Gee-Gees Men's Basketball Team History
On December 22, 1892, the following note appeared in Ottawa's ‘The Evening Journal’: “A game of basketball was played last evening in the YMCA between teams called the Civil Service and Olympics. The Civil Service won 3 goals to 2.” Six men are listed for the Civil Service, and five for the Olympics, while “Mr. White, assistant secretary of the YMCA, acted as referee.”
It was one year exactly after James Naismith invented the game with peach baskets in Springfield, Mass., and within ten months of the first ever public basketball game, the game had arrived in Ottawa. As the game started to grow in the city, there was talk of building a basketball court on campus as early as 1901. "What's the matter with a basket-ball court? Success to the enterprise," wrote a contributor to the 'University of Ottawa Review' in the September edition.
The first known mentions of students forming basketball teams come in 1902.
In April of that year, 'The Ottawa Citizen" notes that Mr. Dowd, secretary of the Ottawa University Athletic Association, has helped keep interest in athletics high with spring games of football, baseball, and basketball. (April 10, 1902). A game recap is included with teams captained by Dowling and McCormick. Ten players took part in the contest which was won by McCormick’s team, 25-23.
In November 1902 the uOttawa student publication ‘The Review’ noted that “basket ball has of late become a permanent fixture among the sports of the College and from the amount of good material which has been brought out in practices, we feel safe in saying that the College can turn out a team second to none in the city. Here’s success to the Basket-ball team.” It is also noted in the Juniors section that basketball is becoming popular and in February of 1903 a Junior Basket ball League series was developed with four teams.
By 1904, there were six teams in a league at the College level. “Immediately upon the close of the football season a basketball league was formed. Enough good men were procured to form six teams. Rev. Bro. Stanton was unanimously elected President of the League, and he chose the six captains and drew up the schedule. The six captains were Messrs. O’Neil, George, Sloan, Johnson, Joron, and Bazinet. Two games were played every day until the series finished. Every team played good ball and the interest increased as the series drew to a close. Not until the final game was played were the spectators able to decide which was the better team. Captain O’Neil’s team, however, by a brilliant series of victories, succeeded in capturing the championship and are now the proud wearers of the pins presented to them as a reward for their good work.” (The Review)
In 1907 the College had its first representatives play an external team. “Basketball has been taken an interest in this season more than in former years, and M Smith has been appointed manager and J Hart captain, of the first team. An exhibition game was played with Ottawa Athletic Club before the holidays, and the students were victorious by a score of 22-17, thus proving that a team could be organized which could compete with the best in the business. College team: Forwards Whalen, Murphy; centre Hart; defence Costello, Linke. The first game was played on Dec. 12, 1907.
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