"Owen is a great competitor, but combines the skills, size, and athleticism to play every position on the floor. His versatility will allow us to find match-ups that we want to exploit, and use a variety of looks on the defensive end of the floor. He will, no doubt, be an impact player." — Stephen Baur, Acadia coach, team releaseThey don't rank just anybody second-best in the country at his position. Klassen, who's from Kingston (a town that's produced some pretty good CIS bigs such as Carleton's graduating Aaron Doornekamp and Queen's fourth-year forward Mitch Leger is said to be a pretty rangy, athletic 6-foot-8.
One does wonder if this has an influence on where Tyson Hinz, of Ottawa, ends up going, since they would have competed for minutes. Ideally, the education and the opportunity to grow as a person and player should trump wanting to pay right away. Besides, if you're confident in what you're doing and have the ability, the chance will come.
Didn't the Ottawa Citizen's Wayne Kondro all but state as categorical fact that Klassen was coming to Carleton this fall?
ReplyDeleteI think Smart wanted this kid pretty badly.
I'm sure the Ravens will get their fair share of top recruits but this is one guy...a Kingston guy, no less...who slipped out of Dave Smart's fingers.
Not exactly. Mr. Kondro wrote March 16, "The Ravens are also in the hunt for six-foot-five wing Greg Faulkner from Kingston Holy Cross and six-foot-eight post Owen Klassen from Kingston Bayridge."
ReplyDeleteMr. Smart told the other Ottawa newspaper that the Ravens were in the "final three" for both Faulkner and Klassen.
Where does Mr. Sager predict Hinz and Faulkner will end up?
ReplyDeleteAsk my dad.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any inside info, one would think if they're not getting Owen Klassen, then ipso facto ...
That's a big acquisition for Acadia: everyone was in the hunt for Klassen. Queen's assistant coach Duncan Cowan told me back in February that the Gaels were going for him and that he'd apparently narrowed his list down to Carleton, Queen's and Western. So much for that.
ReplyDeleteOwen was being looked at by schools all up and down the eastern seaboard. He's a nice kid, great ball player and unbelieveably smart. He's earned everything he's gotten.
ReplyDeleteAny word as to whether Santil will return to Acadia next year?
ReplyDeleteIf he comes back and is healthy...wow, what a front court the Axemen would have.
matt heimstra from owens high school team should be a big recruit next year and has already gotten looked at from D1 schools in grade 11
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I got looked at by D1 schools ... I mean, they were there to scout someone else, but at some point I was in their line of vision.
ReplyDeletematt heimstra might have the best spin move in basketball history, yeah the guys that good. he may be the next best canandian player since steve nash
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