3 members of the Steel City Sports Club (Steel City Slam Basketball and Steel City Ignite Volleyball) will be continuing their journey as student athletes in the sport of basketball in September 2021. Bishop Whitmell, Logan Whitmell, and Elijah Suffel will all be hitting the hardwood at their respective post secondary institutions.
Bishop and his younger brother Logan will be attending Sault College in the fall. Bishop, who was recruited by Fanshawe College, one of the top basketball programs in the OCAA will fall into the laps of the Sault College Cougars.
‘With our current COVID-19 situation, not knowing what the future holds, for me it is a great situation to be at home, with family and have an opportunity to continue to play with my brother, while helping Sault College establish a competitive program in the OCAA” stated Bishop.
“Bishop is a ‘team guy first’ and a leader. He is very dynamic and can play and defend 1 through 5. Sault College is very fortunate to get someone like Bishop. He’s committed, he’s willing to learn, and he will accept any role necessary to help his team to succeed. I’ve seen this when he’s suited up for us in club tournaments as well as when he played for the White Pines Wolverines. He will only help Sault College get better” says Jeff Giovanatti. “Steel City Slam has helped me grow as a basketball player and person.
In addition, they helped me when it was time to look at options to play after high school. I’m thankful for the 1000’s of hours that they invested in me and everyone in the program and look forward to coming back to help the next generation of Sault talent. They are truly a community minded and athlete centred program first and foremost”, says Bishop.
Logan Whitmell is a talented 6’6 guard/wing who is known for his soft touch around the rim and his ability to knock down the 3-point shot. “Logan is a playmaker and will pose problems for other teams as he is a tough matchup. In addition to this, he can shoot the ball extremely well from beyond the arc. He will force teams to extend their defense, which will help Sault College immensely. Sault College had a .15 winning percentage and only shot 25 percent from the field. Logan will help improve their shooting percentage and points per game as he can fill up the scoresheet in a hurry which will help them get in the win column this year” commented Giovanatti. “I loved my time playing for the Steel City Slam Basketball Club, and I’m thankful for the experiences they provided. I encourage anyone who is serious about basketball or who wants to just play to make sure they sign up. It’s awesome, and I look forward to going back to be a mentor for other ‘up and comers’ “, stated Logan.
Elijah Suffel will bring his skills to North Bay to suit up for the Nipissing Lakers. The 6’4 wing brings a passion for the game and a competitive will to win. “Elijah is a great kid. It was great to work with him this year, and watch his game really soar. Another player who can play and defend multiple positions, and one of the things I really saw was his 3-point percentage improve over the course of this year. He can really light it up from beyond the arc, and at the same time put it on the floor to get to the rim” says Giovanatti. “Playing with the Steel City Slam Program allowed me to continue to develop my skills to help put me in the situation I’m in today. I encourage anyone in the community to get out and join the Slam program. It’s a great program and I look forward to continuing to train with them” says Suffel.
Although this year was very different in terms of sport, it really provided an opportunity for our athletes to develop their skills and decision making abilities, while building relationships with players from other high schools in the community. “It’s no surprise these three are going on to play after high school. We trained five days a week, and these three were there 99 % of the time. There is no secret to success. It’s effective hours in” stated Jim Shook, one of the Steel City Sports Club directors and manager of the U-19 and U-17 Boys teams.
“It was great to have all of the ‘top guys’ in our region train under one roof. That’s been the goal from day one. In our minds, our championships are not the tournaments we win, rather the number of student athletes who we assist to ensure they continue to play at the next level. Those are our community successes” elated Giovanatti. “We want to continue this process with the next group of kids. We are ‘all in’ as a club, 365 days a year” continued Shook.
What we strive to do most is provide an opportunity for everyone to play and enjoy the game of basketball. Before we hit the hardwood, we ask our athletes: “What are your goals”, and we help to develop a plan and pathway for them to best achieve their goals. If it’s to enjoy basketball now, and play in an adult or rec league after high school, that’s fine. If it’s to play post secondary, that’s also fine, but there is now a commitment on the part of the athlete and a mutual commitment on the coaches and club to provide an effective developmental environment to help the athlete achieve their goal” says Jim Shook.
“Jeff is an outstanding resource for our basketball players and the sport in Sault Ste. Marie and the North region. He has seen and played the game at a ‘high level’, and knows the skills and environment necessary to help kids master their craft. In addition to his skill development strengths, he has strong relationships with a lot of people in the sport across the globe, let alone in Canada. He called Humber College the other day, the ‘Duke University” of Canadian College basketball for one of our players and the head coach of the program’s response was ‘Let’s make him a student athlete here at Humber” based on Jeff’s reference. The coach has yet to seen the kid play, but values Jeff’s evaluation and knows that kids in our program will understand how to compete, will have in a high basketball IQ, and a strong skillset.” explained Shook. Jeff has been coaching, training and evaluating high performance athletes locally, provincially, nationally and most recently even internationally during his last stint on Canada’s Cadet men’s National team. “Last year, before a practice, Jeff said “I’m going to call Rowan Barrett” (current Canada Basketball GM and father to current New York Knick R.J Barrett). “I think these kids need another voice to hear in terms of work ethic and competing for some inspiration”. Jeff pulled the kids in and put Rowan on speaker. From there a conversation ensued about commitment, grit, and improving every day. The rest of practice let alone the season saw a different compete level. It’s evident Rowan’s voice had impact and he’s speaking from experience. Look at his son RJ, who is having a tremendous second year in the league with the Knicks.” It’s these relationships that Jeff shares with our club kids’ it’s really a tremendous opportunity for kids in our community” says Shook.
Jeff and Jim say the club isn’t done yet as their will be “more announcements coming soon” with respect to players committing to programs for the upcoming season as well as other announcements. We are the most established club in the community, as we have been doing this since 2004 (as the Sault Sharks) and rebranded the program in 2013 as Steel City Slam. We pride ourselves on being community minded, inclusive and it is reflected in the tremendous group of coaches and volunteers we have in our organization, and how we do our best to invest in each of the kids in our program. With that said, we are always looking for more people to come and help us to better help the kids in our community. If you are interested in being a part of the club to support our community athletes in any capacity, please e-mail: saultsteelcityslam@gmail.com.
Source: Steel City Slam
