BY SCOTT
HADDOW
Cambrian College men's basketball point guard Mitch Mallette is
making up for lost time.
After transferring from Sault College two seasons ago, Mallette
was forced, because of OCAA rules, to sit out the entire
2005-06 season.
It was a difficult period in Mallette's life, as up to that
point, he had been playing basketball at a high level for a
good part of his life.
He watched, helplessly from the sidelines, as his new team
struggled mightily going 2-16 on the year.
Mallette heard all the comments from other teams about how
pathetic Cambrian basketball was.
It was hard to take, especially when he knew he could help the
team and make a difference, yet all he could do was practice
with the team and offer moral support.
Now, Mallette is getting ready to finish his first season with
Cambrian, and he has made a difference by impacting the team
with his skill and desire to win.
Entering the weekend action, the Golden Shield were 9-7 and
right in the thick of the playoff hunt. They held sixth overall
in the OCAA as of Wednesday morning.
The team has come a long way from last season, and Mallette is
one of the main reasons the squad has been transformed
from a pretender to a contender in the span of one year.
In 16 games, Mallette has 318 points, good for third overall in
the OCAA, and he's averaging 19.8 points-per-game, good for
sixth in the league.
"I had plenty of motivation for this year," said the Lasalle
Secondary graduate. "I watched the team go through a tough
season, and I had to just sit there and take it. Coming into
this season...I had a full year of motivation to get me going.
I wanted to come in and prove I could play at this level and
help Cambrian show they weren't going to be the laughing stock
of the league anymore. It was difficult to sit...I still worked
hard at practice and it has really paid off for me this year.
It was worth all the trouble."
Mallette injected much needed enthusiasm into the line up,
along with a truck load of high end skill.
"Mitch is a gamer," said head coach Brad Hann. "He really steps
it up when we need him the most. He plays hard all the time.
He's smart and passionate about basketball. He doesn't back
down from anyone. He's a leader in that respect. Mitch plays
point guard, which is a leadership position by default. He has
excelled."
Mallette leads by example.
"I come in every day and work my hardest...I expect others to
do the same," said the 21-year-old. "I don't take one practice
off. I try to show I am a leader by winning every drill or
sprint and making sure no one slacks off. I'm an up tempo
player...I like to push the ball and create things for my
teammates."
Mallette set no real personal goals for this year. More than
anything, he wants to celebrate a championship win.
"Personal stats don't mean much to me...it's nice I am doing
well though," said the second-year student who is studying to
be a child and youth worker.
"Personal stats don't mean a thing if, at the end of the day,
the team is losing. We want to win. All the guys work their
tails off and the coaches respect us for it. We want to earn a
playoff spot and go from there. We have all put a lot of time
into this and it should pay off."
Hann will lean on Mallette even though it's just his second
year in the league.
"I expect a higher level of performance from Mitch every game
because he gets a lot of playing minutes," said the bench boss.
"We rely on him for scoring and to be at his best every day and
he has delivered. He's logging heavy minutes and responding
well."
Mallette is a product of the highly regarded Lasalle Secondary
basketball program, that has been dominating the Sudbury scene
for many years.
"The Lasalle program is as good as they say," said Mallette. "I
learned a heck of a lot about the sport while there. I go back
and watch games to support them. They supported me...it's the
best basketball program in Sudbury."
Mallette will lead the Golden Shield into two big road games
this weekend as they face Algonquin Saturday, followed by a
tilt with La Cite on Sunday.
The playoffs start next week.
