June 17, 2011
The following is being distributed at the request of Sport Newfoundland and Labrador:
Hall of Fame Inductions to Take Place this Weekend
The Newfoundland and Labrador Basketball Association (NLBA) will be holding its Hall of Fame inductions in conjunction with the AGM this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in St. John’s. Four individuals will be inducted including: Annette Rossiter (Athlete/Builder), Gerard Brien (Official), George Power (Builder) and Clarence Sutton (Athlete/Builder). Bios on each of the individuals are listed below.
Annette Rossiter:
Inducted as (Athlete-Builder)
Annette’s involvement in basketball spanned a period of 23 years. She is
recognized as one of an impressive group of outstanding female athletes who
were responsible for gaining respect and recognition for female athletes in
the province. Prior to the group’s arrival there was relatively little
recognition for female athletics in general and female athletes in
particular.
Her basketball career began as a player at Mercy College in St. John’s and continued when she attended Holy Heart of Mary Regional High School from 1967 to 1970. While at Holy Heart she was captain for the St. John’s and provincial high school champions in 1970. Her basketball played a major role in her selection as Holy Heart Athlete of the Year for 1969 and 1970.
Following her high school career she moved on to play in the St. John’s senior basketball league where she claimed the scoring title, along with MVP awards. Rossiter was also selected as the St. John’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1971. Throughout the 1970s she was a perennial all star in the senior women’s basketball league. She was a member of four St. John’s championships teams, three provincial championship teams and played in six national championships. She has twice received St. John’s and Provincial MVP awards, won two scoring titles and was named to seven all-star teams. In 1971 and 1975 she represented Newfoundland and Labrador at the Canada Games. In 1972 she played with Memorial University’s Varsity Basketball Team, winning the St. John’s senior title.
In addition to an impressive playing career Annette began coaching in
1972 at Holy Heart of Mary Regional High School. She coached the girl’s team
until 1989 and on two occasions added the school’s boys’ team to her agenda.
School teams she coached won 10 St. John’s championships, five provincial
titles and placed second to Quebec for the Atlantic regional final. In 1981,
working with Bill Redden of Memorial University, Annette was a driving force
behind the establishment of the annual MUN-Holy Heart basketball tournament
that was of great benefit to many female high school basketball players
throughout the province.
Gerard Brien:
Inducted as an Official
Gerard Brien has been a basketball referee with the St. John’s Association
of Basketball Officials and NABO for 32 years.
He is currently a nationally-certified Level Five official who referees the highest calibre of basketball at the local, provincial, inter-collegiate and national levels. He has officiated at five national championships and three Atlantic University Championships. He was selected to officiate the semi-finals in every one of his national championship appearances. The highlight of his officiating career was being chosen to referee, as crew-chief, the gold medal game of the 1996 Senior Men’s National Championships. He also referred the bronze medal game in two other national championships. He was proud to be the NABO representative in refereeing the 1993 Canada Summer Games in Kamloops, BC, a tournament in which the now famous two-time NBA MVP, Steve Nash, played for BC.
In addition to his on floor contributions he has also served as Provincial Rules Clinician and Provincial Evaluator of officials for 25 years. He has served as an official for the University Panel of officials at the AUS/CIS level for approximately 25 years. At the local level he has served on the SJABO executive for eight years and on the NABO executive for 10 years. In addition to these formal duties he has served as a mentor to new officials and as an organizer of various working committees over the years.
Mr. Brien has recently been honoured by the Canadian Association of
Basketball Officials (CABO) where he was awarded the J.A. Wink Willox Award,
a national award for outstanding service to basketball and officiating in
Canada.
George Power:
Inducted as a Builder
George has been actively involved in basketball for over four consecutive
decades. Over the years he has served in numerous NLBA executive positions
in addition to spending many quality years as an active player and as an
elite coach.
As is the case with many passionate athletes, George’s involvement didn’t end with his playing career. His coaching is extensive and varied; an indication of his commitment to exposing the young people of this province to the sport he loves. His high school coaching experience saw him take on head coaching duties at schools throughout NL. These included Holy Heart Senior and Junior Boys, St. Catherine’s Senior Boys, Gonzaga Senior Girls, Beaconsfield Senior and Junior Girls, St. Paul’s Senior Girls and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Senior Boys.
In addition to his high school coaching George has coached many provincial teams throughout his career. Throughout the 90s he was head coach of juvenile boys and juvenile girls programs. He was also assistant coach of the 1997 Canada Games Men’s Program and in 2005 was head coach of the Canada Games Men’s program.
Although his coaching contributions to the sport were significant he made
long-term impressions on the administrative side of the sport. He held the
VP position for the NLBA in 1980 and was president of the St. Mary’s Minor
Association from 87-95. He held several positions with the NLBA including
Regional Director and Senior Tournament Director before becoming President
of the NLBA from 2001-2003.
Clarence Sutton:
Inducted as Athlete/Builder
Clarence was a player, coach and physical education teacher for over 21
years. Individuals who knew him well realized what a rare and special
individual he was – one whose commitment to the sport of basketball was part
of who he was as a person. As a player Clarence was a fierce competitor
whose love of the game was evident to all who watched him play. As a coach
he shared with his athletes his love for the game of basketball and for
life.
A one-time Sea-Hawks player, he was inducted into the MUN Athletic Honors Society-the highest honour for a varsity athlete. Sutton won three provincial MVP awards and was named to the all-star team on six different occasions. He went on to win 12 Division 1 Provincial titles.
Locally, he claimed nine St. John’s Men’s City Championships along with several all star and MVP awards. He was a two-time High School Provincial Champ and later a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Canada Games Program.
As a coach he touched the lives of many young athletes in our province. He has long been recognized as one of the top high school coaches in the history of NL. His coaching career began at Stella-Maris Academy in Trepassey where he developed a basketball program that produced many of the top players in the province. From Stella-Maris School Clarence moved on to St. John Bosco in Shea Heights but his final coaching experience was at St. Kevin’s in the Goulds. His St. Kevin’s girls’ team once won 125 games in a row. He claimed several school championships over his coaching career in the various 2A, 3A and 4A boys and girls divisions.
Despite his awards and championships as both a player and a coach those who knew Clarence would say that his real accomplishment was in the many lives he touched through his genuine love for the game and the concern and dedication to all the many young athletes he worked with in his years of devotion to the sport. Speak to any of his former athletes and most will tell you not about the basketball skills they learned or the games they won with Coach Sutton – instead they will tell you about the very special person who, through basketball, helped bring out the best in all those he touched.
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For more information or for tournament schedules please visit www.nlba.nf.ca
Media contact:
Bill Murphy
Executive Director
NLBA
P.O. Box 21029
St. John’s, NL A1A 5B2
Phone: 709- 576-0247, fax: 576-8787
Web site: www.nlba.nf.ca
2011 06 17 12:00 p.m.