Jovain Wilson honoured by OCAA

Pickering hoopster named top men's basketball player

March 12, 2010

By Shawn Cayley

PETERBOROUGH -- Jovain Wilson knows what it's like to shoulder the load.

For three years the 21-year-old Pickering native has done that on and off the court as the unquestioned leader of the Fleming Knights men's basketball program.

His efforts haven't gone unnoticed by those within the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association.

At the recent year-end banquet, Wilson was named a first-team all-star, an all-Canadian and to top it off the OCAA men's basketball player of the year.

"It was kind of interesting because they had three awards that were mine, so they just told me to stay up there and get them at the same time," Wilson said with a laugh, recalling his experience at the banquet.

Wilson, a 6-foot-2 guard and graduate of Dunbarton High School, led the OCAA's East Division in scoring, averaging a shade under 23 points per game to go along with 8.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals for the 15-5 Knights.

What's more is the fact Wilson played most of the year dealing with some serious injury issues.

In the first game of the second semester, Wilson suffered a dislocated shoulder, resulting in a torn labrum that will require surgery to repair.

Due to the severity of the injury, at one point Wilson had even walked away from the game.

"I wasn't even supposed to play," he recalls. "At one point I actually quit the season. I quit the season because the whole shoulder injury took a toll on me, obviously physically and definitely mentally. Every time I played basketball I always would wonder how I'd get through a game. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to take the ball strong at the defender because (the shoulder) could come out.

"My game is attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. I had to kind of ease up on that and try and be safe. It takes a toll on you mentally," he adds.

Wilson fought through the adversity, but at a cost. While discussing the torn labrum suffered in January, Wilson revealed that he is actually suffering from two such injuries, and due to the forthcoming surgery, will be absent from the Knights lineup next season.

But not the sidelines.

Knights's coach Bill Crowdis, the man who convinced Wilson to join the program rather than head off to the University of Ottawa, has added the talented guard to his coaching staff for 2010-11.

Crowdis, a Hall of Fame basketball player at Durham College, anticipates Wilson's addition to the coaching staff will do wonders for his roster.

"They will respect him for not only the person he is but the player he has proven to be in this league," Crowdis says. "That's going to be invaluable to us, to have a coach a little less removed from the game."

For his part, Wilson, who hopes to return to the court at some point in the not-so-distant future, is looking forward to the new challenge ahead.

"I just finished playing with a lot of these guys, so it's going to be interesting," Wilson admits. "I was their leader on the court and now I am kind of going to be their leader off the court in taking a different approach to the game."

But before the coaching career starts, Wilson is in the running for one more player award: CCAA National Player of the Year.

It will be handed out in advance of next week's national championship tournament in Alberta.

Reflecting on it all, Wilson was quick to note he hasn't reached such lofty heights on his own. In addition to Crowdis's influence, Wilson's parents, Joan Wilson and Lester Cutting, have played their part.

"My parents have played a big role in helping me succeed," said Wilson, who also narrowly missed an academic all-Canadian honour from the OCAA.