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Basketball player taking his game to the next level
Tony Spiridis. Thomas A. Stewart's Tony Spiridis pushes past IE Weldon player D. Marchen during the Kawartha senior boys basketball championship game at Kenner Collegiate on Wednesday (Feb. 23). TAS defeated Weldon 41-35. lance anderson/this week
Peterborough cager Tony Spiridis has taken his game to the next level.
The Thomas A Stewart grad has moved on from his high school gym to compete in the Ontario University Athletic men’s basketball league as a member of the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.
The “Stangs” are one of the country’s foremost university athletic programs, funding 38 varsity programs. The basketball programs alone account for 24 provincial championships over the years.
As excited as he is with his addition the team, Spiridis comments that it was the other things that Western provides that sealed his decision to become a Mustang.
“It offers good academics along with its athletic opportunities,” says Spiridis. “It was a good fit.”
Spiridis was accepted in Western’s Management and Organizational Studies program.
Throughout Spiridis’ high school basketball career his skills always spoke for themselves, but it’s the intangibles that are the first to be mentioned when discussing this Peterborough hard court standout.
“He picks things up very quickly,” remarks Mustangs’ head coach Brad Campbell, on how impressed he was with the Peterborough local made.
“He has a very high basketball IQ.”
The 6’4” Spiridis is also credited for being a team leader off and on the court during his high school career while guiding the TASS Griffins to three Central Ontario championships and to the provincial championships twice.
The Mustangs coaching staff feels that Spiridis has a huge amount of potential and in time will expand his role as his development as a player continues.
Campbell was also impressed with the impression that Spiridis made off the court.
“He’s an outstanding young man.”
It’s these attributes that cemented coach Campbell’s decision to offer Spiridis a spot on the 2011-12 roster.
The 19-year-old’s journey to the OUA began when his high school coach, Craig Muir, assisted Spiridis in setting up a trip to London.
A point guard in his final year of high school, the Western rookie will return to the more natural position of small forward when he joins the young Mustangs squad with hopes of rebounding from a tough, character building 2010 season.
Western began last season ranked sixth in the country, but as the season progressed, injuries and illness sidelined a number players contributing to their early exit in the playoffs against the eventual league champions, Lakehead University.
In discussing his goals, Spiridis is realistic and understanding of his first-year role.
“I want to improve my overall game and play as many minutes as I can," says the rookie.
The Mustangs kicked off their season in early August facing Michigan’s Oakland University and the University of St Louis, who is coached by basketball legend Rick Majerus.
Oakland and St Louis compete in the NCAA, the American college league.
Regular season play begins Nov. 11 versus York University at Alumni Hall, in London
The Thomas A Stewart grad has moved on from his high school gym to compete in the Ontario University Athletic men’s basketball league as a member of the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.
The “Stangs” are one of the country’s foremost university athletic programs, funding 38 varsity programs. The basketball programs alone account for 24 provincial championships over the years.
As excited as he is with his addition the team, Spiridis comments that it was the other things that Western provides that sealed his decision to become a Mustang.
“It offers good academics along with its athletic opportunities,” says Spiridis. “It was a good fit.”
Spiridis was accepted in Western’s Management and Organizational Studies program.
Throughout Spiridis’ high school basketball career his skills always spoke for themselves, but it’s the intangibles that are the first to be mentioned when discussing this Peterborough hard court standout.
“He picks things up very quickly,” remarks Mustangs’ head coach Brad Campbell, on how impressed he was with the Peterborough local made.
“He has a very high basketball IQ.”
The 6’4” Spiridis is also credited for being a team leader off and on the court during his high school career while guiding the TASS Griffins to three Central Ontario championships and to the provincial championships twice.
The Mustangs coaching staff feels that Spiridis has a huge amount of potential and in time will expand his role as his development as a player continues.
Campbell was also impressed with the impression that Spiridis made off the court.
“He’s an outstanding young man.”
It’s these attributes that cemented coach Campbell’s decision to offer Spiridis a spot on the 2011-12 roster.
The 19-year-old’s journey to the OUA began when his high school coach, Craig Muir, assisted Spiridis in setting up a trip to London.
A point guard in his final year of high school, the Western rookie will return to the more natural position of small forward when he joins the young Mustangs squad with hopes of rebounding from a tough, character building 2010 season.
Western began last season ranked sixth in the country, but as the season progressed, injuries and illness sidelined a number players contributing to their early exit in the playoffs against the eventual league champions, Lakehead University.
In discussing his goals, Spiridis is realistic and understanding of his first-year role.
“I want to improve my overall game and play as many minutes as I can," says the rookie.
The Mustangs kicked off their season in early August facing Michigan’s Oakland University and the University of St Louis, who is coached by basketball legend Rick Majerus.
Oakland and St Louis compete in the NCAA, the American college league.
Regular season play begins Nov. 11 versus York University at Alumni Hall, in London
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