By Nigel Maxwell

Carlton seniors named to All-Star teams

Apr 20, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Two Carlton high school seniors have been invited to play in a provincial basketball All Star game this weekend in Saskatoon.

Nhel Arpia, 19, and Mackenzie Emmerson, 17, were the only players from North of Saskatoon to receive invites for the Daytona Homes Senior Classic. The other nine players from their respective boys’ and girls’ teams are from Saskatoon and North Battleford.

Arpia averaged 24.2 points per game this year including a career high game of 44 points against the Weyburn 4A provincial champions.

“I’m really excited about [the game this weekend] because there will be a lot of good players playing with me and against me,” Arpia said.

Arpia, who stands 6’4″, only moved to Canada from the Philippines in his Grade 10 year, and said his position changed in Canada.

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“I’ve always been the tallest when i was in the Philippines so I always played as centre, but when I got here it changed a little bit and I became a forward,” he said.

As far as a basketball career after high school, Arpia said he has not put that much thought into it. For now he said his aspirations include a degree in physical therapy.

Carlton senior boys’ basketball team coach Tim Strom said he was really excited when he learned one of his players was asked to play in the all-star game. He described Arpia as a very deceptive player.

“He’s creative. When you think he can’t get a shot off, he’s going to get a shot off and it’s going to go in,” Strom said.

Strom, who has been coaching the senior boys’ basketball team for roughly five years, said the game presents a great opportunity for players from the rural circuit schools.

“The downside to playing in the small city circuit is we don’t get a lot of our games in Saskatoon, so you don’t get those university people looking,” Strom said.

Mackenzie Emmerson does not have to worry about the pressure of playing for the scouts, as she has already accepted a scholarship at NAIT in Edmonton. Some of the girls on her team this weekend are players she fought for rebounds with over the course of the season.

“I think we’ll get past battling all season and just have fun playing together finally as one team,” she said. 

Emmerson said playing for a different coach will be both challenging and exciting, but added she will focus on just playing her own game.

This weekend’s games will both be played at Walter Murray High School Saturday night. The girls’ game has been scheduled for 5 p.m. and the boys will play at 7 p.m.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell