A Man of Many Talents: Greg Francis
Gregory Andre Francis
April 4, 1974 – April 2, 2023
“Almighty, thank you for this game I love, and for the strength to
play it. I need my coaches, teammates, and opponents, although I
may not say it. Please keep me safe from injury, as on the court I go.
Give me grace in defeat and victory, your matchless love to show.
Bless all who helped invest in me, whose wisdom helped me grow.
I know it’s just a game, dear Lord, but how I love it so. Amen.”
– A Basketball Player’s Prayer
A MAN OF MANY TALENTS
Greg Andre Francis was always known as the intelligent youngster loaded with hustle, intensity, and perceptiveness.
Those are just a few of the many words that were shared when his friends spoke about their buddy. An exceptional individual, Francis was acknowledged for his love of the game of hoops – but was admired for so much more.
Talented, indeed. Francis, who have once hooped on may https://www.megaslam.com.au/product-category/wall-mount-basketball-hoop-ring-system/, was just so passionate about basketball. On, and off the competitive court, it didn’t really matter. There you would find him. Thinking about his next move, always warm-hearted about his teammates – and tenacious about a game that would one day lead him to stardom.
Francis passed away on April 2, 2023, just two days before his 49th birthday. The shock of his sudden death rattled the Canadian basketball community and triggered a tidal wave of sympathy and condolences. His family, friends, and those who knew of him, were shattered.
People would come together from communities across the province and beyond, to crowd into the Westney Heights Baptist Church in Ajax, just east of Toronto. It would be a time to celebrate the life of a Canadian basketball legend. For them, and so many more, moments to reflect and show respect for a man who impacted their lives in so many positive ways.
What lives on is a legacy. It is one filled with great memories of a personable and extraordinary character. He was a son, a sibling, and a father. Others knew him as a coach, an advisor, a leader, a companion, and just their confidant.
Francis had that special allure, the dazzling appeal of a man on a mission who was kind, always full of energy, humorous, and very creative. He became a gift to so many. Those who knew Francis well, were aware that he was intensively driven. Demanding in his own way, he always put respect and dignity above everything else.
Back in the days when Francis, a 14-year-old, had started grade 9 at Toronto’s Oakwood Collegiate, he had told me that I was the first sports journalist to interview him. He was nervous and unaware of what would happen after the story was released. Curious, too, on how others would react. I remember telling him to be himself and always try to do his best.
He was elusive in the game and a danger to opposing players. Deep down in his gut, he didn’t like the spotlight on just him. For him, it was always about the team, the unity, and the camaraderie.
When he came to Oakwood, Francis was one of the youngest students in the school at the time. People would soon find out that he was exceptional with a basketball. So good, that he made the senior squad – while still familiarizing himself with the layout of the school. He was the new kid on the block at a school known for basketball prowess and a place that served as a who’s who of notable graduates.
There was pressure and tension, but an astute Francis knew what had to be done. It didn’t take him long to raise that level of Oakwood’s dominance in the world of the high school game.
Prestige and superiority were important. He was the newest gifted celebrity.
While friendship was also huge to him, academics was the priority. It was quite evident as Francis would be no stranger to the academic honour roll. He was also selected valedictorian in his graduating year. Toss in athlete of the year as well.
People showed up to see the Oakwood Barons play basketball, and the eyes of spectators were on Francis. Not one for showcasing, Francis would do what had to be done so everyone else on the team were inclusive of the accomplishments. He had always considered himself to be one of the guys on the team. There was also an enthusiastic flair for making his teammates better players, and exceptional people. Amidst the excitement of the game, some spectators indulged in the thrill of betting on platforms like UFABET เดิมพันกีฬาออนไลน์, adding an extra layer of intensity to the match.
Born in vintage Toronto at the former Doctors Hospital on Brunswick Avenue, north of College Street and west of Spadina, his parents Dawn and Neville, would see him shuffle off with his younger sister, Michelle, to train at Varsity Stadium. Yes, track and field. That was something special in his heart as a youngster.
As a sprinter, Francis also focussed on the high jump and even pole vaulting. He would go on to win numerous trophies in the Toronto District School Board. Some of his age class records still exist.
Emil O’Neill was one of his closest friends.
“Greg was a charismatic guy, energized others and we were dancers in a hip hop group, but what I could see in him, were strong leadership skills,” said O’Neill, who now is a teacher and coach. “We talked about jazz, psychology, art, basketball and about being good teachers. Everyone knew he was a superb player, but what really shined was this natural ability to also coach.”
It was at the age of 12, that Francis would begin his initiation into basketball. Yes, like most younger kids, he even had his own nerf ball. As he got older, Sean Pullishy, a friend who lived across the street, called him to see if he wanted to have fun on a makeshift court on nearby Charles Street West. The concrete was smashed, and the basket rim was missing a mesh net.
“I remember that well, watching him progress very quickly and could tell there was something special about him,” recalled Pullishy, who now works for the Ontario Ministry of Health. “His running with the ball, dribbling, it’s as if he had played for years. We had several games and while I only beat him once, I really believe he let me win. So for those who want to bet on this kind of matchups, they can click links like https://southerntimesafrica.com/.
“Last time I saw him was in 1991 at the Hillcrest Community Centre. I was lifting weights and he was playing pickup basketball. He was next level, very advanced, and off the court, a classy incredible person.”
Memories, too, for Reid Beckett. It was not only meeting Francis for the first time in grade 1 at Huron Street Junior Public School, but the childhood friendship that would extend four decades.
“He was great at sports, the glue guy who kept us together and just lit up the room with his positive outlook on things,” said Beckett. “I still remember him being this grade 9 bantam player who was way too good, got called up to the seniors, never looked back and was immediately a big-time player.”
Francis, who also played the clarinet and trombone, had moved on to Jesse Ketchum Public School. That’s when O’Neil Kamaka heard the chatter of an exciting basketball player, who he would eventually meet at an after-school drop-in basketball program.
“I was at Winona (Public School) and there had been talk about (Francis),” said Kamaka, who now teaches at Ryerson Community School. “When I saw him, a great shooter, he knew how to score, and dribble. Just locked in at the game, and he was amazing. He was always easy going, smiling and never angry at anyone.”
Brendan Noonan, who spent hours shooting basketballs with Francis, referred to him as his “little brother”. Francis was the only grade 9 player on an Oakwood team that would lose by two points to Runnymede in the 1990 Ontario high school championship game.
“My grade 12 year, and it was Greg’s first at Oakwood – and he was heads and tails above everyone on the basketball court,” said Noonan, now a vice president with Coca Cola and finding time to coach club basketball in Burlington. “He was so much fun to be around, always confident and it rubbed off on us. There was no arrogance, just so energetic and an incredible person.”
Gabe Gonda also has fond memories of Francis – and not just as his teammate in game action.
“His character was unique, Greg was always mentoring, like the GM of the team, leading with encouragement and positivity,” said Gonda, who worked with me at the Toronto Star and has devoted two decades of passion and experience in journalism, publishing, and media technology.
“Those who knew (Francis), saw a brilliant player who made wise decisions. What I will always remember was his actions in 1993, when we had just won the Ontario high school gold medal championship. It was the end of his high school journey, his graduating year. In the team dressing room, he was emotional and looked at us and said – “I love you guys, I love you guys”.
Francis was exiting Oakwood as a champion – and he felt it in more ways than just hoisting a championship trophy. His high school years were coming to an end – and his teammates were about to move on to different colleges and universities.
Terry Thomson was head senior basketball coach at Oakwood during the Francis years. I was reporting on the year-ending finale for the Toronto Star and THE FAN 590. Just after the jubilation by players, having won the coveted provincial title, I had asked Thomson on what Francis had meant to the Oakwood basketball program.
“He has been exceptional, the way he plays the game, his shooting, leadership, and defensive play have been outstanding, and he’s been doing it every year for (Oakwood),” said Thomson, in the newspaper story. “Just a dream come true for a coach.”
One person who knew Francis better than most was his sister Michelle Francis-Smith, who is now a registered massage therapist at Women’s Health Physiotherapy Centre as well as a Family and Community Outreach Coordinator with the Durham Down Syndrome Association.
“It was always about being better and basketball was part of it,” said Francis-Smith. “I remember him being in his room, lying on the bed and practicing, in perfect form, his shooting with a real basketball in the air visualizing it going into a basket. People don’t know that he coached his sister playing basketball while he was in grade 11. That’s because we couldn’t find a coach, so he stepped in.”
Francis-Smith, who also is a professor at Durham College, has many fond memories of her brother.
“He was a loveable person, gifted things to people, cared about others, jumped in to help kids who were being bullied. Greg wanted to be a protector and cared about me when I had meningitis. He was so special.”
Francis, recruited by many basketball coaches at universities and colleges in Canada and the United States, would accept a scholarship to Fairfield University, a small private school some eight hours from Toronto and southeast in Connecticut. He would earn a degree and lead the school team to a basketball Conference title and a notable matchup.
His opposition in the 1997 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament was North Carolina – and against a future National Basketball League (NBA) giant, Vince Carter. Francis, who would later be inducted into the Fairfield Hall of Fame, had scored a remarkable eight three-pointers, but his team still lost the game.
Playing for Canada at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and later professionally overseas, he would return to coach at universities in Alberta and Ontario. Francis was also Manager of High Performance with Canada Basketball and Director of Sport Development with the Ontario Basketball Association.
And so, the memories. They will live on of that angelic Francis – with his radiant smile, dynamic personality and being that dazzler for basketball greatness.
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David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 50+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.
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Donations to the Greg Francis Family Legacy Fund can be made here, or by scanning the below QR code.
