Getting blackballed can be a good thing after all.
The Orillia Blackball Classic celebrated its diamond jubilee this weekend with games played at Orillia’s three high schools.
And while the 75th edition of the iconic tournament ended Saturday evening with the junior and senior finals at Orillia Secondary School, it also took time to recognize its rich history between those games by paying tribute to more than 30 current and former area residents who have served as important builders, players and coaches over the years.
“The Blackball is Canada’s longest-running high school basketball tournament,” said retired Park Street teacher John Winchester, who coached in the tournament for many years and served on the organizing committee when it expanded to 16 senior teams in 1992.
The tournament was the brainchild of Russ Jerome, the then-principal of Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute (ODCVI). He was assisted by Dalt White from Toronto Western Tech, Ivor Wynne from Toronto Parkdale Collegiate and Doug Waugh of Oshawa CVI.
Each of the four organizers entered teams that first year, along with three more teams from Orillia, including the YMCA squad, and one team of coaches to round out the draw to eight.
Over 75 years, the tournament has garnered international and national acclaim as teams from throughout the northern United States and all over Ontario came to Orillia to vie for the coveted eight-ball trophy, which according to legend came to be after a 10-pin bowling ball was donated and painted black with a white eight in recognition of the number of teams in the draw.
Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School teacher Brad MacNeil has served as both a tournament coach and organizing committee member.
“Both of my kids (Emily and Joe) have played in the tournament,” said MacNeil, who chaired the tournament roughly 20 years ago when it almost had to be cancelled due to bad weather.
As various teams withdrew, MacNeil spent nearly two solid days on the phone, rearranging the draw multiple times, just before the big weekend, noting that “after 55 years, Blackball’s not going to be cancelled on my watch.
“The history and tradition of the tournament speaks for itself,” he said. “It takes a lot of commitment. It’s the one weekend every year that puts basketball at the forefront in Orillia.”
Winchester, who compiled a list of biographies of some of the key players, said he understands the importance of keeping the tournament going strong.
“Nobody wants it cancelled on their watch,” said Winchester, who’s been involved with the tournament in various capacities for 32 years.
Eight teams continued to compete annually for the trophy until 1954 when the tournament began to take off. Soon after, draws were created for elementary school teams in addition to midget, junior and senior divisions, men’s divisions (A, B, C) and an open division that lured many teams from the United States.
“They used gyms anywhere they could since they had so many teams in one place,” said Winchester, noting gymnasiums at Orillia’s two high schools in the tournament’s early days were complemented with provincial facilities in Edgar and Orillia as well as a location in Coldwater.
But internal politics has also played a hand in the tournament over the years.
Midland resident Chester Graham was a star basketball player in the 1960s while a student at Midland-Penetang District High School (later MSS, now Georgian Bay DSS).
But his teams were not permitted to play in the tournament due to what he would later learn was a falling out between his school and the physical education head at ODCVI.
At the time, the Midland-based team had a strong program, winning four GBSSA titles and making it to OFSAA twice.
Graham finally made it to the tournament in 1968 while playing with the Toronto Avon’s, which won the senior intermediate B title that year over the Fonthill Merchants 72-52. He played a few more years in the men’s division with Barrie after returning to Midland following teacher’s college.
“It’s a different game today,” said Graham, who also coached MSS teams at the tournament and still officiates games, including four at this weekend’s tournament. “The games have become a lot faster and the level of basketball has highly improved.”
Mike McParland played in the tournament for five years while attending ODCVI in the 1960s and recalls some of the interesting obstacles players sometimes had to deal with compared to today’s luxurious confines at Orillia Secondary School.
As an example, McParland noted that games held at the old YMCA on Peter Street saw players contend with an overhead track that created havoc for shots from the corner.
“We had some strong teams,” said McParland, who has been officiating at the tournament for more than 40 years.
Joe Ogden played on the Park Street team that captured the trophy in 1966.
“It was probably the most boring game you’ve ever seen in your life,” Ogden joked, recalling coach Ken Burns’ strategy of keeping the ball out of opponent Mimico’s hands.
“We beat Mimico 24-18. It was really a game of keep-away. If they can’t get the ball, they can’t score. But in Orillia, this tournament has always been like our Stanley Cup.”
The tournament has been a playground for some of the sport’s top players - such as Toronto Raptor Jamal Magloire, Canadian National Team stars Jermaine Anderson and Kevin Pangos and local NCAA/U Sport athletes such as Ted Dongelmans, Chris Lumsden, Derek Cotton, Dan Eves, Mitch Farrell, George Mason, Ryan Heim and the Clendenning brothers.
This year’s tournament featured a 16-team senior draw and a dozen teams playing in the junior division.
In the junior boys’ final, Holy Trinity from Oakville defeated defending champions Frontenac from Kingston while the senior match-up featured two-time defending AAA OFSAA champions Pine Ridge from Pickering defeating Hamilton’s Cathedral.
--With files from Dave Dawson
