2009-10 QSSF major awards and all-stars announced

PHOTO BY ANDREW DOBROWOLSKYJ

MONTREAL - The Quebec Student Sport Federation (QSSF) announced today its major award winners and all-star teams in men's university basketball.

McGill University's Matthew Thornhill (Île Bizard, Que.) has been selected as the Quebec University Basketball League (QUBL) player of the year for the 2009-10 season. Playing most of the season with a broken nose, Thornhill never missed a beat finishing first in league scoring with an average of 18.3 points per game. The fourth year finance student was second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (45.8%) averaging 2.4 buckets per game from beyond the arc. He was equally impressive from the charity stripe, finishing the campaign third among all players in free-throw shooting percentage at 79.3%.

His teammate Olivier Bouchard* of Montreal earns the nod as the QSSF men's basketball rookie of the year. The shortest player on the Redmen squad at 5'10", Bouchard overcame concerns about his size to find a place in the starting rotation for McGill. The former Montmorency College Nomades player finished his inaugural season with 9.9 points per game and 3.7 assists. The management student drained 39.8% of his field goal attempts, went 34.8% from beyond the three-point line and drained 79.6% of his free throws.

Éric Côté-Kougnima (Gatineau, Que.) of the UQAM Citadins is the unanimous choice for defensive player of the year. The former Cégep de l'Outaouais standout was third in the conference in steals with 29 and ninth overall in blocked shots with eight (8).

Earning the nod as the QUBL men's basketball coach of the year is Olga Hrycak, who guided her team to a regular season conference crown posting an 11-5 record. In her seventh year as bench boss of the Citadins, Hrycak is looking to parlay the regular season dominance into the school's first appearance at the CIS Final 8 since the 2006 tournament.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
** Matthew Thornhill, McGill, Management (Finance), Île Bizard, Que., Dawson College

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
** Olivier Bouchard, McGill, Management (General), Montréal, Montmorency College *

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
** Éric Côté-Kougnima, UQAM, Administration, Gatineau, Que., Cégep de l'Outaouais

COACH OF THE YEAR
Olga Hrycak, UQAM

OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR
Mike Homsy

FIRST TEAM QUBL ALL-STARS
Position, Name, University, Program of Study, Hometown, Previous team
**Guard, Matthew Thornhill, McGill, Management (Finance), Île Bizard, Que. Dawson College
Guard, Adil El Makssoud, UQAM, Kinesiology, Casablanca, Marocco, Montmorency College
Forward, Étienne Labrecque, Laval, Physical and Health Education, Jonquière, Que., Quinnipiac Bobcats
Forward, Evens Laroche, Concordia, Human Relations, Montreal, Dawson College
Guard, Onnex Blackwood, Bishop's, Social Sciences, Scarborough, Ont., Mother Teresa C.S.S.

SECOND TEAM QUBL ALL-STARS
Position, Name, University, Program of Study, Hometown, Previous team
Guard, Jérôme Turcotte-Routhier, Laval, Law, Quebec City, Cégep de Sainte-Foy *
Forward, Gregory St-Amand, UQAM, Administration, Laval, Que., Montmorency College
Guard, Éric Côté-Kougnima, UQAM, Administration, Gatineau, Que., Cégep de l'Outaouais
Guard, Decee Krah, Concordia, Marketing, Hamilton, Ont., Cathedral HS
Guard, Olivier Bouchard, U. McGill, Management, Montreal, Montmorency College *

QUBL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Position, Name, University, Program of Study, Hometown, Previous team
** Guard, Olivier Bouchard, McGill, Management, Montreal, Montmorency College *
Guard, Onnex Blackwood, Bishop's, Social Sciences, Scarborough, Ont., Mother Teresa C.S.S.
Guard, Jean-Philippe Renaud, Laval, Business Administration, Quebec City, Cégep de Sainte-Foy
Forward, Nicolas Langley, McGill, Science (Computer Science), Missoula, Montana (USA), St. Mary's HS
Guard, Jean-André Moussignac, Concordia, Arts, Montreal, Champlain College (Saint-Lambert)

* Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence bursary winner
** Unanimous selection