Burlington is a city with a heritage of great athletes that we can be proud of.
One just has to peruse the website for the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame (burlingtonsportshalloffame.ca) to see the great athletes and builders (those who show great leadership and commitment to sport in some capacity) whose careers have been recognized and honoured by the hallowed Hall that is currently housed at the Burlington Visitor’s Centre at 414 Locust Street.
It’s sort of cool to think of Burlington residents who played on the same fields, in the same arenas or in the same gyms as young people today and went on to world fame themselves, or through their commitment to their sport, allowed others to flourish in the programs and leagues offered.
Looking at the members of the Hall shows an amazing array of athletes and builders.
Gymnast Alan Nolet went to three Olympics. That number was outdone by hockey star Becky Kellar Duke, who was a four-time Olympian. Champion golfers Barb Bunkowsky and Jackie Rosart grace the Hall. Swimmer Angela Coughlan and Special Olympics pioneer Dr. Frank Hayden are Hall-of-Famers who have local facilities named after them. Canadian handball champion Brian Goto was also a builder who motivated a generation of young handball players to go after their dreams. Helen Nichol represented Canada in Olympic badminton. CFL legends Jake Gaudaur and Bernie Custis contributed as both athletes and builders. Speaking of builders, Dr. David Levy was considered the godfather of sports medicine. What weekend warrior in Burlington did not see Dr. Levy at some point? Dr. Jamie Russell brought Nelson High School a provincial basketball championship before becoming a national team member at age 20 and an Olympian in 1976 in Montreal. Tony Gabriel was one of the CFL’s greatest players. Elaine and Ken Lake were world-class track officials who gave of their time to do local and provincial high school events. Ron Foxcroft, known as the inventor of the Fox40 whistle, had a lengthy and distinguished career as a basketball official. The list of great names goes on and will grow as the current generation of athletes lay their claim to sporting glory.
Athletes like Brady Heslip.
Not trying to be hyperbolic here, but Brady Heslip, he of Nelson High School and Baylor University fame, who went on to a professional basketball career that included looks by NBA teams, European success, and ten years with Canada’s national team, may be one of the most accomplished athletes to ever come out of Burlington.
Thought of by many as one of the best shooters in the world outside of the NBA, Brady comes to his basketball talent by way of genetics and a work ethic that took him toward his dreams. Brady’s dad, Tom, was a high school standout at Thomas A. Blakelock High School under the tutelage of legendary coach Vern Lucyk before putting together an all-Canadian career at the University of Guelph. Brady’s mom Jody is the sister of Canadian basketball legend and NBA coach Jay Triano.
Brady’s path to the Canadian national basketball team and a professional career was as circuitous as it was inspiring for younger players to learn from. Brady had a brilliant high school career at Nelson. He was a three-time Halton All-Star and averaged 28 points in his senior year. After finishing his high school career, Brady originally committed to the University of Guelph.
“It was a romantic ideal that I always wanted to follow in dad’s footsteps and wear #4 for the Gryphons, but it was also a reality that no one in the NCAA [the United States’ National Collegiate Athletic Association] was interested in me,” Brady said in a recent interview.
Things changed in the summer of 2009. Brady went on an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) circuit that proved fruitful as NCAA teams started to notice the range and accuracy of Brady’s phenomenal shooting. He eventually signed with Boston College and spent one season with the Eagles before transferring to Baylor University.
That was a decision that would put Brady Heslip on the national and NBA radar. He gained notoriety with Baylor as he started most games and was that shooter that you couldn’t leave alone. He helped the Bears get to the elite eight of the NCAA tournament and was regarded as a real threat on one of the best teams in the NCAA. There was some talk of Brady getting drafted in the NBA but as he said, “I didn’t pass the eye test for what the NBA is looking for in their athletes.”
That didn’t stop NBA teams from taking a look.
He had tryouts and NBA summer league stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and the hometown Toronto Raptors. He played for D-league (now G-league) teams including Raptors 905, before taking his talents to Europe, where he played in Italy, France, Turkey, and Bosnia.
Brady showed a commitment to Canada in a parallel career with the national team that saw him zigzag around the world, helping Canada win a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and qualify for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. The qualifying process was multi-staged, which didn’t allow for current NBA players to participate — it was players like Brady Heslip who showed their mettle by making it to every qualifying phase, no matter the location.
But it was in 2019 where Brady showed a lot about who he is as a person.
“I was hoping to not make the national team for the Olympic qualifying tournament because that would mean that all the NBA guys like Jamal Murray and Shae Gilgeous-Alexander would be available and there would be no spot for me,” Brady explains, “All I want is for Canada to win on the world stage and if that means I’m not there, then that’s cool.”
Obviously, Brady has taken the lessons learned and is using them for the greater good.
Brady retired from professional basketball last year despite having some great European offers on the table, and this process too says a lot about Brady. He felt he could have played another five years, as in basketball there is always room for a shooter of Brady’s capability, but instead he took the mature, long view.
“My pro and national team career has given me a global perspective that I think will help me in the business world,“ Brady describes. “So I’m doing my MBA at Queen’s and am excited for the possibilities that lay ahead.”
Possibilities that may include a call from Burlington’s Sports Hall of Fame.
