Athlete Institute
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| Location | 207321 Highway 9, Mono, Ontario, Canada L9W 6J2 |
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| Coordinates | 43°55′56″N 80°02′35″W / 43.93210°N 80.04312°W |
| Owner | Tipping family |
| Opened | September 2010 |
| Tenants | |
| Orangeville A's (NBLC) (2015–2017) Athlete Institute Bears (2010–present) | |
The Athlete Institute is an athletic centre located in Mono, Ontario. It is made up of two facilities, the training centre and the fieldhouse. The institute is home to the Athlete Institute Basketball Academy Bears, who compete in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA).[1] Orangeville District Secondary School provides academic instruction for the institute's students. It was formerly home to the Orangeville A's of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL).
History
The institute was founded in September 2010 by colleagues Jesse Tipping and Adam Hoffman. Tipping followed the dreams of his father, James, who wanted to create the best basketball facility in Canada.[2] Tipping would later compete with the Brampton A's, an NBL Canada team owned by his family, which had grown rich through the trucking industry.[3] The A's relocated to Orangeville and claimed the Athlete Institute as their home arena.[4]
The Athlete Institute has received praise from several players, including local high school basketball player Jalen Poyser, who said, "I thought it was like an NBA facility when I got here."[3] The Toronto Star credited the institute for attracting top talent from around the world. The newspaper also considered Tipping as one of the "five most important people in Canadian basketball."[5]
In September 2014, the institute received significant exposure when highly touted 2016 NBA draft prospect Thon Maker joined the program; he went on to become the first high schooler to be taken in the first round of an NBA draft since 2005.[6]
Notable alumni
- Jamal Murray, professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets
- Thon Maker, professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons
- Luguentz Dort, professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder
- Iggy Brazdeikis, professional basketball player for the New York Knicks
- Oshae Brissett, professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors
References
- ^ "About". AthleteInstitute.ca. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ "Staff Members". AthleteInstitute.ca. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ a b Friesen, Joe. "Ontario program aims to keep Canada's basketball talent at home". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ "Pro basketball coming to Orangeville". The Orangeville Citizen. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ "Top five most important people in Canadian basketball". Toronto Star. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ Biancardi, Paul (September 5, 2014). "Thon Maker heading to Canada". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 19, 2016.