"I never coached for individual awards."
Being named OCAA Coach of The Year took 10 years but who's counting. Not Andy Kiss. "I always value team achievement and medals above anything else. That hasn't changed." Kiss said. "I look at it with humility."
Kiss guided the Saints to a 13-3 record this season, good for a second place finish. St. Clair hosts 8-6 George Brown in the OCAA quarterfinals Saturday at the Sportsplex (3:30 tipoff). A win would give St. Clair entry into the provincial championship tournament for the 9th time under Kiss' tenure where they've won four medals (3 silver, 1 bronze).
"George Brown is actually a sleeper," Kiss said. "They play ten kids. They go deep. They have size. We're on alert and we're preparing for them. Sticking to our process like we always do."
Kaitlyn Overeem also received recognition being named a CCAA All-Canadian. She becomes the 7th player in the program's history to get the nod and first since Shannon Kennedy in 2015. Overeem was also named OCAA and West Division scoring champ and West Division First-Team All Star.
The 5th year transfer averaged 20.9 points per game during the regular season and was second in the league with 5.3 assists per game while adding a team high 7.8 rebounds per contest.
Ania Buklarewicz is the first player since Kennedy in 2014 to earn OCAA Rookie Of The Year honours. She was also named to the West Division All-Rookie team.
The Father John Redmond grad (Etobicoke) hit 27 triples ranking her 9th in the province. "Definitely faster pace. Higher intensity. People are more physical. I feel the transition got smoother throughout the season and I feel good about it now," said Buklarewicz who is looking forward to Saturday's matchup. "We know what our goal is. We can reach it. Just gotta keep that mentality up."
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