Ottawa BlackJacks Complete its Medical and Player Services Staff
The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday their Medical and Player Services Staff for the upcoming 2021 CEBL season, including BlackJacks Lead Team Doctor Jessica Curran, Team Doctor Taryn Taylor and Athletic Therapist Adrian Huynh.
A Chief Doctor for Team Canada for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, Dr. Curran has been a team physician with the Canadian Women’s National Basketball program since 2011 and has also worked with the Canadian Men’s National Ski Team. She is currently the team physician for the Carleton Ravens Men’s Football team and has worked with various other varsity teams, including Men’s and Women’s Soccer and Women’s Basketball. Serving major multi-sport Games, Dr. Curran was a member of the medical team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, 2015 Pan American Games, 2015 Winter Universiade and 2013 Summer Universiade. She was also serving as the Chief Medical Officer for the 2017 Summer Universiade. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Queen’s University and medical school at Dalhousie University. She completed her Family Medicine residency and Sport Medicine Fellowship at the University of Ottawa.
A Primary Care Sport Medicine Physician and Medical Director at the Carleton Sport Medicine Clinic in Ottawa, Dr. Taylor serves as the team physician for the Ottawa 67s and the Ottawa REDBLACKS while also coordinating the care of the varsity teams at Carleton University. She is the Chair of the Sport Medicine & Research Science Committee at U SPORTS, Past Chair of the Sport & Exercise Medicine Section of the Ontario Medical Association and organizes the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM) Basic Team Physician Course. She has worked with many national team programs and has attended multiple major games including the Olympics, Pan Am Games and FISU Games. Dr. Taylor is currently the Primary Care Coordinator for the PGY3 Fellowship Program in Sport Medicine at the University of Ottawa. She has a keen interest in concussion management and has a new interest in ultrasound & imaging guided injections. She attended the University of Western Ontario and received a BA in Kinesiology and an MSc in Sport Medicine. She then completed medical school in 2004 & residency in family medicine in 2006 at the University of Ottawa followed by a Primary Care Sport Medicine Fellowship (PGY3).
Huynh, the BlackJacks’ athletic therapist, currently serves as an athletic therapist at the University of Ottawa. In addition to hands on body manipulations and athlete assessment, he provides clinical treatment plans and acts as a liaison between players, coaches and other medical staff. Huynh served as the athletic therapist for Atlético Ottawa during their inaugural season in 2020 and also had the opportunity to work with other professional soccer teams, such as the Montreal Impact and the Ottawa Fury. Between 2016-2019, Huynh gained hands on experience with the Raptors 905, Canada basketball men and women’s teams and Ontario basketball as a student athletic therapist. Huynh completed his undergraduate degree in Integrated Science at Carleton University in 2013 and his BAHsc in Athletic Therapy at Sheridan College in Brampton, where he won the Dr. Tim Fried Leadership Award in 2017. The same year, he also obtained a Diploma in Pedorthics from Western University.
Last month, the Ottawa BlackJacks, in collaboration with the CEBL, announced its 2021 regular season 14-game schedule, opening up with a game on the road versus Hamilton on Saturday June 5 at 7pm. After starting the campaign on a three-game road trip, Ottawa will play its first home game in franchise history on Thursday, June 24 at 7 p.m. versus the Niagara River Lions.
CBC is the premier media partner of the CEBL and will broadcast nationally televised games on seven consecutive Saturdays beginning June 5. The BlackJacks will appear three times on national television and all regular season games will also be live streamed on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app and on a new OTT streaming platform the CEBL will unveil this spring.
The CEBL is preparing for its third season in 2021 following the success of this past year's CEBL Summer Series in St. Catharines, Ontario, which saw millions of viewers across Canada and around the world tune in to watch 26 games played over 15 days in a single-site league competition. The CEBL became the first professional sports league in Canada to return to play after the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in mid-March shut down sports across the country.
Quotes:
“Our athletes’ health is our top priority and with Lead Team Doctor Jessica Curran, Team Doctor Taryn Taylor and Athletic Therapist Adrian Huynh, we know our players will receive high quality medical and athletic services, allowing them to take care of their body while performing to the best of their ability throughout the CEBL season.”
- Jevohn Shepherd, General Manager, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
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About the Ottawa BlackJacks
The first expansion franchise of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Ottawa BlackJacks will showcase the best of basketball and entertainment in the nation’s capital. In its inaugural campaign, the BlackJacks earned a semifinal appearance at the 2020 CEBL Summer Series. The Ottawa front office brings NBA, NBA G League, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. Led by general manager Jevohn Shepherd, assistant general manager Andy Rautins and head coach Charles Dubé-Brais, Ottawa will play its home games out of the world-class Arena at TD Place in Lansdowne Park. For more information visit www.theblackjacks.ca.
About Canadian Elite Basketball League
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 80 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players come from the NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to more information on CEBL.ca or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Linkedin, Facebook & YouTube. (@cebleague)
Social Media
Facebook: /OttawaBlackJacks
Twitter: @Ott_Blackjacks
Instagram: ottawablackjacks
Contact:
Marika Guérin
Manager, Communications and Community
Ottawa BlackJacks Professional Basketball Club