High flying recruit joins Mac
Brandon Meawasige
Assistant Sports Editor
One need not look any farther than searching for Rohan Boney on YouTube to notice that McMaster’s newest basketball recruit will be bringing an extremely athletic presence to the floor.
Boney, a top-tier wing from Oakville, has made a name for himself attacking the rim with highlight reel dunks and rejecting seemingly would be scorer in sight with a defensive awareness far beyond his years.
“Rohan immediately changes the look of our team. With his athleticism, we now have a player who can score and create in a variety of ways that compliments the shooting of our current guards,” said current head coach and former Marauder himself, Amos Connolly.
The 6’5” high school senior who played his ball at Loyola will definitely add to the list of young, athletic players who will wear the Maroon and Grey next season.
“The Marauder program is headed in the right direction and I feel like I can be a big part of what Coach Connolly is putting together,” said Boney after the announcement of his signing.
After an extremely successful season that ended with a respectable loss in the OUA semi-finals to the defending national champion Carleton Ravens, Amos Connolly and his band of prospects look to steal some of the power in the OUA west, sporting brand new Jordan sponsored uniforms in the process.
The addition of a player with offensive skills like Boney’s would help any team at the CIS level. However, what makes this prospect so intriguing is his ability to play both sides of the ball with tenacity and athleticism.
“ Rohan can also defend a number of positions and he’ll be immediately be called upon to become a defensive stopper,” commented coach Connolly on the soon-to-be-freshman’s defensive prowess.
“His combination of size and quickness will allow us to extend our pressure when needed,” added the coach, who concluded his comments with an optimistic outlook.
“This is very exciting because our team just got better.”
The hope is that Boney will add a natural athleticism to the lineup that will allow McMaster to compete with the conference’s powerhouse teams from Carleton and Lakehead.
Boney is no stranger to success either, in addition to his numerous individual accomplishments, which include taking home the hardware as tournament MVP at the Silver Fox Basketball tournament this year. Also, Boney led his Loyola Hawks to a pair of OFSAA provincial silver medals and three Halton region championships.
Choosing Mac, despite numerous offers from schools all over North America, not only gives Boney the chance to play for a contending team, but it will also reunite him with high school teammate Adam Presutti who won CIS rookie of the year for his breakout effort at point for the Marauders.
The young duo will certainly be expected to generate an offensive spark, and if all goes according to plan McMaster may next in line to change the balance of power in the OUA.
