HIGH ACHIEVERS: Inaugural class named for uOttawa Gee-Gees Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame

By Martin Cleary

The uOttawa athletics department has a unique way to pay tribute to the best-of-its-best athletes, coaches and builders.

One of Canada’s oldest universities (founded 1848 as Bytown College), officials have gone the traditional route and given their premier Gee-Gees the hall-of-fame treatment.

But what makes it more intriguing is the university has individual halls of fame for five of its varsity sports. uOttawa announced its fifth such centre of excellence earlier this week with the inaugural Gee-Gees Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

Eight legendary players lead the way – Merv Sabey (1971-75), Rod Lee (1990-93), Clarence Porter (1990-95), Josh Gibson-Bascombe (2005-10), Warren Ward (2008-13), Johnny Berhanemeskel (2010-15), Mike L’Africain (2011-16) and Caleb Agada (2012-17).

Lee and Porter will enter the hall a second time as members of the 1992-93 Gee-Gees’ team, which achieved two program firsts for the university – the 1993 OUAA Wilson Cup playoff championship and a semi-final berth at the CIAU national championship tournament.

Rob Ashe will enter the hall as a builder, when the inductees will be celebrated with an on-campus ceremony on the weekend of Feb. 24-25.

uOttawa created its first hall of fame for the football team in 1973 and over the past 51 years has inducted 78 individuals and five teams.

The three other halls of fame are for men’s hockey (2005-07) with eight inductees, women’s basketball (2009-21) with 16 inductees and women’s volleyball (2016-22) with four inductees.

Here’s a brief look at the careers of the inaugural class of the Gee-Gees Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame:

MERV SABEY – A four-time conference all-star as a six-foot, seven-inch centre, Sabey was a relentless rebounder and is first in career rebounds for the Gee-Gees at 11.3 a game. After averaging 17.3 points and 10.3 rebounds a game, he was named an All-Canadian for the 1974-75 season. He sparked the Gee-Gees to their first national championship tournament in 1973-74 with career best marks of 18.5 points and 13.7 rebounds a game.

ROD LEE – After more than 30 years, Lee’s name is still in the Gee-Gees’ record book for a single-season scoring average of 23.5 points a game. Originally from Rochester, New York, the six-foot, two-inch guard averaged 18.8 points a game over three seasons and was a valuable offensive contributor to the Gee-Gees winning the 1993 Wilson Cup conference playoff championship. He also was a two-time conference all-star.

CLARENCE PORTER – Another pillar in the Gee-Gees charge to the 1993 Wilson Cup, Porter was the team’s top scorer and rebounder during the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. In his five seasons with Ottawa, he averaged 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds a game and was a 1992-93 conference all-star. A six-foot, four-inch forward, Porter became an assistant coach with the Gee-Gees following graduation.

JOSH GIBSON-BASCOMBE – The Gee-Gees knew they had a special player when Gibson-Bascombe was named OUA East rookie of the year for the 2005-06 season, which was a program first. For the next four years, the six-foot, five-inch guard led the Garnet and Grey in scoring and ranks second in the career points at 1,571 and fourth with a 16.9-point-a-game average. He also was selected a two-time All-Canadian, which was another program first.

WARREN WARD – Another six-foot, five-inch guard, Ward was a three-time conference all-star and a 2012-13 All-Canadian, when the Gee-Gees won their first national championship tournament medal, a bronze. He was the second member of the program’s 500-rebound and 1,000-point club, ranks third in team career points at 1,479 and is fourth in career rebounds at 568.

JOHNNY BERHANEMESKEL – Named the national player of the year for 2014-15 with a career-high 23.2 point-a-game average, Berhanemeskel also was a four-time conference all-star and a two-time All-Canadian. The six-foot, two-inch guard holds the Gee-Gees’ team record of 2,000 career points in 105 games for a 19.0 point-a-game average. He was a vital contributor to the Gee-Gees winning back-to-back silver medals at the 2014 and 2015 national championship tournaments as well as 2014 Wilson Cup conference playoff title.

MIKE L’AFRICAIN – A six-foot, one-inch guard, L’Africain was a key part of Gee-Gees teams winning two silver and one bronze medals at the 2013-15 national championship tournaments as well as the 2013 Wilson Cup trophy. He finished his Gee-Gees career with a 20.4-point-a-game average and was named the national player of the year for the 2015-16 season. He holds the Gee-Gees’ record for career assists at 406 and ranks fourth in career points at 1,272.

CALEB AGADA – An all-around contributor as a six-foot, four-inch guard, Agada was twice selected the national defensive player of the year as well as a three-time conference all-star. His 188 career steals rank him second in the Gee-Gees’ record book. He paced the Gee-Gees in rebounds per game for three seasons and led the team in scoring in his graduating 2016-17 season. Agada also was a valued member of the Gee-Gees’ triple medal effort at nationals – bronze in 2013 and silver in 2014 and 2015.

1992-93 GEE-GEES TEAM – It took 30 years, but the 1992-93 Gee-Gees team brought the university its first OUAA Wilson Cup championship in 1993 as well as its best result at the national championship tournament, a berth in the semifinals. After losing three of its opening five regular-season games, the Gee-Gees won their final seven to finish at 9-3. They stretched their winning streak into the playoffs at 11, defeating York 70-64 in the OUAA East semifinal, Toronto 87-67 in the East final and Western 88-48 for the OUAA championship. The 11th consecutive win happened in the national championship tournament quarterfinals with a 64-60 decision over Winnipeg. But Ottawa bowed out of nationals with a 64-54 semifinal loss to St. Francis Xavier. The Gee-Gees finished their season with a 22-8 record against all CIAU opposition and a 23-10 mark against all teams. Carlos Brown was named the Wilson Cup MVP, while Clarence Porter was an OUAA East first-team all-star and David Reid was a second team all-star.

The members of that team were: David Bajurny, Carlos Brown, Wayne Charles, Royston Hohenkirk, Paul Holness, Steve Kokelj, Rod Lee, Chris Lemcke, Greg Maillet, Tim Mathieson, Mike Milne, Clarence Porter, David Reid, Vynce Smith, Shawn Turnau, Ted Weltz, Jack Eisenmann (head coach), Dave DeAveiro (assistant coach), Francis John (assistant coach), Marc Wacyk (assistant coach), Steve Keogh (manager) and Valerie Moquin (student trainer).

ROB ASHE – After he stepped away from his noted playing career with the Gee-Gees, Ashe became a strong supporter of the men’s program and its alumni community. He has earned many professional and community awards, including the Order of Ottawa and an honorary degree from the University of Ottawa in 2010. As the Gee-Gees’ top scorer, he was a conference all-star for the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons. He averaged 18.8 points a game and 7.8 rebounds a game in the 1980-81 season.