.: Drivebasketball.com related Content:
.: Kitsilano has been ranked in the top 10 all season long. For a complete list of the AAA rankings click here.
"Russell has been playing fantastic for us all season. I truly think he is one of the very best players I have ever seen at finding some way to get to the basket. He has the physical build and skill to play far beyond high school. At 6'3" with a huge wingspan, strong, can handle the rock and shoot he is definitely capable of playing at the next level. Russ is our MVP without any of the glory. He has been our most consistent player and reliable scorer this year. We call him Left handed assassin.”
-Sam Payne, Kits assistant coach
“It’s been great playing on a team with a winning tradition. We get invited to many tournaments, and it also motivates every team to come out hard against us. It also gives us more incentive to come out strong so we can keep up the winning tradition for the future. I feel fortunate to be involved in a program that helps its players and cares as much about succeeding in basketball as we do. It’s been awesome.”
-Russell Whitehead, Sr. Kitsilano
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.: RETRO MVP: AARON CHRISTENSEN
.: TEAM SPOTLIGHT: ST. GEORGES
.: PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: JACOB DOERKSEN
.: COACHES CORNER: TOM NEWELL
.: PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: H. BRADFORD
.: PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: CHARLIE SPURR
.: PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: BRENT MALISH
.: PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: AYMEN NURHUISEN
.: NEW BALANCE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
.: COACHES CORNER: BILL DISBROW
.: PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: JERON DILLON
.: 2004-05 AAA RANKINGS
.: TOP UNDERCLASSMEN: JR | SO | FR
.: 2004-05 PRE-SEASON ALL-BC TEAMS
.: PLAYER DIARY: TYRELL MARA
.: ARCHIVED PAST ARTICLES
(Pictured: Senior swingman Russell Whitehead has been an intricate part of Kitsilano's success this season. He is currently averaging 20 pts, 8 boards and 7 assists per night. Here he takes the ball to the hoop against New West during HSBC action.)
"SLIPPERY SMOOTH" - RUSSELL WHITEHEAD: SENIOR WING KITSILANO
Kitsilano high school is known for having outstanding basketball teams and this year’s squad is no different. The list of elite players to graduate from Kits is endless and a player that will soon join that list is Russell Whitehead. The grade 12 swing man has flown under the radar all season but is averaging and impressive 20 pts, 8 rips and 7 dimes per game. He has the natural ability to put the ball in the basket and being a left handed player allows him to slither through defenders while getting his shot off.
Kitsilano assistant coach Sam Payne believes that Russell is the glue to their squad. “ Russell has been playing fantastic for us all season. I truly think he is one of the very best players I have ever seen at finding some way to get to the basket. He has the physical build and skill to play far beyond high school. At 6'3" with a huge wingspan, strong, can handle the rock and shoot he is definitely capable of playing at the next level. Russ is our MVP without any of the glory. He has been our most consistent player and reliable scorer this year. We call him Left handed assassin.” And that is exactly what he is scorching his opponents on his way to the hoop. He’s a 6’3 version of Lamar Odom of the Lakers, he does a little of everything on the court making his teammates better. These are the qualities that his favorite player demonstrates on a nightly basis. “ My favorite player is Lebron James because he does everything on the court. He has amazing court vision and manages to make everyone who plays with him better. He is very unselfish and he dominates the game being able to score whenever he wants.”
Playing at Kitsilano with its winning tradition has been something special for Russell and his teammates. “It’s been great playing on a team with a winning tradition. We get invited to many tournaments, and it also motivates every team to come out hard against us. It also gives us more incentive to come out strong so we can keep up the winning tradition for the future. I feel fortunate to be involved in a program that helps its players and cares as much about succeeding in basketball as we do. It’s been awesome.”
As the season has progressed the Blue Demons have overcome injuries to be playing their best basketball of the season. They have defeated top ranked teams such as New West and Centennial and now look to make another title run. “I just try to improve on every little part of my game, especially on the defensive end. I do every thing I can do to help our team succeed and ultimately win a provincial championship” says Whitehead. “Our team goal is just to focus hard on each game one by one. We feel if we do this, and work hard every night, especially on the defensive end, we will be able to do some damage in the provincials and hopefully win it all which is our biggest goal.”
Look for the Left handed “Assassin” as he leads the Blue Demons back to the promise land. Eventually he would like to take his game to the University level but for right now he is focused on one thing only and that’s winning another banner.
Recently Kitsilano won the sliver medal at the Lower Mainland Championships and will now face Kelowna in the opening round of the tournament. The Game time is March 15, at 8:30am at the Agrodome. For a complete look at the tournament draw click here.
Drive would like to wish Russell Whitehead and his Kitsilano teammates the best of luck during the playoffs.