Ottawa BlackJacks President's Newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 6
Welcome to the sixth edition of the President’s Letter and the Ottawa BlackJacks of the CEBL, Canada’s largest professional men’s basketball league! This President’s Letter is aimed at keeping our supporters in touch with noteworthy events and news that we follow closely each and every day. Feel free to share any comments you may have positive or constructive otherwise. So without further ado, let’s dive into the sixth edition of the OBJ President’s Letter.
Remembering Some of Those Who Helped Get Us to Where We Are: There are too many to share in a single newsletter but when reflecting back on 35 years of basketball in the Capital Region, many names come to mind who have helped build Ottawa basketball, especially back when the sport was still considered more of a cottage industry here in town. Many of those hard working, selfless individuals who formed the foundation of the basketball successes in our city are entering or are into the stretch run of their careers but continue to grind to the benefit of our community. I’m sharing three of these in this newsletter who I have worked with directly but rest assured many more are to come in future newsletters.
Doug Elliot: One of the most understated and dedicated educators, coaches and contributors to the Capital Region basketball community is moving to the next stage of his life as Doug Elliot recently retired from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. Doug is long-time coach and leader with the Nepean Blue Devils, a club that dates back to when his father John Elliot was active. John, Doug and his brother Larry, a managing partner at BLG here in town, all played at Carleton University. Doug’s son Cameron just completed five solid seasons at McGill University and daughter Megan played at Nipissing University. Doug has been heavily involved in coaching youth basketball from the Novice to Junior house league levels to high school and competitive basketball, and remains involved with the Nepean Blue Devils Association. Doug is a graduate of Sir Robert Borden High School in Nepean, where along with three teammates who went on to star in Canadian university basketball, Doug was a key part of the Ottawa city championship Bengals team of1988. At Carleton, Doug continued a family legacy that included his uncles Dave and Tom Gorman along with his father and brother Larry. Doug’s mother Patty was a grandchild of T. P. Gorman a founder of the National Hockey League, who won seven Stanley Cups as a coach and manager, the last with the Montreal Canadiens in 1946 and owned the Ottawa Auditorium and Connaught Race Track. Doug taught Social Studies at Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School where he was also head coach of the Senior Girls and Senior Boys basketball teams. In 2015 he was recognized by the province as the recipient of the OFSAA Leadership in School Sport Award. Doug is a selfless and humble leader who has been an invaluable behind-the-scenes supporter of the BlackJacks from virtually the day I started and most importantly a loyal and trusted friend. Congrats Doug and enjoy “retirement” (In Mick We (still) Trust).
Bill Arden: A huge shout-out to Coach Billy who completed his 46th (forty-sixth !!!) consecutive season coaching high school basketball in Ottawa. Bill starred as a player at Ridgemont High School in the mid-1980s before moving on to the uOttawa Gee-Gees varsity team and later as an Assistant Coach (with yours truly) before moving over to Carleton where he was part of several CIS/USPORTS National championships with the Ravens. This past season, his South Carleton teams won two city championships - Girls in the fall and the Boys earlier this month. Bill is one of several coaching institutions in our City as well as being an early founding member of the Ottawa Guardsmen, one of Ontario’s first club teams ever assembled. Bill is as sound as they get technically and always humble and willing to share his knowledge for the good of the game and community.
Andy Waterman: Another long-time contributor to our city’s basketball legacy. Born in Barbados, Andy grew up in Brooklyn, playing at New York Tech (NCAA Division II) before moving to Ottawa and playing for coach Paul Armstrong at Carleton. The humble Waterman then turned to coaching and is quick to credit a large number of colleagues in the area - singling out “Armie” especially - for his own development. Andy, along with Adrienne Coddett, founded and have run the Ottawa Phoenix minor basketball program for many years and helped develop several post-secondary stars including Jahenns Manigat, Greg Carter and Garry Gallimore.
Doug, Bill and Andy are three of many long-time dedicated contributors who make up the fabric of our basketball and social communities. We plan to feature many others in future newsletters.
Black Legacy Gala 2025:
We were blessed to be included in this special evening hosted by the incomparable
Chanda Jones
and
Tolorunlogo Akinrinola
from Future Paths Network, celebrating Black Excellence. It was wonderful to hear the stories of so many young entrepreneurs, many who are new Canadians. On display was a refreshing look at countless youth and young adults forging paths into the business world thanks to Future Paths Network who have helped to create a foundation for these burgeoning success stories.
Snowsuit Fund Charity Event: We are also fortunate enough to be invited to the SnowBall: A Cool Winter's Eve event at the Ottawa Art Gallery presented by the Snowsuit Fund on Feb. 12. Our colleague Jon Sinden from Athletico Ottawa has been a key contributor to this very important charity and we were pleased to participate.
City of Ottawa Family Day Winterlude Skate: Our fantastic team of Jessica Zarowny and Shaun Amirtharaj braved the elements on Family Day Monday at City Hall. O.G. was out in full flair (likely supported with a pair of long johns) and I was able to meet with many visitors and the host Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who is very supportive of local sports including basketball. Our Mayor was seen at Carleton’s Ravens Nest this past Saturday at the OUA women’s championship game between uOttawa and Carleton and our community appreciates his direct and active support.
O.G. and the BlackJacks at the Nepean Blue Devils End-of-Season Tournament Day: Thanks to Marianne Leclair and the numerous coaches, parents, players and officials with the Nepean Blue Devils who welcomed the BlackJacks to their end-of-season event last Saturday, March 1 in Barrhaven. There were plenty of smiling faces as the players and parents were treated to a surprise visit from the BlackJacks mascot O.G. It is wonderful to see the growth of our game at the younger levels - in this case U8 and U10.
March 20 and March 21 BlackJacks March Madness Viewing Party: Please join us at Jack Astor’s Lansdowne on Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21 beginning at Noon each day for the Ottawa BlackJacks NCAA Early Round Viewing Party. Enjoy complimentary snacks, shoot some hoops at the BlackJacks basketball cage located in the restaurant and sign-up for our "Check In to Win" contest. One winner per day will win BlackJacks ticket and merchandise packages. We have also launched our FanSaves e-coupon site which provides the BlackJacks community with discount specials from our growing list of partners which includes Jack Astor's, GoodLife Fitness, Mucho Burrito, Meal Prep Ottawa and Embassy Suites. As a part of the viewing party we are presenting our 2nd Annual NCAA March Madness Bracket pools (men's and women's). Numerous Canadians dot the rosters of these teams (some potential future CEBL players) and we are inviting our community to select their brackets as added excitement at our watch party. Bracket picks can be made starting at approximately 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 16 through 11:59 a.m. on Thursday, March 20. We encourage you to pre-register (no entry fee required) using the following links:
Men's Basketball Bracket: https://tinyurl.com/3jbmj9tm
Women's Basketball Bracket: https://tinyurl.com/y6fwex55
These websites will provide instructions on how to register and fill out your brackets. Selection Sunday is less than a week away and you can double your chances of winning by joining both pools. The winner of each of the men's and women's brackets challenge will receive a BlackJacks jersey, a team-signed photo, a BlackJacks T-shirt and one (1) pair of tickets to our 2025 Home Opener against the defending CEBL champion, Niagara River Lions.
Carleton University Relay for Life - Canadian Cancer Society Fundraiser:
Thanks to Shannon Morrison, the daughter of long-time BlackJacks supporters Colin and Elena Morrison, and her team for allowing the BlackJacks to participate in this year’s event held this past Friday at Carleton. Over 450 people, including several members of the Raven’s football team, listened to touching stories from multiple brave survivors, providing a window into how important it is to give to this worthy cause. Jessica Zarowny and Parker Brown from our team represented the BlackJacks by handing out prizes for anyone making a shot on our portable hoop. Yours truly even tried to re-live days of the past by knocking down a few perimeter shots - although I’m still hobbling in the aftermath.
Capital Region Teams Dominate OUA Championship: Another consistent indicator of the high level of University basketball played in our city is the number of local teams that (i) win Ontario championships and (ii) participate, win and medal at Nationals. The 2024-25 season has been no different as three of the four teams in the women’s and men’s OUA championship games this past Saturday involved local schools. The women’s championship game (Critelli Cup) was won by uOttawa over Carleton in a game played before an overflow crowd at the Raven’s Nest. The Gee-Gees avenged an earlier pair of regular season losses to Carleton by earning the victory. Both teams advance to next weekend’s INDOCHINO USPORTS National Championship Final 8 tournament in Vancouver. The Gee-Gees are the No. 2 seed and will face Laval this coming Thursday. The Rouge et Or made the tournament with an “at large” bid after losing the RSEQ Final to Bishop’s. No. 3 Carleton meets Bishop’s, the Quebec League Champions, in another Final 8 Quarterfinal matchup. In Saturday night’s Wilson Cup OUA championship game, the Gee-Gees men fell behind by as many as 15 points early at home but rallied for an impressive 95-87 win over the defending champion Queen’s Gaels. With the victory, uOttawa is the No. 1 seed in the Final 8 and set to meet the No. 8 Concordia Stingers, who made the tournament with the single “at large” bid available. The Stingers lost only three conference games all season, all three to Bishop’s including the conference championship game. Notably, the Stingers defeated Ottawa 80-70 in a non-conference game at Montpetit Hall in early January. Concordia also earlier captured the House-Laughton Invitational at Carleton in October that included a victory over the host Ravens.
