Just For The Fun Of It

This week three members of the OUA Champion Queen’s Men’s Basketball team were selected in the Canadian Elite Basketball League Draft. Luka Syllas was drafted by the Niagara River Lions 11th overall, Cole Syllas was selected by the Brampton Honey Badgers 19th overall, and Michael Kelvin II was selected by the Ottawa BlackJacks with the 27th pick.
We wish all three of these young men success in the next phase of their basketball careers. They have demonstrated their love of the game throughout their basketball careers to this point and we all hope they continue to have that joy of playing in the years to come.

Registration for the SLC Summer Basketball Camps is now open! I know they fill up quickly. Search SLC Basketball Camp Grades 3-7, or SLC Basketball Camp Grades 8-12 to register.

Good luck, and our thanks to the college for organizing these outstanding camps again this year.

We will be placing an order for special golf shirts in black with our 70th Anniversary logo shown below on the left chest. They are 100% preshrunk cotton shirts, available in men’s and women’s sizes up to 2 XL. WE WILL BE PLACING AN ORDER ON WEDNESDAY MAY 1st, AND WE WILL NOT BE ORDERING AGAIN UNTIL LATER IN THE SUMMER. Cost is $25.00 per shirt. If you are interested please contact me through Facebook messenger or by the email on this page with your name, contact information and shirt size you are interested in. We will require pre-payment for the orders please, either by cheque, cash or e transfer. We should have the shirts by June 1st. Thanks! Roland

Yesterday we received a very substantial donation to our program from Zoe Yanovsky, owner of Chez Piggy Restaurant and the Pan Pan Chancho Bakery & Café. Zoe has been a coach in our league for many years, so she has seen first hand the importance of what we do. Thank you Zoe for believing in what we do! You are truly a difference maker in the lives of our players and their families through your commitment as a volunteer and as a supporter of what we do!

We want to join with the rest of the Kingston basketball community in congratulating Kingston’s Aaliyah Edwards on her joining the WNBA with the Washington Mystics with the 6th pick overall in the draft last night. My first view of Aaliyah on a basketball court was at St. Lawrence College a few years ago, not playing a game, but just joining a gaggle of other young players on the court at halftime of an SLC game. I watched as others fired up shots from all over the place while she took a ball, dribbled a bit and then for a few minutes worked on her game around the basket. I was struck by the work ethic she displayed to take advantage of even a brief opportunity to work on her game. All of us involved in our program wish her well as she starts on this new chapter of her basketball life. I personally hope that playing the game she so obviously loves brings her joy in the years ahead.
For the Kingston basketball community, we need to be ready for the next group of players that are inspired by Aaliyah and the other great players that they have seen in the NCAA and CIS games this spring when they show up on our gyms. We have an obligation to give them a chance to experience how much fun being on a court with teammates can be, to encourage them to be their best, and to support them regardless of the game’s outcome. It is a game we love and hopefully one that we can help others grow to love too RB.

Yesterday we received the cheque for the money raised at St. Larry’s Pub through our fund raising event there in conjunction with the college hosting us for a basketball double header. With a top up from the Student Association, $500 has been donated to the league. Our thanks to Chris Moreland for organizing this event again this season, to the serving staff on duty that day, to the Student Association, Kevin Biggs and his staff as well as Glenn Vollebregt and the college administration. Thank you for believing in what we do! We look forward to continuing our partnership again next season.

If you have memories or reflections on your experience playing in the St. John’s Parish Basketball League, the Knights of Columbus Basketball League or the Pete Petersen Basketball League, or your experiences as a volunteer, please share them with us through messenger or to my email [email protected]. We would love to hear from you so we can use them for the anniversary celebration day and through the season. Thanks! Roland Billings

To celebrate the start of our 70th year of operation, we are planning a special event to thank our past, present and future players, volunteers, families and friends. Here are some details so far for the event.

Date: Saturday, June 15, 2024

Location: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, Kingston

Time: 11 am until 3 pm.

Official Opening Ceremonies will take place at noon with greetings from local dignitaries.

In keeping with our history of commitment to our community, we are partnering with LIONHEARTS INC Kingston for this event and ask those attending to please bring non-perishable food items to donate to this group or to make a cash donation to them. Visit their web site to see the scope of what they do to make a difference in the community. They will have staff on hand to both collect donations and answer questions you may have about their operation.

Kelly’s Food Truck has agreed to be on site for the day offering their menu of food for purchase. They are very familiar with our league as parents of a former player, and if you want to sample their menu in advance you can usually find them at the Canadian Tire on Bath Road, near the old traffic circle for our followers that are long time Kingston residents.

Mary O’Neill-Howlett and McDonald’s Family Restaurant on Division Street have once again shown their commitment to our program by supplying coffee for the event. Mary, along with Joanie Besselink-Sagriff were the driving forces behind the establishment of the Girls Division.

MIO Gelato has once again shown their commitment to us and a belief in what we do by agreeing to donate a quantity of pre-scooped individual gelato servings for this event. If you have not had their gelato before make sure to visit their store on Ontario Street for a taste experience!

Flavoured Snow Cones will be available on site served up from a special machine donated to us for the event.

The league history will be proudly on display in the gym with memorabilia, photos, trophies and other items from our 70 years of operation in a “Walk of Fame”.

We will be entertained at the event by the local band Whiskey Smoke, a duo described by Kingston Live as “a Kingston based duo featuring local country singers Mike Grice and Amanda Sorensen. Singing traditional country music from the ’90s to today’s best hits. Amanda and Mike bring an energetic and authentic Country performance you won’t want to miss.”

Kingston Fire and Rescue will be on hand with a static display and will be available to answer your questions about the role of the Fire Service in the community.

Corey and Hayden Hollywood have agreed to donate their time and will be on hand to make balloon animals for the attendees. This talented team should be well known to our league families as coaches of the Tarheels in the Little Guys Division.

We will be adding more to our lineup over the next two months but as you can see, we want this to be a family friendly event for all attendees and a true celebration of community partnerships. Because seating is very limited, we also encourage you to bring a lawn chair to spend some time with us and enjoy the chance to visit with your former teammates.

We are looking forward to seeing you in June!!

This year marks our 70th year of operation, and we are planning a day of celebration of that milestone for the league that Don Petersen started for all of us to enjoy! Mark your calendars – Saturday June 15, 2024 from 11am until 3pm at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School we welcome former players, current players, our volunteers past and present to come and help us celebrate! We will give you more details in the days ahead but we promise it will be a day of fun, entertainment and a chance to revisit your roles as players , coaches, and volunteers in making this a special organization to be a part of for 70 years!