Bringing in the top athletes is always the goal, but when those top athletes are local, it’s a bonus.
The Nipissing Lakers men’s basketball team has been able to secure the top local talent since their inaugural season and they have done it again, signing two new recruits from the Gateway City.
The program is excited to announce the signing of power forward Keats Vanderlee and forward Zach Martyn, who will both be joining the Lakers from local high schools.
Lakers head coach Chris Cheng believes it’s important to keep top players close to home and he’s been able to do so with these two additions.
“I want to develop the talent here in the city; I want the youth in our city to inspire to be future Lakers because I want to coach them. Joey (Puddister), Jordan (Roberts), and now Zach and Keats are only the beginning,” Cheng explained. “As basketball continues to grow in our city and we continue to grow as a program, there is no doubt in my mind that I will be recruiting a lot more in our city in the near future."
Vanderlee is making his way to the Lakers after playing at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall with the Bears and the 18-year-old is looking forward to joining the team he has watched the past three season.
“I am ecstatic to be signing with the Nipissing Lakers men’s basketball team. It means a lot to me to become part of this program after watching them play for the past three years and grow as a successful team,” he said.
Vanderlee will be taking criminal justice at Nipissing and believes he’ll be able to contribute to team success, no matter what his role is with the team.
“My expectations leading into this year for my team and myself are to push to new levels of competition and areas in my game that need improving that I hope will help the team for the year to come,” he stated.
Martyn, who is graduating from the Chippewa Raiders program, has attended Lakers High-Performance Camps, as well as a number of Lakers home games in the past few years.
The future BPHE student can’t wait to throw on a jersey and hit the court.
“I’ve watched Nipissing grow over the years from when they didn’t have a team until now and I always dreamt of playing there. Being aLaker sounded awesome to me,” Martyn said. “I’m immensely excited to be signing with Nipissing University this year and becoming part of the Lakers program. I will wear the blue and green proud.”
Vanderlee was part of the first-ever St. Joseph Scollard Hall Basketball team to reach AAA OFSAA, the same year they won the city championship and NOSSA.
He feels his strengths are being physical and playing well defensively.
“My style of basketball is to get physical inside the paint looking for rebounds and kick-outs and 3-point opportunities. My strengths are being able to take the ball strong inside the paint, my defensiveness ability against larger opponents, and awareness of other players on the court,” he said.
Martyn was MVP with the Raiders in Grade 11 and 12 and feels his ability to knock down shots will allow him to find success at the next level.
“I am a long versatile wing player whose biggest strength is shooting the ball. I can cause match-up problems at times either scoring off the catch, dribble, or inside. Plus I have a tendency to heat up after a few made shots and keep it going throughout the game,” he explained.
All three – Cheng, Vanderlee and Martyn know there is a transition and adjustment period, but they’re all ready to work together to continue the progress the Lakers program has made.
“Keats is another player that has grown and developed the past three years. He has really taken this opportunity with us seriously as he has been dedicated to developing his body and skill set daily. I have already witnessed a vast improvement in his confidence and ability since he started to train with my players in May. I am confident that Keats will further put in the necessary work to be the best player he can be for our program," Cheng explained.
“Zach is another guard that give us length and shooting. I am happy to see Zach progress to the player he has become. I have watched Zach the past three years and every year he has improved. To me, that speaks to his commitment and willingness to learn. Zach has potential to be a really good shooter and player in our league. I am confident he can get there if he continues to progress at this pace.”
