CIS Corner: Hoops hotshots Hinz, Faulkner commit to CU; reports

Two out of three ain't bad for Dave Smart and the Carleton Ravens.

Much vaunted forward Tyson Hinz of Orleans according to Hoopstars Canada, is committed to Carleton. Six-foot-5 swingman Greg Faulkner out of Kingston, also a Hoopstars Canada top 50 player, is headed to Carleton, the Kingston Whig-Standard reported this morning.

Hinz' decision was probably the most closely watched in Ottawa basketall circles, since he led his St. Matthew Tigers to a 45-1 season and the Ontario AAA title. His dad, Will Hinz, was a superb player at McGill during the 1980s, where he has a Rhodes Scholar at McGill, which sparked talk his son would follow in his footsteps, plus Redmen coach Craig Norman has often recruited in the Ottawa area (Orleans' Kevin Dulude was the lynchpin when Norman had RMC playing winning basketball in the first half of the 2000s.)

Tyson Hinz is a bit of a combo forward who does everything well, so some Aaron Doornekamp comparisons will be inevitable.

Incidentally, Faulkner's club coaches were Rob Smart Sr. and Duncan Cowan, the Queen's coaches. His literary namesake should concoct such a subplot.

"Duncan and Rob have done a lot for me to get me where I am. It's just that I want to move on and try something different."
— Faulkner, via Whig sports editor Mike Koreen

The estimable Koreen also caught up with Acadia-bound post player Owen Klassen, who played club ball with Faulkner on the Kingston Impact and against him in high school. Klassen's high school coach at Bayridge Secondary, Geoff Stewart, told The Whig:

"Owen can make a significant impact. I've compared him to Aaron Doornekamp. He has a similar skill set, he's tall and co-ordinated and he can play inside and outside like Aaron."

Klassen would have been a great get. The upshot is the Ravens are getting the second- and third-best players out of Eastern Ontario, although ratings aren't the be-all, end-all.

HOCKEY

Gee-Gees: Ottawa forward Dan McDonald, who joined the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies after the CIS season ended, had a four-goal game last Saturday ("the mortorboard trick") vs. the Alaska Aces. The former Kingston Frontenac (for 2½ seasons) has had a decent pro debut with 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 16 games.

The plan is for McDonald to return to Ottawa, write his exams and rejoin Utah for the playoffs. (Please don't wonder how it is that athletes at other Ontario universities located in and around London, Ont., can be off working out for NFL teams during examination periods.)

Ravens: Former Carleton d-man Brodie Beard is reportedly committed to play at Nipissing University, the new expansion entry in the OUA, according to BayToday.ca.

(Cross-posted to cisblog.ca. Thanks to a commenter for the hook-up on Hinz; thanks to Gee-Gees coach Dave Leger for the McDonald note.)