Ontario Catholic Classic opens Friday; St. Francis seeded fourth
The Saint Francis Phoenix senior boys basketball team is back in the 47th All-Ontario Catholic Classic hoping to build on its play from a season ago.
With the tournament returning in 2023 from a two-year absence do to COVID, the Phoenix made it to the semifinals before falling 73-56 to the Notre Dame (Brampton) Knights.
“It is a very important tournament for us,” Saint Francis coach Jeremy DelaCruz said. “I remember back when I played 15 or 20 years ago that it was always competitive and it was a great warmup for the gauntlet at the end of the season. After this weekend, it goes to zone and then SOSSA (Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association) and then OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) if we are lucky enough to get there. It is a good test to see where we are at because it draws a lot of great teams from across the province.”
The Phoenix would love to build on last year’s success but they are taking nothing for granted.
“Just because of how competitive it is, we are looking at it as one game at a time,” he said. “We would be very happy getting past the semifinals but it is a very strong field this year. It is tough competition that we are looking forward to and we prepare for it all year.”
It takes four wins in less that 36 hours to emerge as tournament champions and it is a grind.
“We don’t look too far ahead. We approach it one game at a time, see where we are at and see what is working and what is not working and make adjustments moving forward,” DelaCruz said. “No matter what happens in this tournament, we are going to have a tough game and wins or losses it is going to be beneficial for the long-term goals of our season.”
It is a great test of a team’s depth.
“One hundred per cent and we are fortunate that we have enough guys on that we can plug and play. It is really a testament to the guys on the team having no egos,” DelaCruz said. “We can pop guys in and out and find what’s working and what’s not working.”
The tournament begins Friday at 9:30 a.m. at Notre Dame and Denis Morris and concludes Saturday at Denis Morris with the consolation final at 6 p.m. and the championship final at 7:30 p.m.
There are three local teams in the tournament. Denis Morris, the defending consolation champion, open Friday at 9:30 a.m. at Denis Morris against Ursaline College, Saint Francis opens Friday at 9:30 a.m. at Notre Dame against Christ the King from Halton Hills and Notre Dame opens Friday at 9:30 a.m. at Notre Dame against Notre Dame Brampton.
Saint Francis is the fourth seed of the tournament.
The top seed is Ursaline College, an OFSAA AAA finalist in 2023. Second seed is Notre Dame Brampton, an OFSAA AAA semifinalist last year, and the third seed is Hamilton Cathedral, which had a 7-1 record in league play when the seeding was done.
Last year’s Classic semifinals included the OFSAA AA champion, the OFSAA AAA finalist and two OFSAA AAA semifinalists.
“The draw has become a Catholic championship and we get the best teams from the east and the west,” organizing committee member Mike Pullar said. “It really tests you in terms of how OFSAA will feel in terms of the quality of the opponent. It’s not a buildup. You are into a pretty competitive situation right away.”
Pullar feels the tournament is an important part of Catholic sports.
“I have been part of the tournament and when you talk to the coaches on the other teams, as a Catholic educator and coach this is the highest level of tournament. The other coaches have people who have paved and pioneered the way for Catholic education and Catholic sports and to be a part of a tournament like this is something special,” he said. “I got into teaching and coaching from the people who laid the foundations for this tournament. When I think about the career path that I chose, there was a lot of influence from the people that I was around when I was at Denis Morris. You hear a very similar story when you talk to the coaches from across the province.”
The tournament dates back to the 1960s and was held at various locations across the province until finding a permanent home in Denis Morris in 1975.
