06/16/2026
It's the award that gets all the coaches, old-school basketball fans, and defensive specialists talking like they're the new panelists on Inside the NBA, and with good reason! The Defensive Player of the Year recognizes the players who embraced the toughest assignments, made life difficult for opponents, and understood that defense wins games. These athletes brought effort, discipline, toughness, and to the defensive end all season long. For U15 Wolak, Benjamin Makanjuola put together an outstanding first rep season. Bringing relentless energy and defensive intensity every time he stepped on the floor, Ben's improvement throughout the year was impossible to miss, and culminated in some of his best performances at Ontario Cup. U16 Hinzey's Daniel Kenney earns DPOY honours after another tremendous season on both ends of the court. While D2K filled the stat sheet in many ways, it was his defensive play that often proved to be the difference maker for Team Hinzey. With a lean roster throughout the season, Kenney routinely took on difficult assignments, playing tough, controlled defense while somehow managing to stay out of foul trouble all year long. For Team Quinn, Mubarak Jimoh was simply a game-changer defensively. Steals, hustle plays, chase-down blocks, loose-ball recoveries, #10 did it all. His relentless defensive effort created countless extra possessions and opportunities for the Q-Dogs, helping power the team all the way to an Ontario Cup Championship in just their second rep season. Elijah Girolametto collects his second award of the season as Team Tindale's Defensive Player of the Year. Getting a stop is one thing. Turning that stop into a scoring opportunity is what separates great defenders from elite ones. Elijah's basketball IQ, grit, and ability to make winning plays consistently put him in that category. His steady leadership, focus, and defensive presence were exactly what the U17 squad needed throughout the season. Congratulations to our Huskies Rep 2025-2026 Defensive Players of the Year!