News
Canada heard loud and proud in every whistle blown at NBA Finals
Posted on July 28, 2019
How’s this for blowing the whistle on a neat little piece of NBA Finals trivia? Did you know the whistle referees use to stop play on every NBA court were not only invented by a Canadian but are also made in Canada? “Manufactured in Mississauga and packaged for the world in Hamilton,” Ron Foxcroft said proudly of the legendary Fox 40 Classic pealess whistle. These whistles are also wired up to stop the clock every time a referee blows a Fox 40. ...
Canada Becomes a Basketball Factory
Posted on June 10, 2019
The lanky 6-foot-6 player with the aquamarine sneakers floats downcourt on defense, and the opposing point guard flips a pass too casually and. … Uh-oh. The tall kid reverses direction in a blink, sticks out an impossibly long, Durant-like arm, plucks the pass out of the air and in four long strides dribbles downcourt and goes airborne and whap! — he jams the ball through the hoop. The crowd in this high school gym whoops and claps, and, oh yes, t ...
Kelsey – Canada needs a physical basketball Hall of Fame
Posted on April 18, 2019
Former Canadian national basketball team great, and recent inductee into the Canadian basketball hall of fame Howard Kelsey joined the “PM Drive” and spoke about the birth place of basketball needing its own physical hall of fame, and what the future looks like for Canada’s men’s national basketball team. ...
Grunwald: Canadian basketball one of the best sports stories of 2018
Posted on December 30, 2018
While discussing the rise of the league-leading Toronto Raptors earlier this season, ESPN displayed a graphic of southern Ontario on its show “The Jump.” The map was ridiculously incorrect, drawing snickers and snide comments on Twitter. But it was CanCon on U.S. national television, and one of countless signs of a massive uprising in Canadian basketball. And it only promises to continue. “We’re a great story,” says Glen Grun ...
True North: Inside The Rise Of Toronto Basketball
Posted on July 3, 2018
Vancouver is where he was born, but the Kitsilano Community Centre was home for Ryan Sidhoo. “Growing up, I never really felt at home in the culture of Vancouver. It wasn’t really diverse,” said the 29-year-old filmmaker. “But basketball … it brought different walks of life together. The community basketball always felt like home, playing in Mel Davis’s Kitsilano Youth Basketball League. Having Mel, and having the KYB, was so eye-opening a ...
Canadian Basketball Building Blocks: Before Wiggins, Bennett, Thompson
Posted on August 31, 2017
Before Lebron and Durant, there was Kobe Bryant. Before that there was Michael Jordan. Prior to MJ, it was Magic Johnson and Larry Bird…and so on. Over the years, the torch is passed on from generation to generation, while each legacy is acknowledged and celebrated. For Canadian basketball, it is important that hoops enthusiasts today are aware of the past, and the rich history of individuals that contributed in a major way to the development of the ...
Bleeding Red and White: An Oral History of Team Canada’s Head-to-Head with the Dream Team
Posted on August 22, 2017
Twenty-five years ago, the greatest basketball team was assembled. The USA Dream Team. Thanks to a rule that allowed professionals to represent their country in 1990, the Americans were allowed to field an All-Star team that left the international basketball community in awe, and in its wake en route to a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The Dream Team made its debut during the 1992 Tournament of the Americas in Portland at the Memorial C ...
In Canada’s National Basketball Championship, the Madness Is Muted
Posted on March 22, 2017
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — The most successful men’s college basketball team of the 21st century opened its title defense on Thursday in front of about 400 people. The Carleton University Ravens were seeking their 13th national championship in 15 years at the Final 8, Canada’s version of March Madness, in a small arena where the loudest noise came from players yelling out defensive assignments. As the United States prepares to immerse itself in its ...
TRISTAN THOMPSON, OTHERS EMBRACE NEW BEGINNING
Posted on November 3, 2016
TORONTO (FIBA Americas Championship/FIBA World Cup) – There are positive vibes in Canadian basketball right now and not just because of the women’s Olympic team, or the country’s under-17 sides. Allison McNeill’s women reached the London Games via the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Ankara and then made a solid run to the Quarter-Finals. At the FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania (29 June to 8 July), the Canadia ...
PRIME MINISTER, JUSTIN TRUDEAU CONGRATULATES RON FOXCROFT ON RECEIVING THE GOLD WHISTLE AWARD
Posted on September 16, 2016
The National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) has recently presented Hamilton native, Ron Foxcroft, with the prestigious Gold Whistle Award. The award recognizes lifetime achievement in officiating, and is considered the highest honor an official can receive. For more information on Foxcroft’s Gold Whistle selection, please click here. Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau sent the following message to congratulate Foxcroft on the accomplishment. ...