October 13-14 saw the Niagara College men's basketball program travel to Oshawa to take part in the annual Dave Stewart Tip-Off Challenge hosted by Durham College.
The event saw the Knights capture the tournament championship cruising to a 3-0 record with victories over the Centennial Colts (84-77), the Fanshawe Falcons (89-67), and in the Championship Final, the Durham Lords (85-71). Third year Knights forward Jordan Wilson (Nassau, Bahamas) was named the tournament MVP.
"The weekend was a good test as the tournament featured four OCAA West teams and four OCAA East teams. We played close to full strength this weekend and continued to see lots of good things as well as areas in need of improvement as we continue to discover our identity" said Knights men's basketball head coach Mike Hurley.
Offensively, the Knights were paced by veteran forward Levi Mukuna. The six-foot-three native of Hamilton lead the Knights in scoring in all three games, finishing with 22 points against Centennial, 26 versus Fanshawe, and 20 in the gold medal game.
The event formally wraps up the Knights pre-season schedule. The team will open the 2017-18 regular season on Friday, October 20th when they host the Mohawk Mountaineers at 8:00pm at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre. Adding extra interest to the 2017-18 season is the fact the Niagara College will play host to the 2018 OCAA Championship from March 1-3.
