Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

What are the Ontario Basketball Championships?

Ontario Basketball Championships are the annual culminating event for Ontario Basketball member club teams at the end of the club basketball season.

Ontario Basketball Championships are divided into two tournaments:

  1. Provincial Championships: Teams ranked in Division 1 during the final ranking and seeding process. (Note: U13 and U14 teams must play in OBLX to be eligible to compete in Provincial Championships.)
  2. Ontario Cup: Teams ranked in Division 2 and upwards during the final ranking and seeding process.

Ontario Basketball Championships provide a competitive playing environment for teams at all levels by hosting various divisions based on skill level from Division 1 all the way up to Division 15 (or higher) for some age groups.

What is the difference between Ontario Basketball Championships, Provincial Championships, and Ontario Cup?

Ontario Basketball Championships are the annual culminating event for Ontario Basketball member club teams at the end of the club basketball season.

Ontario Basketball Championships are divided into two tournaments:

  1. Provincial Championships: Teams ranked in Division 1 during the final ranking and seeding process participate in Provincial Championships. (Note: U13 and U14 teams must play in OBLX to be eligible to compete in Provincial Championships.) All Provincial Championships take place in one city at one venue.
  2. Ontario Cup: Teams ranked in Division 2 and upwards during the final ranking and seeding process participate in Ontario Cup. Ontario Cup takes place in various cities across the province and games are scheduled at multiple venues to service the numerous divisions that participate in Ontario Cup.

To find out where the Ontario Basketball Championships are taking place this season, visit the Dates & Locations page.

Who can play in Ontario Basketball Championships?

Ontario Basketball Championships are open to Ontario Basketball member club teams.

Provincial Championships: Teams must be ranked in Division 1 during the final ranking and seeding process, and:

Ontario Cup: Teams must either play in the Ontario Basketball League or play a minimum number of games (as outlined annually in the Rules and Regulations Manual).

Which age categories can play in Ontario Basketball Championships?

U10 Novice to U19 Junior.

Eligibility for each age category is outlined annually in the Rules and Regulations Manual.

When is Ontario Basketball Championships?

Ontario Basketball Championships take place annually over nine weekends from March to June.

Check out the upcoming Ontario Basketball Championships dates.

How many games does each team play at Ontario Basketball Championships?

Provincial Championships: TBA

Ontario Cup: Four games (1 game on Friday, 2 games on Saturday, and 1 game on Sunday)

Registration

How do I register for Ontario Basketball Championships?

Club administrators or coaches can register teams for Ontario Basketball Championships through Ramp. To see how please follow our guides found here.  If you need assistance after using the guides please contact Ben Dickinson at Bdickinson@basketball.on.ca.

When does registration open for Ontario Basketball Championships?

Registration opens at the beginning of the season. They are currently open.

Schedule

Where does Ontario Basketball Championships take place?

Ontario Basketball Championships are hosted annually in numerous locations across the province between March and June.

Provincial Championships: One city at one venue

Ontario Cup: Various cities and venues across the province

See the full list of Ontario Basketball Championships Dates & Locations.

Where can I find my team’s schedule?

Ontario Basketball Championships Schedules & Results

Note: Schedules for Ontario Basketball Championships are normally posted one week in advance of each tournament. If your team’s schedule is not posted by that time, there has been a delay with the final ranking process.

When will my team’s schedule be posted?

Schedules for Ontario Basketball Championships are normally posted one week in advance of each tournament. If your team’s schedule is not posted, there has been a delay with the final ranking process. Please continue to check Ontario Basketball Championships Schedules & Results.

When will my team be playing?

Provincial Championships: TBA

Ontario Cup: Game times are based on the number of teams in a division and facility availability. Additionally, games for teams in the Learn to Train age category (U10 Novice to U12 Major Atom) do not begin after 7:30 p.m.

Two weeks before Ontario Cup, coaches receive preliminary rankings, so teams will know the number of teams in their pool and therefore their potential game times based on the size of their pool.

Schedule templates for different-sized divisions are below.

  • 8-team division schedule
  • 7-team division schedule
  • 6-team division schedule
  • 5-team division schedule
  • 4-team divisions schedule

Where will my team be playing?

Host cities for Ontario Basketball Championships are outlined in the Dates & Locations section.

Provincial Championships: All games take place in one city at one venue. For 2019 and 2020, Provincial Championships are in Scarborough at Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

Ontario Cup: Game locations depend on your team’s division, which will be finalized one week prior to Ontario Cup. Your team’s schedule will then be posted in the Schedules & Results section.

How many games will my team be playing?

Provincial Championships: Three games minimum

Ontario Cup: Four games (1 game on Friday, 2 games on Saturday, and 1 game on Sunday)

Can my team’s game time be moved?

If you have a compelling reason for your team’s game time to be moved, please contact Mike Barbin and include the reason for your request. Please keep in mind that any schedule change will affect multiple, if not all, teams in your division and consequently the schedule cannot be changed on short notice.

Why is my team playing in a different gym from the rest of the teams in our division at Ontario Cup?

Game locations for Ontario Cup are based on facility availability. Ontario Cup hosts are not always able to secure facilities for an entire day, which results in some teams playing in a different gym than the rest of the division.

Why is my team playing in a gym outside of the Ontario Cup host city?

Ontario Cup host cities sometimes need to use facilities in the surrounding area given the large scope of numerous Ontario Cup weekends.

For example, Ontario Cup for U14 Major Bantam Boys typically has over 120 teams playing in 16 divisions, which can be challenging to host in just one city.

Ranking and Seeding

How is ranking and seeding determined?

Initial rankings are based on games results from the first half of the season submitted online in RegSavvy by the results deadline for initial rankings for an age/gender category. Each Ranking Committee member ranks all of the teams in an age/gender category. The Ranking Chair and Ontario Basketball staff consolidate the lists into one initial rankings list, which is distributed to Ranking Committee members and coaches by e-mail and posted online in the Ranking & Seeding section.

Preliminary rankings are based on game results from the season submitted online in RegSavvy by the results deadline for final rankings for an age/gender category. Customized software creates a ranking list based on game results, which is used as a baseline for the ranking meeting. The Ranking Committee finalizes the preliminary rankings during the ranking meeting, which is distributed to coaches by e-mail and posted online in the Ranking & Seeding section.

Final rankings are based on the appeals submitted after the preliminary rankings are released. Teams have the opportunity to appeal their preliminary ranking. The Ranking Chair and Ontario Basketball staff consider all appeals, give teams affected by appeals an opportunity to appeal their revised ranking, and then distribute the final rankings to coaches by e-mail and post them online in the Ranking & Seeding section.

Important notes about the Ranking and Seeding process:

  • Rankings for teams are solely based on game results that have been entered online in RegSavvy.
  • No consideration will be given to games that were not listed on a team’s results page in RegSavvy.
  • If a team fails to submit results for the minimum number of games required (as outlined annually in the Rules and Regulations Manual) prior to the results deadline for final rankings, they will not be ranked and will be deemed ineligible to participate in the Ontario Basketball Championships.

When is the deadline to submit game results for ranking and seeding?

Ranking and seeding calls take place on Sundays. Game results are due on the Wednesday before the Sunday ranking and seeding call.

The deadlines to submit game results for initial and final rankings are published annually in Ontario Basketball’s Rules and Regulations Manual. You can also view them on the Ranking & Seeding page.

When will initial rankings be released?

After the third competition weekend of the Ontario Basketball League (OBL) for your age/gender category.

Check out the OBL schedule to determine when initial rankings will be released for your age/gender category.

When will preliminary rankings be released?

Ontario Cup: The ranking meeting takes place two Sundays before Ontario Cup, and preliminary rankings are released the next day. See the Ontario Cup Dates & Locations to determine when preliminary rankings will be released for your age/gender category.

When will final rankings be released?

Ontario Cup: One Friday before your Ontario Cup weekend. See the Ontario Cup Dates & Locations to determine when final rankings will be released for your age/gender category.

Note: If there is an issue finalizing the rankings, final rankings may be released on a later date.

Why is my team ranked lower than a team that we beat?

Numerous factors are taken into consideration when ranking teams, including head-to-head game results, win/loss margins, and strength of schedule.

For example, Team A with a 10-0 record will not necessarily be ranked higher than Team B with a 0-10 record if Team A plays Division 5 teams and Team B plays Division 1 teams.

I disagree with my team’s initial ranking. What should I do?

There is no appeal process for initial rankings. Ontario Basketball releases initial rankings midway through the season to give teams an idea of where they are situated in the rankings. Doing so provides teams with the opportunity to tailor their schedule in the second half of the season to help them achieve their desired position for final rankings. Teams get a better understanding of the level of tournaments they should enter (i.e., AAA, AA, and A) and which teams they should play to help improve their rankings.

If you would like to discuss how to improve your team’s ranking, contact the applicable Ranking Chair.

I disagree with my team’s preliminary ranking. What should I do?

Ontario Cup: Ontario Basketball sends preliminary rankings to coaches on the Monday two weeks in advance of Ontario Cup. Coaches who disagree with their team’s preliminary ranking can submit an appeal to change divisions only.

Ontario Basketball will not consider appeals to change ranking within a division.

Note: Coaches can only appeal their own team’s ranking; they cannot appeal another team’s ranking.

Appeals must include game results that justify a change in divisions. Appeals that do not include game results will not be considered.

Appeals must be sent within 24 hours of the preliminary rankings e-mail to the applicable Ranking Chair and Ontario Basketball staff member.

If an appeal is not accepted, the coach will receive an e-mail with a justification for the decision.

Why did my team’s division change from the preliminary rankings to the final rankings?

Based on the appeals received, another team’s change in ranking affected your team.

For example, if the number-two seed in Division 4 successfully appeals to move up to Division 3, the number-eight seed in Division 3 may be moved down to Division 4.

All teams affected by changes caused by appeals will receive an e-mail notification and have 24 hours to appeal their new ranking.

Note: If your team is in a “bubble” position in the preliminary rankings (seeded number one, two, seven, or eight), you may be moved up or down into a different division. If your team is in one of these positions and you are satisfied with your team’s ranking, Ontario Basketball recommends that you proactively e-mail the applicable Ranking Chair and Ontario Basketball staff member to explain why your team should stay in that division in order to potentially prevent your team from changing divisions in the final rankings.

I disagree with my team’s final ranking. What should I do?

Teams have the opportunity to appeal preliminary final rankings, and any teams affected by changes caused by appeals have a chance to appeal their new position. After the appeals process is complete, final rankings are released and no further appeals are accepted.

How can I get involved with the ranking and seeding process?

The ranking and seeding process relies on the support of Ontario Basketball’s member club coaches.

To get involved in the ranking and seeding process, contact the applicable Ranking Chair.

Results

Why are there no results posted for a game my team played?

Ontario Basketball relies on conveners in each gym to report scores at the end of every game, and sometimes this information is not sent in a timely manner. Please continue to check the Schedules & Results page.

Hosting Ontario Cup

Who can host Ontario Cup?

Any member club in good standing with Ontario Basketball can apply to host Ontario Cup.

How can my community host Ontario Cup?

Municipalities and tourism organizations interested in hosting Ontario Cup should contact Ontario Basketball member clubs in their area to collaborate on an application.

Find an Ontario Basketball member club in your area.

When does the Ontario Cup host bid process open?

Hosting Ontario Cup is a two-year commitment, and the host bid process opens two summers in advance. For example, the host bid process opens in summer 2017 for Ontario Cup 2019 and 2020, summer 2019 for Ontario Cup 2021 and 2022, etc.

What are the benefits of hosting Ontario Cup?

Hosting Ontario Cup serves as a fundraising opportunity for Ontario Basketball clubs. Ontario Basketball provides hosts with a host subsidy, plus hosts receive a percentage of all hotel room nights booked through Sport Travel, Ontario Basketball’s official hotel provider. Other potential fundraising opportunities include concessions sales, local host sponsorships, and advertising revenue.

Additionally, hosting Ontario Cup generates a large amount of revenue for the host city. Ontario Cup is one of the largest basketball events in North America and it has a substantial economic impact on business in the local municipality and throughout the province.

During the 2013 season, OBA conducted a Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model (STEAM) economic impact study with the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance. The study found the total economic activity (industry output) generated by the Ontario Cup U16 Boys event staged in Ottawa was $1.9 million in the province, with $1.3 million occurring in Ottawa.

Note: The figures above were produced using the STEAM Model, which was created by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance as an aid to sport tourism. It takes into consideration the various factors involved in staging an event like an Ontario Cup weekend. The STEAM Model is conservative and the figures shown should be considered minimum economic impact numbers.

Contact

Who should I contact to report an incident that occurred at Ontario Basketball Championships?

All incidents at Ontario Basketball Championships should be reported as soon as possible to the convener in the gym where the incident took place. The convener will ask you to fill out a Fair Play Report.

You are also responsible for submitting your Fair Play Report to the Fair Play Commissioner, Dave Hurley.

Who should I contact if I have a question about Ontario Basketball Championships?

If you have a question that is not addressed in any of these Frequently Asked Questions, please contact Mike Barbin.