Canadian Basketball Hall of fame
Cocktail Reception 2023
EVENT PROGRAM
Welcome letter from Michael Bartlett:
Canada is a basketball nation. And MORE basketball is good for Canada. As part of Canada Basketball’s commitment to deliver more basketball, coast-to-coast-to-coast, we continue to take steps to appropriately celebrate the legends who have helped unify the nation, through basketball.
While many talk about NOW being the golden era of basketball in our country, we know that any future success is built on the solid foundation that past athletes, coaches, officials and builders have established for Canada Basketball. Today we will honour seven valued contributors to the game and each of them have paved the way for the current generation as we work to achieve our ambition of being a unified basketball nation.
On behalf of Canada Basketball, and the millions of passionate basketball fans in Canada, I wish to express our appreciation to Greg, Tammy, Rowan, Liz, Joey, Alison & Don for all they have contributed to basketball in Canada - and around the world. You all have many accomplishments to be proud of and can now add Canadian Basketball Hall of Famers to this list. Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do, as ambassadors of basketball in Canada.
We all have a role to play, in continuing to shape the future of our thriving basketball nation. With your help, Canada Basketball will continue to work hard to support our system - from the grass roots to our most elite teams - and we invite you to be part of our winning journey as we work to make MORE basketball history, for Canada.
Sincerely,
PRESIDENT & CEO, CANADA BASKETBALLEvening Overview
5:30pm DOORS OPEN
Cocktail Reception, Entertainment, Food Stations
6:30 - 6:45pm PROGRAMMING
Inductee: Joey Johnson
Inductee: Allison Lang
Inductee: Don Cline, Liz Silcott, Tammy Sutton-Brown
6:45 - 7:30pm BREAKnilla ice cream
7:30 - 9:00PM PROGRAMMING
Inductee: Greg Wiltjer
Panel Discussion
Inductee: Rowan Barrett John Bitove hosted by Mark Starkey
9:00 pm EVENT CONCLUDESComplimentary shuttle to Mattamy Athletic Centre
CANADIAN BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
ROWAN BARRETT (ATHLETE)
One of the longest-standing Canadian basketball players, Rowan Barrett, proudly represented Canada throughout a 17-year career with the national team, including at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games as team captain. As a member of the national team from 1991 to 2008, Barrett proudly represented Canada internationally on six continents (North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa) and led Canada to a silver medal at the 1999 Tournament of the Americas. Originally from Scarborough, Ontario, Barrett’s two-decade basketball career began at Scarborough’s West Hill Collegiate Institute in 1987, through New York’s St. John’s University from 1992-96 until he retired following professional stops in Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, France, and Italy.
DON CLINE (OFFICIAL)
One of Canada’s most decorated and highly respected basketball officials, Don Cline, officiated all levels of the game in Canada and worldwide throughout his over 40 years as an official. Cline began officiating in 1970 and just five years later received his FIBA license in 1975. He would go on to officiate two Olympic Games, 1984 in Los Angeles and 1996 in Atlanta, three Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, three World Championships on the men’s side and two more on the women’s. At home, Cline was also a fixture at the university level, officiating 22 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) men’s basketball championships. Off the court, he was active in his local board as a mentor, board member, and clinician who regularly gave his time to help grow the game within the officials’ community. After retiring from officiating in 2002, Cline was awarded the Fox 40 High Performance Award for officiating excellence by the Sports Officials of Canada and was inducted into the Ontario Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. Tragically, Cline passed away suddenly in 2011 at just sixty-four years old.
JOEY JOHNSON (ATHLETE)
Often considered one of best power players in the world throughout a wheelchair basketball career that lasted nearly two decades, from 1995 until 2002, Joey Johnson represented Canada for almost two decades, including at five Paralympic Games, capturing three gold medals (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and London 2012), and one silver (Beijing 2008). He also won a gold medal at the World Championships in 2006 and a Junior World Championship gold in 1997. Johnson was diagnosed with a degenerative hip disease at eight years old and began playing wheelchair basketball the following year. He’d go on to play collegiate wheelchair basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater before playing professionally in both Australia and Germany, where he’d lead his RSV Lahn-Dill club team to seven German league titles in eight years and seven of eight German Cup crowns, winning both trophies six times in the same year. Johnson has been inducted into the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame, Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame.
CANADIAN BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
ALISON LANG (ATHLETE)
As a Canadian Senior Women’s National Team member, Alison Lang proudly represented the country at several international tournaments, including bronze medals at the Pan American Games and World Championship in 1979. She was also a member of Canada’s team that finished fourth at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and played in the 1981 and 1982 Federation Cup and the 1983 Pan American Games. Lang also had an incredible collegiate career with the University of Oregon Ducks from 1980-84 and was the program’s all-time scoring leader (2252 points) until January 2020. During her four years at Oregon, she was a three-time Kodak all-district selection and was voted an All-American twice. In 1996, she was inducted into the University of Oregon’s Hall of Fame and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
LIZ SILCOTT (ATHLETE)
Originally from Montreal, QC, Liz Silcott remains one of the most dominant Canadian women’s university basketball players ever. After leading the University of British Columbia to a 43-3 record, including back-to-back CWIAU National Championships and Canada West Championships in 1973 and 1974, Silcott transferred to the Loyola of Montreal for the 1975 season, where she would be named a QUAA First Team All-Star after the team captured the conference championship and finished fifth in the national finals. Silcott took her winning ways to Concordia the following season, where she would lead the league in scoring. Her Stingers compiled a perfect 16-0 record in the QUAA regular season and was again recognized as a conference all-star. In her final collegiate season with the University of Waterloo, Silcott was named a CIS First Team All-Canadian for the first time in her storied career. In 2020, she was named one of U SPORTS Top 100 Women’s Basketball Players of the Century.
CANADIAN BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
TAMMY SUTTON-BROWN (ATHLETE)
From a hall-of-fame career at Rutgers to a 12-year career in the WNBA, Tammy Sutton-Brown left an impact on the game at all levels. As a member of Canada’s national team program, she led the country at several FIBA international tournaments, including the 2000 Olympics. Selected with the 18th overall pick (2nd round, 2nd pick) by the Charlotte Sting in 2001, Sutton-Brown would go on to play 388 games throughout her 12-year WNBA career (most seasons ever by a Canadian) and was a two-time WNBA All-Star, becoming the first Canadian woman to achieve the honour and one of only three Canadians ever to be selected. In 2012 as a member of the Indiana Fever, she became the only Canadian ever to win a WNBA title in her final season with the team. Sutton-Brown also enjoyed a lengthy professional career overseas in South Korea, Russia, and Turkey, where she was a fivetime Turkish National League champion (2007–2011), three-time Turkish Cup winner (2007–2009), and two-time Turkish President Cup winner (2007, 2010). Currently, she is Associate, Basketball & Franchise Operations with Raptors 905, NBA G League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors.
GREG WILTJER (ATHLETE)
A standout with Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team, Greg Wiltjer represented Canada at several international tournaments, including three FIBA World Championships in 1982, 1986 and 1994. He also was a member of the Canadian National Team that competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics, where he finished second in rebounding. After a season at Oregon State University, Wiltjer transferred to the University of Victoria, where he’d help lead the Vikes to a Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union men’s basketball title in 1984. Wiltjer was selected in the second round (19th pick, 43rd overall) of the 1984 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He played eight seasons in Europe, where he captured the FIBA European Cup Winners’ Cup during the 1985-86 season as part of the Spanish Club FC Barcelona. With Greek Club Aris Thessaloniki, he won two Greek League championships in 1988 and 1989 and a pair of Greek Cups in the same years.
