Historic day for Cascart and Humber men’s basketball
Humber wins the West Division title, OCAA player of the year, OCAA coach of the year, a CCAA All-Canadian, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, and two first-team all-star selections.
ETOBICOKE – No. 3 Humber men's basketball received numerous league accolades Tuesday afternoon when the OCAA announced its annual awards as determined by a polling of the conference's coaches.
Senior DeQuon Cascart left his best season for last, tirelessly working to establish himself as one of the best players in the province – making program history along the way. As the most decorated basketball program in the country, Cascart became just the second player in team history to be named the OCAA Player of the Year since its inception during the 2003-04 season. The North York native was the leading scorer on the highest-scoring offence in the province – becoming just the seventh player in program history to average over 20-plus points in a season. Trailing late to rival Sheridan on the road and with Humber's unbeaten streak on the line, Cascart went on a personal 5-0 run to secure the come from behind victory and finish with a career-high 31 points. Cascart also garnered CCAA All-Canadian honours – the 14th selection in team history and the first in 17 seasons.
A dominant freshman campaign from Frank Mitchell saw the big-man earn OCAA Rookie of the Year honours. He was named the division's Defensive Player of the Year as well, after leading the conference and setting a new program record averaging 18.0 rebounds per game. Baby Shaq's 144 total rebounds are the fifth most in program history – despite playing 12 fewer games this season. The Toronto native recorded six double-doubles during the '22 campaign and set a single-game record when he grabbed 31 rebounds in a win over Redeemer. Mitchell is just the fourth player in team history to earn rookie of the year honours and joins Humber Hall of Famers Tyrone Dickson and Jadwey Hemmings as the only players to be named the top defensive player in the division.
It's rare for a rookie head coach to be recognized as the best in the province, however, head coach Omar Miles accomplished just that. In his first season with Humber, Coach O and the Hawks were the only program in the province to escape the season without a loss. Humber's high-octane offence led the OCAA at 96.1 points per game – its second-highest scoring average since 1995. Coach O becomes just the third head coach to win the award, joining Hall of Famers Mike Katz ('85, '86, '95, '01, '03) and Darrell Glenn ('09) as the only coaches to accomplish the feat.
No. 3 Humber basketball will now compete in the OCAA Final Four on March 16. The Hawks will open the semifinal round against Lambton at the North Campus Gym. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.
