No small steps:

At 6’7”, Ryan Sinninghe is used to taking big steps.
But the former Rainy River Owl faces none bigger as he makes the transition to a first-year backup centre with the Lakehead U Thunderwolves.
Used to playing ‘A’ high school basketball against the likes of Sioux Lookout, Ignace, and Red Lake, Sinninghe these days is battling on the hardwood against the top university-aged players in the country.
And it’s been a learning experience in more ways than one for the 19-year-old business major. While Sinninghe routinely topped 35 points a game in high school, the 200-pounder now finds himself with a more defensive role in university.
His job now is to stop the other teams’ big men.
“When I go in there, I play a hard aggressive game against their biggest players,” said Sinninghe, Lakehead U’s tallest player. “We use more offensive and defensive strategies and sets.
“It’s not really more complicated but it’s different looks,” he added.
He said the faster pace and more aggressive play, and the fact university ball includes a shot clock, are all part of the adjustment.
Still, few have had to make such a big jump. Most of the other players on this season’s Lakehead U team hail from southern Ontario or the States.
In fact, most of his teammates and opponents have never even heard of Rainy River’s basketball program.
“The other players come from ‘AA’ at least, or regional teams,” Sinninghe noted, adding his former coach, John Laplante, contacted the Thunderwolves before the season started.
“This year I just want to improve my play and continue my role. And as the years go on, I want to step up and improve my game,” he explained.
Laplante, a former Lakehead U player himself, said Sinninghe is the type of player who undoubtedly will improve as his career goes along.
“He’s an extremely hard worker and a really nice kid,” said Laplante, who coached Sinninghe in his senior year.
“There’s not a lot of opportunity to develop coming from an ‘A’ school. [Playing university ball] doesn’t happen very often, usually players come from big schools in southern Ontario.”
“He was probably the best man on the floor in NorWOSSA ‘A’ and probably the best man in NorWOSSA ‘AA’,” praised Ian Simpson, also a former coach at Rainy River.
And Laplante feels Sinninghe has yet to reach his full potential.
“He’s excellent at both ends of the floor,” he enthused. “He’s only scratched the surface of his potential. Most kids from the big programs peak at grade 11, grade 12, but he’s yet to peak.
“He’s only going to get better once he learns more about playing against kids his own height and weight,” Laplante added. “That’s very difficult to do at the start.”
And that’s what Sinninghe admitted he’ll have to do to improve his game even more. There’s little chance he’ll get any taller but he could use a few more pounds to battle underneath the basket for those all-important rebounds.
“I should get more weight,” he said. “I feel that would help me.”
For now, Sinninghe is making one of his few trips out west as the Thunderwolves take part in the 33rd-annual MTS Mobility Wesmen Classic this week at the University of Winnipeg.
Lakehead U is in the same draw as the Brandon Bobcats, Brock Badgers (St. Catharines), and the Lethbridge Pronghorns. The Thunderwolves faced Lethbridge yesterday afternoon (no score was available), with the winner moving on to play the winner of the Brandon-Brock matchup tonight at 8 p.m.
The loser of both games tipped off this afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
The ‘B’-final is slated for Thursday at 2:30 p.m. while the ‘A’ showdown goes tomorrow at 8 p.m.