varsity news

Durham Lords Media Release
Friday, March 06, 2009

Lords basketball receives plenty of provincial recognition from the OCAA

Oshawa, Ont. – The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) recently announced the men’s and women’s basketball major award winners including the first and second team all-stars and all-rookie team for the 2008-09 season. Durham College received plenty of recognition at the banquet as five Lords players received provincial awards at the banquet.

Durham guards Erin Emery (North Bay, Ont.), Jessica Newton (Oshawa, Ont.) and Samantha Jansen (Cambridge, Ont.) all received awards for the women’s basketball team, while Eric Smith (Ajax, Ont.) and Anthony Batchelor (Markham, Ont.) received awards on the men’s side.

Eric Smith (Ajax, Ont.) had an amazing freshman year with the Lords and was named an East Region second team all-star as well as a member of the East Region all-rookie team. Smith was an impact player for the Lords all season long as he led the entire OCAA freshmen class in scoring (18.6 PPG), rebounds (197) and points (372). Smith had a big role in the Lords resurgence this year, finishing with ten double-doubles while leading Durham to a 16-4 record.

For the fifth straight season, Anthony Batchelor (Markham, Ont.) was recognized as an OCAA all-star as he took home second team honours. Batchelor was second on the team in scoring (16.3 PPG), total points (309), rebounds (107) and steals (40). Showing off his playmaking abilities, he led the team in assists with 51 on the year. Batchelor finished his five year career at Durham College with 1,833 points, the all-time leading scorer in OCAA history.

On the women’s side, DC captain Erin Emery earned a spot on the East Region second all-star team. She led the team in points averaging 12.1 points per game as well as steals with an impressive 44 on the year. This was Emery’s first provincial recognition as a league all-star.

Teammates Jessica Newton and Samantha Jansen were also honoured at the banquet as they each earned a spot on the East Region all-rookie team. Newton finished second in Durham scoring averaging 11.8 points per game and led the team in blocked shots with five throughout the regular season. Jansen chipped in nicely as a secondary scorer averaging 7.9 points per game and six rebounds per game.

For the complete list of OCAA all-stars and for any information on this weekend’s OCAA basketball championships, please visit www.OCAA.com.

Basketball fans can catch all of the top players across the province at the 22nd annual OCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball All-Star Games hosted by Durham College on Saturday, March 28. All-Star Saturday will once again be in support of the “THINK PINK” initiative.

DURHAM COLLEGE - OCAA BASKETBALL AWARD WINNERS

Men’s Basketball
Eric Smith – OCAA second team all-star and OCAA all-rookie team
Anthony Batchelor – OCAA second team all-star

Women’s Basketball
Erin Emery – OCAA second team all-star
Samantha Jansen – OCAA all-rookie team
Jessica Newton – OCAA all-rookie team

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Scott Dennis
Sports Information and Marketing Coordinator
Durham College and UOIT Athletics
905.721.2000 Ext. 2784 (P)
905.721.3117 (F)

Proud Host of the 2009 OCAA Volleyball Championships
February 27-28, 2009