By Rowan Halpenny — Contributor

From July 31 to Aug. 5, Bishop’s University hosted the 15U and 17U Boys National Basketball Championships. The girl’s championships were held at Bishop’s last year, but this year they were in Calgary, Alberta. Bishop’s University is continually proving to be held in high regard as it hosted this major event in Canadian basketball back to back. These championships, which happen once every year, are a huge opportunity for players all across the country to showcase their talent and represent their province. Each province had a team in both age groups, except for PEI who only had a 15U team, as well as the Northwest Territories who also competed. 

All of these players and coaches, along with their family members and other fans arriving, brought life to the campus. In contrast to the relatively quiet campus for most of the summer months, the Sports Centre and surrounding areas were full again. Despite the rival provinces being engaged in fierce competition on the basketball court, players showed great comradery and unison throughout their time spent at Bishop’s. Groups of boys from different provinces could often be seen enjoying their downtime together. 

There were opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a banquet with speeches from prominent figures in Canadian basketball. The teams stayed in the residences and ate meals at Dewhurst Dining Hall. Many players got to stay in the brand-new Janyne Hodder Hall. It would be hard to find any other location in the country where the residence halls, dining hall and gymnasiums are all within a one-minute walk of each other.

The host province, Quebec, had a strong showing in both age groups, finishing with a silver medal in the 15U age group and securing a fourth-place finish in 17U. Matt McLean, Bishop’s men’s basketball coach was a lead assistant for the 17U team. Mitchell and Denver Gyms drew large and noisy crowds whenever Team Quebec was playing.

Despite strong efforts from many provinces like British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia, the Ontario show was on full display, as Canada’s largest province ultimately took home the gold in both age groups. The 15U boys, led by tournament MVP Paul Osaruyi defended their win from the 2022 tournament. Ontario’s 17U boys hadn’t won the tournament since 2012, so the win was meaningful. The 17U tournament MVP was Ontario’s Babatunde Durdoola. 

Bishop’s proved itself again as an ideal place to host the Championships, distinguishing itself as a prime location to host many more similar events in the near future.