being played. A banquet had to be planned, coaching reviews need to take place, not to mention all the administrative things that never stop.

The Board will be looking for volunteers and nominations for various positions with the WEFL. This is a great way to give back to the community. If you or anyone you know with interest in helping out please email the WEFL at weflboard@gmail.com We have exciting things and ideas planned for the 2018 season, so come help on the board and put smiles on the faces of our youth.

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Entertaining, informative and engaging articles on local athletes, sports and teams.

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Windsor football community comes together WMHA making a difference in the community Learn to play whole getting educated Community Sports Spotlight: One on one with Stefan Cebara

January/February 2018 Windsor/Essex Edition

teamprofiles

Profiling community sports in words and photographs.

05 | The SWSC Fosters an Environment Encouraging Skates to Dream Big! 14 | Express looking to get back on track

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health&fitness

Informative articles on sports health & fitness.

sports@school

10 | How to be successful in 2018

Highlighting articles on all school sports and athletes.

08 | The road to victory: O.F.S.A.A Champs

PARTICIPATE. INTERACT. SUBMIT. SportsXpress has a targeted readership reaching committed sports enthusiasts — 37,500 readers throughout the sports zone

Get in the Game!

Linda Miklas • 519-972-3999 linda@windsorsportsxpress.ca Get Connected to Windsor: www.windsor.sportsxpress.ca

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Jan/Feb 2018 PUBLISHERS Linda Miklas

linda@windsorsportsxpress.ca 519-972-3999

GRAPHIC DESIGN Alyssa MacLeod CONTRIBUTORS Dean Lapierre, Windsor Minor

2018 Winter House League Registration is now open February 3 to March 24 The 2018 Windsor Valiants girls only house league basketball dates have been announced. There will be eight sessions for girls in grades one through nine. All sessions will take place at 749 Felix Ave at the Forester Community Hub in Windsor. The winter session will focus more on game like situations for house league participants as our fall sessions focused more on skill development. Grades one through three house league

sessions will start at 9am.

Grades four through six sessions will be 10:15 am until 11:30 am.

The last session featuring grades seven through nine will take place 11:45am until 1:00pm.

The cost is $70 and girls will get a Valiants branded t-shirt. Please visit www.windsorvaliants.ca for the registration form which can be emailed back to joshhleeman@ outlook.com. Payments can be made on the first day of house league by cash or cheque.

Hockey Association, Josh Leeman, Windsor Valiants, Shane Topalovic, Next Level Athletics, Marc Picard, Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board, Windsor Essex Football League, Windsor Skating Club, Windsor Express, Ian Shalapata, Jeff Baillargeon, Stefan Cebara

PHOTO Windsor Minor Hockey Association, CONTRIBUTORS Windsor Valiants, Shane Topalovic, Next Level Athletics, Stefan Cebara, Ian Shalapata, Windsor Express, Windsor Essex Football League, Gerry Marentette, Daniel Laporte, Ruth Paesano, Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board, Windsor Skating Club, Aphelion Media, Kathy Guenette, Sevillano Legal Services

PARTNERSHIP Cambridge & North Dumfries EDITIONS Chatham/Kent Guelph & Wellington KW & Stratford London Windsor

Windsor SportsXpress is an independently owned and operated member of the SportsXpress Network Editorial Contributions: Submissions are welcome from writers, photographers, athletes, coaches and individuals. Please contact the publisher. We assume no responsibility for unsolicited material. Contributors are responsible for obtaining all approvals for publication of photos and content prior to submission. All submissions may not be used. We may edit, publish, reproduce, distribute and archive submissions in any form or medium without any compensation. We are not responsible for lost or damaged submissions. Contents copyrighted. All rights reserved.

Reproduction or transmission of any article, photograph or artwork in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher is prohibited. Tri-City SportsXpress is published six times per year. Tri-City SportsXpress is committed to protecting your privacy as our customer. We may collect personal information only if it is required for the proper functioning of our business and only share this information with our business partners. The editors and contributors who write for Tri-City SportsXpress attempt to provide accurate and useful information and commentary.

However the editors, contributors and Tri-City SportsXpress cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of this information. We assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any readers based on the information provided.

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teamprofiles

The SWSC Fosters an Environment Encouraging Skaters to Dream Big! Photos by Aphelion Media

This amazing company edited the footage and compiled a 2 minute video, which is being entered into the Skate Ontario Spirit: Olympic Edition Contest.

Viewers can support the SWSC by watching, “liking”, and “sharing” the video through the Skate Ontario Facebook page. The winning video will be determined by having the most “likes” and “shares”.

Jake Ellis of the South Windsor Skating Club (SWSC) placed 3rd at the Skate Ontario Sectional Championships November 2nd-5th, 2017, in Oakville, Ontario. This earned him a spot to represent Skate Ontario at Skate Canada Challenge, a national event held in Pierrefonds, Quebec, November 29th-December 3rd, 2017. Jake Finished on the podium and was named Canada’s 2018 Pre-Novice Bronze Medalist!

On December 11th, 2017, the SWSC held an Olympic Spirit Day and Jake received the honour of carrying the torch.

Skaters in CanSkate, Skate Canada’s flagship learn-to-skate program, as well as advanced STARSkaters, dressed up to show their support for Canadian athletes and participated in Olympic-themed activities.

For more information on how you can learn to skate with with provincial and national level skaters and coaches, visit

www.swskatingclub.ca or call Maria at (519) 995-6609

What made this event even more exciting and memorable for the skaters is that the festivities were recorded by a DRONE operated by Aphelion Media.

SWSC offers Pre-CanSkate, CanSkate, STARSkate, Powerskate, AdultSkate, and Adult PowerSkate programs

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WMHA making a difference in the community At this time, we would like to thank everyone who donated to our Can & Coat drives. The women’s shelter received over 7 bins of food and the Unemployed Help Centre received over 20 bags of winter coats.

We hosted our annual Bob Probert Novice tournament and our annual Novice Christmas skate and a fun time was had by all who attended.

January 7th we hosted our annual Rick Murdoch Outdoor Classic at Lanspeary Lions Rink.

We are looking for game sponsors for our Day of Champions to be held in March. Cost is only $100. Visit www.wmha.net for all needed information.

In closing, we hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas & we wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Go Jr Spits Go!

Learn to play while getting educated Students across Windsor-Essex now have the chance to pursue their passion by devoting their attention to their sport of choice while earning their education. Launched in the fall of 2014, the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board now operates sports academies that will be offered in Windsor at Central Park Athletics, Aikido Canada and at Windsor Squash & Fitness, at the Vollmer Complex in LaSalle, at the Atlas Tube Centre in Lakeshore and at the Kinsmen Recreation Complex in Leamington.

We offer students from grades 7 through 12 the opportunity to develop their skills in hockey, soccer, squash,

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baseball, basketball, dance, gymnastics and volleyball.

This issue we focus on Marc Picard, the skills expert at the board’s baseball academy at Central Park Athletics.

Early in his career, Coach Picard was fortunate to gain much knowledge from several US college coaches. As a result, after 40 years of coaching, he continues to further his learning

by attending a number of coaching clinics yearly.

Mr. Picard’s coaching spans through a variety of levels including High School, provincial and national teams as well as the Canada Summer Games.

He spent ten years scouting for the New York Yankees at both amateur and

sportsfiles professional levels, in addition to being a two time Baseball Canada National Coach of the Year.

Coach Picard relays his philosophy of coaching as simply, “I strive to provide a positive, safe, structured environment where the athletes can reach their individual potential while consistently modelling the type of behaviour that we would like the students to exhibit, thus helping them to become outstanding citizens”.

Lessons are structured with a variety

fundamentals and make some amazing plays when we play games”.

It is Coach Picard’s hope that the kids look forward to coming to class every day. He also wishes the students/ athletes not only improve their skill level and understanding of the game, but become lifelong fans. Finally, he continually stresses the importance of being good teammates and ultimately good people.

of stretching, throwing and catching drills. Others days include hitting, defensive drills and base running.

Velocity and distance are measured monthly using a variety of new technologies.

When asked about the most rewarding aspect of coaching at the Academy, Picard states, “It’s watching those students who have limited skills at the beginning of the course improve dramatically and develop confidence in their ability to execute basic

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sports@school

The road to victory: O.F.S.A.A Champs

Proudly sponsored by

High above the gridiron sits a special room called the Press box. Within the walls of this room, one would discover an abundance of football knowledge and experience from the many coaches, officials, reporters, and announcers within. The road to the 2017 Holy Names Knights O.F.S.A.A Football Western Bowl Championship victory will be recounted here from my perspective; from that of the Press box.

What it takes to become a championship calibre team in Canadian high school football is a combination of top-notch coaches, coachable players, skill, luck, camaraderie and a solid support system. Every now and again, a coach’s dream comes true and before our eyes we began to witness the magical transformation of 49 individual players and 15 individual coaches that came together as “one unit” with one goal, an O.F.S.A.A Western Bowl Championship.

Through the complexity of the ranking systems, the Holy Names Knights found themselves sitting in the #22 nationally ranked position to

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begin their 2017 season; 16 positions behind the local powerhouse #5 ranked Herman Green Griffins.

In late August, the Knights began preparation for an early exhibition match up against the Lorne Park Spartans (2017 Central Bowl Champs). The Knights defeated the Spartans with a score of 2921, setting the tone for the better part of the next 100 days together.

The work that coaches Rob McIntyre, Dan Hogan, Craig Poole, Rocky Ieraci

Article by Jeff Baillargeon

Sean Radigan, Bruce LePine, Dan Bishop, Luke Lefler, Collin Lesperance, Rod McCowin, and Sean Guenette had done to bring everyone together on the same page was absolutely impressive to watch! With the dedicated support of Dr. Lou Albano, Chris Price, and manager Autumn Blevins, they were set up for a great season.

It took 10 weeks for the Knights Football Program to crack the Nation’s top 10 list with a convincing 33-3 win late in the season over the St. Anne Saints.

Fast forward a couple of weeks to October 15th where the now #10 ranked Knights had a match-up against the #17 ranked Herman Green Griffins as the Griffins looked to defend their 9 time W.E.C.S.S.A.A Championship

sports@school run. The Knights offensive weapons (with quarterback Jake Heydon, running back Mike Herzog and wide receivers Justin Pope, Brandon Tatsu, and Theo Johnson) seemed to be too much for the Green Griffins as the Knights defeated Herman 28-7 to win the “WECSSAA AAA” Championship and earn their ticket to the October 22nd S.W.O.S.S.A.A game against the Lambton Kent Champions, Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish.

The Knights found themselves head to head, up against a very big and very strong Sarnia St Patrick’s team, but Holy Names’ speed and agility seemed untouchable as the Knights rolled over them 49 to 14, winning the S.W.O.S.S.A.A Championship. This win would earn the Knights a coveted spot into the 2017 O.F.S.A.A Western Bowl against the #1 ranked London South Lions for the “Battle of the undisputed and undefeated” at Tim Horton’s Field, home to the CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The time was 3:45pm on November 28, 2017 when the Holy Names Knights took to the field. The weather was the most perfect day imaginable, with a light breeze and bright beautiful sunshine. I remember thinking to myself “the football Gods are here with us; I could feel it.”

The London South Lions controlled the first half of play leading the Knights with a score of 17-7 at halftime.

Both teams battled offensively and defensively to a scoreless third quarter.

This came to an end after a perfect punt by Brandon Tatsu rolled out of bounds on the Lions 1/2 yard line, giving the Knight’s the momentum they

needed leading into the fourth quarter.

The Knight’s defence then took the field and pinned the Lions deep in their own zone allowing the Knights great field position. They capped off a one yard touchdown run by RB Mike Herzog and P.A.T by Jake Heydon, bringing the score to 17-14 for the Lions. With 1:57 remaining to play, Heydon connected in the air with Herzog who would fight to reach the end zone for the second time in the 4th quarter on an impressive 39 yard touchdown reception. With the conversion, the Knights would have their first lead of the game, at 2117. The Knights defence would then take the field for the last time, led by LB Anthony Gharib, and DB’s Steven Guenette, and Matt Williams. With only seconds left on the time clock, safety Tylar Johnston intercepted a high South Lions pass, allowing Heydon the opportunity to lead the offense back onto the field. The Knights would finish the game in VICTORY FORMATION as the Knights earned the “upset victory”

over the #1 nationally Ranked High School Football Program in Canada to claim Holy Names Knight’s first OFSAA Western Bowl Championship!

Head Coach Rob McIntyre’s’ “Win the next play..!” philosophy and his focus on his players first is what made this season such a success.

After losing only 3 or 4 players to University, the Knights will look to continue next season right where they left off, with most of the same group of athletes. I can see another #1 Ranked Canadian High School Football Program calling Windsor/Essex County HOME in 2018.

I couldn’t be more proud of Holy Names High School, led by Principal Pat Hickson, Head Coach Rob McIntyre, the entire coaching staff, team players, and all of the parents and students who carry the Knights dear to their heart!

Great season Knights 2017!

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health&fitness

How to be successful in 2018

It was about this time last year when a client of mine came to me and flirted with the idea of running a half marathon. It wasn’t a serious idea at the time; it was more of a big goal because it was January and she said she wanted to do something big in the new year. Now, I knew she had never run before and she wasn’t exactly a big fan of running, however this would be an amazing accomplishment to say the least. I knew that if I said ok tomorrow we start running outside that goal would have quickly faded. So we sat down and put pen to paper and mapped out what we thought would be the best route to get to half marathon status.

with zero running. We created a long term plan with mini goals along the way. Kind of like little check points on our journey.

This gave my client the desire to continue towards her goal without losing motivation. One of the first goals we set was to simply show up three times a week. The second week was how many minutes can we produce more than 70% effort.

Let’s be honest here, nobody does a workout at 1000 miles per hour all day every day. You would burn out faster than a piece of newspaper in a fire.

Step One

Write out weekly and monthly goals. These will give you a sense of accomplishment when they have been completed.

Set a main goal or two.

Goals will help get you motivated.

So our journey began with zero running. Let me repeat that. We started

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Step Two

Now I knew at some point we would

Submitted by Shane Topalovic, owner of Next Level Athletics

run into road blocks.

Such things like life can get in the way of training. We all have outside stresses that affect what we do in the gym. Here is the trick. Accept that there are going to be days when you just don’t have it. Sometimes a step back can redirect us purposefully. My first words to someone in the gym are to listen to yourself before you ever listen to me. Learn to listen to your body.

Know the difference between lazy and overworked. Lazy means you choose not to do something when you can.

Overworked means you’ve done too much and owe it to yourself to rest.

health&fitness But because of the mini goals we set, every running session got better and better. Even though it felt like we were moving at a snail’s pace.

Pun intended. It was challenging, especially because it was new territory. It was something my client had never done. The big goal we set for that first week was do our best not to be negative. We tried to shine a positive light on every aspect we could. The motivational quote we used was:

pressure on ourselves and when we do sometimes it takes our focus off the goals. We reiterated to ourselves over and over what the goals were and by the time race day came, we were both as calm as could be.

“ When I can run I’ll run,

Step Five

If I have to walk I’ll walk,

Believe in yourself.

Willpower is the greatest strength you will ever possess.

If I have to crawl I’ll crawl, But no matter what I’ll keep moving forward.

Step Three

”

Embrace the challenges.

Step Four

As the weather got warmer and it became safer to start training outside, we did just that. Our very first running session was only 10 minutes long. (More like two minutes with eight minutes of words directed at me which I cannot repeat here.)

Fear was starting to creep in as the race date was getting closer and closer. As humans we tend to put

I am so proud of my client for all her accomplishments. Not only did this person take on a huge life changing challenge, she went way out of her comfort zone to live by the motto: accept, endure, conquer. The program was simple; for 16 weeks we will run three times per week. Sometimes we did, sometimes we didn’t. But at the end of the day, we followed the five steps and she not only destroyed her goal time, but came to the gym the very next day with new goals in mind.

Forward motion is progress no matter time or distance.

Meet Shane Topalovic from Next Level Athletics Shane Topalovic is the owner of Next Level Athletics and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Windsor Express. Shane has also been appointed Director of Health and Fitness for the National Basketball League of Canada.

For more information, call 519-984-6607 or email shane@nxlathletics.com

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Community Sports Spotlight: One on one with Stefan Cebara

Stefan Cebara was a young boy with a big dream. His dream of playing professional soccer in Europe seemed farfetched to many people, however, his passion and determination would not let him fail. He eventually found his way and now makes a living as a first division soccer player with one of the biggest clubs in Serbia. FK Vojvodina has given him a home to continue doing what he loves; playing professional football. While Stefan was back in town, I had a chance to sit down with him and get caught up on where and how his life has changed since he’s been gone.

after that I got used to the culture and the differences between the way the game is played in Europe versus Canada.

SXP: What’s been your greatest challenge?

Cebara: Coming from Canada, you have a lot to prove as a football player when you go to Europe. In most places, we are known for our hockey not our soccer. So expectations are very high for you on a daily basis.

SXP: When did you decide that you wanted to make this a living?

Cebara: At about the age of 17 or 18 when all my friends were applying for university and college. I just knew that I had to try my best before I lost the opportunity.

SXP: Who has had the greatest influence on you?

Cebara: Attiba Hutchinson and Jullian DeGuzman. By watching and playing with these two, it showed me that it is possible for Canadians to reach the highest levels in Europe. Also just being around them and learning what professionalism is all about.

SXP: Was it hard to just pick up and move half way across the world at age 18?

Cebara: It was hard the first year, but

SXP: Biggest game you ever played in?

Cebara: When I played in Slovenia for Nk Celje we beat Tromoso of Norway in the Europa League qualification round.

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SXP: What was it like getting called to play for Team Canada?

Cebara: It was like a dream come true.

I always wanted that since I was a little kid.

SXP: What was your debut for Team Canada like?

Cebara: It was against Japan in Doha Qatar in 2013. I was 21 years old and got my first international Cap. It was such an amazing feeling that words cannot describe.

SXP: What’s the next goal? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Cebara: Hopefully playing in one of the top 5 leagues in Europe (England, Italy, Spain, Germany, France) SXP: Would you like to play in the Major League Soccer?

Cebara: Yes. It would kind of be like a homecoming for me. I’ve played in

sportsfiles

many places in North America and would love to be back close to family someday.

SXP: How often do you train?

Cebara: During preseason we train twice per day. During the season, we train almost every day. We are always doing something to make sure we are prepared so we can play at optimal levels.

SXP: What advice do you have for kids who are trying to follow in your footsteps?

Cebara: You have to have persistence and dedication towards what you want to achieve. There will always be obstacles and challenges but you have to accept that it is part of the journey.

Trust the process.

SXP: What did it feel like when you scored your first professional goal?

Cebara: It was a pretty surreal feeling, but I didn’t have much time to think about it because there was still game to be played.

SXP: What are your strengths as a player?

Cebara: My speed, quickness, passing, crossing and my one-on-one ability are strengths that I use a lot when I play.

Cebara’s Stats: Birthdate: April 12, 1991 Born in: Zardar, Croatia Moved to Canada: 1997 Moved to Europe for Soccer: 2009 Height: 6’2” Weight: 170lbs Favorite Food: Mediterranean Playing Number: 7 Favourite City Played In: London, England Favourite Stadium Played In: Kalifa stadium. Doha Qatar Favourite Song: Knocking on Heaven’s Door by Guns and Roses Favourite Movie: Seven Pounds Favourite Colour: Blue Favourite Sport (Other than soccer): Basketball High School: Riverside Favourite Vacation Spot: Thailand

SXP: What’s the main difference between soccer in Canada and soccer in Europe?

Cebara: The style of play and the attention to detail in regards to players’ positioning and tactical formations.

SXP: Would you like to coach when your playing days are over?

Cebara: Yes, I would love to. I would love to help future generations if I can to achieve their goals and aspirations in the sport of soccer.

Stefan’s story is one of inspiration for anyone who is chasing a dream. No matter what the goal or desire is, Stefan has proven that with hard work and persistence, anything is possible; no matter what anyone tells you.

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teamprofiles

Express looking to get back on track

The Windsor Express are entering their 6th season in the National Basketball League of Canada.

They are back to back champions two years out and looking to return to their winning ways. And, they are still in Windsor. For now.

“The goal is simple; to find a way to be sustainable moving forward and having a home that’s affordable to us,” explained Dartis Willis, the President and CEO of the Express. “We don’t have a situation that’s advantageous at all.

We don’t have a situation that says, ‘This is something that’s going to last.’”

Windsor’s entry in the NBLC has already had a storied history in its short time in the city.

“I have pictures on my desk of my championship teams,” said Jones.

“Those guys will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Jones is still with the Express, the longest continuously standing coach in the league. In fact, when his brother

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Tony, who was assistant at Auburn University, stood in for him on the bench, Jones was promoted to VicePresident of Basketball Operations.

The team has been fighting since its inception in 2012. The on-court struggles with various opponents have seen the Express establish a 5-year record of 115 wins and 77 losses. Every year under Jones’ tutelage Windsor finished with a plus .500 finish.

“My most memorable moment was our first game,” said Jones. “We had a ton of fans come out and watch us play.

It was our first opportunity to show our product in Windsor and we had a great turnout to see us win the game.”

For Willis, the public face of the franchise, the highlights of the last five years take a more intrinsic form.

“A lot of the highs that most people wouldn’t really recognize are some of the relationships and partnerships that have been gained across the board,” he said. “Obviously championships are always a high, but I’ve watched different relationships grow when it comes to business, sponsors, partners,

Article and photos by Ian Shalapata

and fans. So that’s the high whenever we welcome a new partner on board, whether it’s an individual fan, whether it’s a company, whether it’s a charitable organization.”

Off-court, the struggles have been equally as challenging. Sometimes, the opponents haven’t been as forthcoming or recognizable. Detractors of the team have existed at every stage of the journey, from the beginning until present. Willis said the mixed reception started from the first day.

“It was a mixture of views from welcoming to, ‘You’re gonna have a tough fight’ to ‘We don’t know basketball’ to ‘This is a great place’.

You name it. It was a little bit of everything,” said Willis. “A little bit everything was true and a little bit of everything was false.”

Willis and the team’s ownership group didn’t accidentally pick Windsor to locate the franchise. His history with the city extends back to his youth and continued to when he was employed by Lear and visited the east end facility.

“My father had lived and shopped in the area for about 45 years, so I had connections with my father traveling back and forth to work,” he explained.

“I had connections as a youth with the downtown scene. It was a part of my youth growing up.”

Jones equally feels a part of Windsor after five years with the team.

“This is home away from home for me,” Jones said. “My favourite place is the Penalty Box. Van [Niforos] and his staff have welcomed us with open arms.

Our front office staff and our players break bread there. We try to get there at least once or twice a week. It’s one of the best restaurants in town.”

Jones and Willis both recognize the potential of the city and are determined to fully integrate the team into the fabric of the community.

“Into our 6th season, we’re still trying to build our brand,” said Jones.

“We’re continuing to get one fan at a

teamprofiles time to come watch us play. It’s fun, family friendly entertainment, and that’s what we try to stress out in the community. Six years in and we’re still trying to work hard to get that done.”

The Express has a strong core of dedicated fans who are very vocal during games at the east end WFCU Centre.

After experiencing the exciting sudden swings in momentum which punctuate NBLC games, few fans head for the exits before the final horn, even when Windsor is trailing.

Each year the fans recognize the skilled players on the Express roster.

Over the years, players like Stefan Bonneau, Darren Duncan, and Quinnel Brown have captured the attention of fans through their athleticism and professionalism. Last year fans were treated to the exploits of Maurice Jones.

“Maurice Jones is making his own name here as being one of the best players to ever play here,” explained Jones. “Bonneau was special and Duncan was the general, the quarterback, but Maurice Jones has come here the last two seasons and has put his mark on our organization.

He was rookie of the year last year and came back this year more improved.”

The nature of the NBLC is that of a developmental league as far as Bill Jones is concerned. Much like Major League Baseball’s multiple level farm system. Players enter the league, grow, expand, and spread their skills and maturity, then move on in their career opportunities.

“My goal is to give our players platforms so they can go and be able to make the next step; potentially the D-League or to go overseas and make money,” said Jones. “When I took the job six years ago it was never to

have our players be life-long Windsor Express players. If that was the case then I would not be doing my job.”

The core fans understand the transient nature of the NBLC, but the sometimes lack of familiarity may dissuade a quicker growth of the fan base.

“The fan base has been a slow growth due to several different factors,” explained Willis. “Location is definitely a part of it. The competition across the border I think is a big part.”

The location Willis mentioned referred to the political decision to locate the WFCU Centre on the outskirts of the city as opposed to a traditional downtown locale. The Express tackle many challenges each year, but the out-of-the-way forum is a core issue for which they have little recourse at the moment.

“It is a challenge for people for whatever reason, be it they don’t want to drive, it should have been downtown, they don’t flock out there,” Willis said.

“It’s not just for the Express, they just don’t flock out there.”

The Express has also reached out to the surrounding communities in Essex County. Last season the team hosted their playoff run at the Atlas Tube Centre

in Lakeshore after their usual home became unavailable. The mayors and councilors of the municipalities have welcomed the Express with open arms.

It’s often an intimacy not returned by Windsor City Council.

“Four or five of the ten councilors have been out to a game,” said Willis.

“To have all the councilors out to a game would make it equal in regards of support to other towns. I’ve never had all the councilors out at a game. It’s a little bit disheartening, but I’d love to see one night where all the councilors decided to go to a game.”

In the meantime, the Express will continue to expand their footprint and win over one fan at a time. School visits, fundraising for charities, and creating those partnerships Willis talks about are a priority along side providing professional basketball entertainment.

“We identified that we have to be community-based,” Jones said. “We’re invested in this community and we want to put our best foot forward. Pro basketball is here and our players are committed to the community.”

Next Home Game Dates: February 2, 9, 10, 19, 21, 23

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