By Bernie Puchalski - December 8, 2021
It was obvious to anyone watching that Dylan Maltby loves being back on the court with the Denis Morris Reds senior boys basketball team.
“Oh my God. It has been so long. I haven’t played basketball in two years other than playing outside for Pelham,” the 12B student said Wednesday, after leading the Reds to a 57-52 victory over the visiting Blessed Trinity Thunder in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association action. “This is our second game back and I love being back on the court. It has been awhile.”
The 5-foot-11 point guard enjoys playing for the Pelham Panthers but nothing beats suiting up for your high school.
“It is very, very important,” the 18-year-old said. “It is a completely different atmosphere. There’s more people watching and you see your team at school every single day.”
Mike Ukiomogbe and Maltby are two key pieces to the Reds’ roster.
“He (Maltby) is an incredible leader and you can count on him to not only to put the ball in the net but to get his teammates going,” Reds head coach Michael Doodeman said. “He’s reliable and he steps up when we need him.”
Maltby is a more than capable point guard but he likes to look for his shot.
“One hundred per cent. I like the midrange.”
He makes room for himself with a nice fadeaway jumper.
“I got that from my brother. He is the one who taught me that,” Maltby said.
His brother, Devon, played with the Thorold Golden Eagles.
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By Bernie Puchalski - November 22, 2021
Denis Morris rower and St. Catharines Rowing Club member Cait Whittard won the junior women’s single at the recent National Rowing Championships. Kevin Light photo.
Cait Whittard has had a most excellent fall.
The Grade 12 student at Denis Morris kicked off her amazing autumn by placing third in the under-19 women’s single at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston.
The St. Catharines Rowing Club member then put her name on the dotted line by committing to row at the NCAA Division 1 level for the University of Tennessee.
Four days after that major moment, Whittard captured the gold medal in the junior women’s single at the National Rowing Championships on Elk Lake in Victoria, B.C.
“I thought my race went very well,” the 2021 CanAmMex team member said. “It seemed that everything I had practiced had come together at the right moment. I was very happy where I ended up finishing overall and in the junior category.”
Whittard came out of the time trial ranked 14th in the overall standings and she ended up ninth. In the junior category, she went from fourth in the time trial to national champion.
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By Bill Potrecz - November 16, 2021
Christian Rotundo got a late start on the links.
The 17-year-old Thorold native grew up wanting to be the next Connor McDavid, but when those dreams didn’t pan out, he traded his hockey stick for a set of golf clubs.
“As I was smaller I was really into hockey, but making it to the NHL was not going to happen,” Rotundo said. “About four years ago, I started playing competitively and I fell in love with it ever since.
“It’s been something I’ve been working towards the past year-and-a-half, to play at the next level, and it’s happening now.”
Rotundo recently accepted an athletic scholarship to play golf and study business at Ohio Valley University (OVU).
“I made the decision in April where I wanted to go and up until just after Christmas I was in contact with a bunch of schools,” he said. “I just chose OVU because of the offer that they gave me.”
Rotundo said the school will be covering more than half of his tuition through the athletic portion of the scholarship with the possibility of earning even money more through academics.
But dollars weren’t the only reason the Grade 12 Denis Morris student chose OVU.
“The coach (Bud Tate) has an unbelievable resume, he’s been there for a long time,” Rotundo said. “He’s been in the golf industry for just over 20 years and that’s a big factor.”
Rotundo said the future is bright for golf at the private Christian college.
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The Saint Francis basketball community’s hopes of hosting the 2022 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations boys AA basketball championships March 7-9 in St. Catharines have been dashed by the COVID-19 pandemic.