The Ottawa Blackjacks held its first-ever training camp at TD Place from July 16 to 22. With the addition of hand sanitizers, temperature scans, and a daily questionnaire about COVID-19 the experience was unlike any other before.
The strangeness of training during a pandemic was never far from the players’ minds. In the middle of a shooting drill, a player sneezed, he said due to allergies. Coaches immediately pulled him aside and gave him hand sanitizer.
Originally scheduled to start in May, the second season of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) had to postpone the season start due to COVID-19. The season will now be a one-week tournament held in the Meridian Centre in St. Catherines.
Head coach Osvaldo Jeanty’s skills are being put to the test with only 10 days from the beginning of camp to the start of play.
Player Jean-Emmanuel Pierre-Charles said he sees the difficulty of the scenario being the Blackjacks’ biggest advantage.
Having played with the national team and had similar short turnarounds between meeting the team and starting a short intense tournament, Pierre-Charles said an Ottawa group means a much smoother turnaround.
Although the team said playing in a different city is not what they had in mind, the team’s first-season roster shows development in eastern Ontario is still their priority.
Ottawa connection
The team is being managed by Carleton Ravens director of basketball operations, Dave Smart. His goals seem clear from the outset: develop a professional Ottawa basketball team.
“We wanted it mostly for guys who have a connection to the area, who either played university or grew up here,” Smart said.
The team’s first signing was Jean-Emmanuel Pierre-Charles, a former Carleton and University of Ottawa player. The team’s draft was heavy on Carleton players, including recent graduates Munis Tutu and Yasiin Joseph as free agents.
The team also brought on the Scrubb brothers, Phil and Thomas, who both won five national championships with the Carleton program. Phil was also a three-time national player of the year. Thomas was a two time defensive player of the year.
The Ottawa-focused dynamic means players have a special familiarity with each other formed from years of playing in the same city.
This was clear from a visible camaraderie in practice. The team competed with friendly shooting drills, players clapped their hands in frustration at misses, celebrated as they scored, and humorously challenged the validity of their teammates’ counting skills.
Player Olivier Hanlan was near the top of shooting competitions every day. You could frequently see him banter with his teammates. He also gave advice to the younger players directly out of Carleton.
“That’s exactly what we expected from him, he’s been doing a great job with the young guys,” Head coach Jeanty said. “It’s a great mix of veteran leadership and young guys trying to learn.”
This local bond of the team shows through Hanlan—a last-minute addition to the team after former Raven Kaza Jeane Keane had to drop out due to scheduling issues. Hanlan is a seamless addition,—he knows the other players from practising against them at Carleton in the summer.
Closing the gap
Hanlan’s resume is lengthy: a former NBA draft pick with G League experience, the Boston College alumni brings valuable experience playing against many former NBA players, as well as playing in some of the top European leagues. Since the time he was in prep school in the United States, he played against future NBA stars such as Luka Doncic.
For Hanlan, the CEBL adds a new dimension to committing to a university program. While he said going to school in the States was the right decision for him at the time, the new opportunity to play against pros in the CEBL while not losing eligibility in U Sports changes the landscape for a high school prospect faced with a similar choice.
“It’s a unique situation, it’s even nicer,” Hanlan said. “Looking back on it now, it’s something I would try to use to my advantage.”
Hanlan said he thinks the level of play and exposure is higher in the United States, but the CEBL could close the gap between the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and U Sports.
“It’s definitely something that is more intriguing to players in Canada now—should I go NCAA or [U Sports]?” he said. “It gives them an opportunity to try some stuff against real pros and then go back to their U Sports program.”
‘Racism is not our game’
COVID-19 isn’t the only thing that has reshaped sports in recent months. In the wake of the death of George Floyd and the surge of mainstream support for the Black Lives Matter movement, the sociopolitical landscape of North America is quickly shifting.
Sport is no exception. From changing the offensive names of sporting organizations in Edmonton and Washington, to some NBA players donating their salaries for the rest of the season, conversations about race in sport are as prominent now as ever.
The team’s support staff at the camp all wore shirts with the words “Racism is not our game.” On social media, the CEBL and its affiliate teams launched extensive anti-racism campaigns and gave their Black players a platform to discuss race.
To the team, this representation is crucial to the future of the sport.
Smart has appointed two coaches so far in his career. Taffe Charles, who this season became the first visible minority head coach to win the U Sports national championship. His next hire was his former player and assistant head coach, Jeanty—making more room for visible minority head coaches in Canadian basketball.
“It’s great to have more diversity because it just allows that many more players to come into your program,” Jeanty said.
For Pierre-Charles, who has been coached by Jeanty since the seventh grade, Jeanty’s success is important.
“In general in any league you look at, you don’t see a lot of Black coaches, I think his potential as a coach is huge just because he cares and wants to win,” Pierre-Charles said
“Seeing a guy representing diversity the right way and a Black coach just doing his thing, it’s good to see.”
Preparing for the season ahead
As the fall approaches, many of the older players on the team are beginning to think about a return to play in European leagues. While Tutu and Joseph look to break into the pro scene, player Tajinder Lall is set to return to Carleton’s team.
Tutu was typically known as one of the fastest players at the U Sports level—an advantage he won’t find at the professional level. Instead of relegating him to the bench, Jeanty explained how he wanted to find a role for Tutu as an energy player who comes into the games to play defence and rebound.
Joseph, whose game is smoothly transitioning to the professional level, will present different options for the team.
“[Joseph] has been one of the best guards in camp,” Jeanty said. “He makes it tough on the coaches in terms of making decisions and finding a way to get him some minutes.”
“I’m really proud of him, of the way he came in and competed,” he added.
Strength in young players is indicative of just what kind of a team the Blackjacks can be. It’s not an all-star elite team designed to win games, but a program to give opportunities for players. This team shows new potential for what professional sport can be: by the community, for the community.
In this way, the Blackjacks represent the future of Canadian basketball, and present an enticing option for U Sports players led by a racialized head coach.
Though for Jeanty, something more simple on his mind.
“I’m excited to play some games.”
Featured image by Tim Austen.
