CALGARY – One of the most prolific scorers in CIS basketball history will close his varsity career with the University of Calgary Dinos.

After four seasons at Ryerson University in Toronto, 6-foot-8 forward Boris Bakovic has committed to the Dinos for 2011-12. He will be eligible to play for the Dinos immediately, having sat out the entire 2010-11 season.

Bakovic accumulated 2,068 points in his four-year career at Ryerson and sits second on the Ontario University Athletics all-time scoring list. He led the nation in scoring each of his last three seasons with 526, 600, and 576 points in consecutive years, and his addition will provide a significant boost to a Dinos program that has been used to success but experienced a down year in 2010-11.

“I think it puts us back in the hunt again to compete at the level we have been for the last several years,” said Dinos head coach Dan Vanhooren. “Boris is big, he's strong, he brings national team-level experience, he's a shooter, he's a scorer…we're really bringing in an All-Canadian.

“With him playing next to Tyler (Fidler) and Matt (Letkeman), and with Jarred (Ogungbemi-Jackson) back in our lineup next year, it means big things for us.”

“Calgary felt like a fit both academically and with basketball,” said the 22-year-old Toronto native, who will enroll in the Haskayne School of Business. “I was really impressed by the dedication and focus showed by the team and the staff.

“My only goal is to wake up every morning and dedicate myself to working hard that day. If I can become a better basketball player every time I step on the court, I can't ask for anything more, and Calgary seemed like a place I would be able to do that and enjoy going to school.”

After making back-to-back appearances in the national semi-final, the Dinos struggled to an 8-16 record last season thanks to inconsistency and a rash of injuries – most notably to sophomore point guard Ogungbemi-Jackson. But with him back in the lineup to solidify the perimeter, the addition of Bakovic to the front line that already includes Canada West rookie of the year Letkeman and fifth-year standout Fidler should give the Dinos reason for optimism.

A two-time Ryerson athlete of the year, Bakovic played on Canada's 2009 Summer Universiade entry in Belgrade, Serbia alongside former Dino Ross Bekkering. The Sarajevo-born forward averaged better than 11 points per game as a member of Team Canada at the 2007 FIBA World U19 Championship and has spent several years with the junior and development national teams.

All that experience will certainly pay dividends for an otherwise young Dinos squad next season.

“In the locker room, he's going to be a captain and a leader for sure,” said Vanhooren. “He's mature on and off the court, so that will certainly benefit our younger players – even the fact that they get to practice against him 80 times during the season. It gives us a year to develop our younger guys and get back to where we're competitive. It's a serious win-win for us.”

“I work hard and lead by example, and hopefully I can contribute the things that I have learned over the years to the other guys,” Bakovic said. “(The Dinos) already have their leaders, I'm just looking to be an addition that gives them the extra push they need to win a championship.”

Vanhooren also announced the addition of two imports to his 2011-12 recruiting class. Josh Owen-Thomas, an Aussie who played for the England under-18 team, will make his third Commonwealth stop to play in CIS next year with the Dinos, while Phoenix, Ariz. native Daryus Sconiers heads north to Calgary this fall.

Owen-Thomas, 19, was England's second-leading scorer at the 2010 U18 European Championships, averaging 11.1 points per game as the team racked up a 5-3 record and a sixth-place finish. The 6-foot-1 shooting guard spent the first half of the 2010-11 season with the London Leopards of the English Basketball League's top division before returning to Australia.

Sconiers, 21, is a 6-foot-1, left-handed guard who played one year for Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore. A graduate of Cesar Chavez High School in Phoenix, the speedy Sconiers is a solid outside shooter, finishing third in the Arizona state three-point competition in his senior year.

“Daryus brings a quickness we have not had in our backcourt for a while, along with a savvy scoring touch around the rim,” said Vanhooren. “While Josh is an excellent shooter, he is also tough and plays intelligent basketball. Both of these players will be key contributors to the Dinos' future success. Along with Jarred, Keenan (Milburn), Andrew (McGuinness), and Phil (Labongo), these two players give us versatility and something that we don't have with the rest of our roster.”

-UC-