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By Earl Zukerman

MONTREAL – Three McGill players have merited all-star honours in the Quebec University Basketball League.

Sean Anthony, a 6-foot-4 senior forward from Vancouver, B.C., was named to the first team, while Montrealer Moustafa El Zanaty, who led the league in scoring among other statistical categories, was overlooked by the league’s five coaches and earned a spot on the second dream team along with Michael White, a junior from Montreal.

The Concordia Stingers took three of the top honours, as Damian Buckley was a unanimous choice as player of the year, Jamal Gallier was named the most outstanding defensive player and John Dore earned coach-of-the-year honours. UQAM’s Gregory Saint-Amand was a unanimous choice as the league’s rookie of the year and Laval’s Jérôme Turcotte-Routhier is the league’s Ken Shields trophy nominee for combined excellence in athletics, academics and citizenship. Referee Mike Homsy, a McGill graduate, is the official of the year.

Anthony, a 23-year-old physical education senior, currently is ranked fifth among league scoring leaders (15.4 ppg), second in rebounding (7.4 rpg), sixth in assists (3.1 apg), second in steals (2.7 spg) and third in minutes played (34.1)

El Zanaty, a 6-foot-4 finance & treasury major, leads the conference in scoring (23.4 ppg) and minutes played (35.1), is second in free-throw shooting (84.4%S), second in three-pointers made per game (2.1), third in assists (4.2 apg) and 10th in both, rebounding (5.0 rpg) and blocked shots (0.4 bpg).

White, a 6-foot-4 forward and a physical education major, is leading the league in rebounding (8.4 rpg) and blocked shots (1.1 bpg), is second in field-goal shooting (56.4%) and 11th in scoring (12.1)

Buckley, a 6-foot-1 point-guard from Montreal, was named to the QSSF first all-star team for the fourth consecutive season. He is third in conference scoring with 19.0 points a game, and leads the league in both steals (3.7 per game) and assist-turnover ratio (1.8). Buckley is second in assists with 4.7 per game, and third in three-point shooting (42.9%).

Dore, who won the QUBL coaching award for the 12th time in 20 years, has kept the Stingers in the CIS Top 10 throughout the season, while leading the league with a 10-4 regular season record, and an impressive 15-4 mark against CIS opponents. In 1991, he was named CIS coach of the year.

Gallier, a 6-foot-7, 275-pound centre from Toronto, leads the league in defensive rebounds (5.0), is second in blocked shots (0.9 per game) and third in total rebounds (7.1 avg).
Saint-Amand, a 6-foot-4 forward from Laval, Que., is ninth among QUBL scoring leaders with 12.6 points per game. The 20-year-old business administration freshman was also fourth in rebounding (7.0 avg.), fifth in free-throw shooting (75%).

Turcotte-Routhier is fourth in the league with 6.9 rebounds per game, and fifth with 3.9 assists per game. A Law student, he is also involved in conferences and radio programs to promote healthy living habits, university sport, as well as Lawyers Without Borders Canada, an organization that promotes rights and liberties around the world.

The complete list of major award winners and league all-star follows.


2008-09 QSSF MEN’S BASKETBALL FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Name / University / Position / Academic Program / Hometown

* Damian Buckley, Concordia, Guard, Arts, Montreal, Que.
Jean-François Beaulieu-Maheux, Laval, Guard, Physical Education, Chicoutimi, Que.
Adil El Makssoud, UQAM, Guard, Undeclared, Casablanca, Morocco
Junior Nicolas, Bishop’s, Guard, Psychology, Montreal, Que.
Sean Anthony, McGill, Forward, Physical Education, Vancouver, B.C.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
* Damian Buckley, Concordia, Guard, Arts, Montreal, Que.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
* Gregory Saint-Amand, UQAM, Forward, Business Administration, Laval, Que.

MOST OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER:
Jamall Gallier, Concordia, Centre, Sociology, Toronto, Ont.

ATHLETICS, ACADMICS & CITIZENSHIP:
(Ken Shields Trophy Nominee)
Jérôme Turcotte-Routhier, Laval, Guard, Law, Quebec City, Que.

COACH OF THE YEAR:
John Dore, Concordia

OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR:
Mike Homsy


SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Name / University / Position / Academic Program / Hometown

Jules Souleymane-Diagne, UQAM, Forward, Urban Studies, Rome, Italy
Xavier Baribeau, Laval, Guard, Business Administration, Quebec City, Que.
Jamal Gallier, Concordia, Centre, Sociology, Toronto, Ont.
Moustafa El Zanaty, McGill, Guard, Finance & Treasury, Montreal, Que.
Michael White, McGill, Forward, Physical Education, Montreal, Que.


ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Name / University / Position / Academic Program / Hometown

* Gregory Saint-Amand, UQAM, Forward, Business Administration, Laval, Que.
Tim Hunter, Bishop’s, Forward, Sports Studies, Baie d’Urfé, Que.
D’Arcy Nash, Bishop’s, Guard, Fine Arts, Toronto, Ont.
Eric Côté-Kougnima, UQAM, Guard, Business Administration, Gatineau, Que.
Adam Carneol, Concordia, Guard, Urban Planning. Los Angeles, Calif.

* - Unanimous selection

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