In Memoriam: Gregory Andre Francis (April 4, 1974 – April 2, 2023)
April 3, 2023 – Whitby, ON
Ontario Basketball is saddened to share the news of the passing of Director of Sport Development, Greg Francis.
Greg’s experiences, impact, and the respect that he carried in the basketball community were significant. After an accomplished playing career with Oakwood Collegiate Institute, Team Ontario, Fairfield University, Team Canada (including competing in the Sydney 2000 Olympics), and professionally overseas, Greg began coaching to give back to the next generation of athletes. He spent time with Monmouth University, Canada Basketball, the University of Alberta Golden Bears, University of Waterloo Warriors, Ontario Tech University Ridgebacks, and most recently with us at Ontario Basketball in an advisory role.
Greg will be deeply missed by the OBA team and the entire basketball community.
The thoughts of all Ontario Basketball Staff and Board of Directors members are with Greg’s family and friends. We ask our basketball community to respect the privacy of Greg’s family at this time.
About Greg Francis
High School Career
Born and raised in Toronto, Greg had an established high school basketball career with the legendary Oakwood Collegiate Institute. With Oakwood, Greg played for the Senior Boys team as a freshman, helping them to a bronze medal finish at OFSAA Finals in 1989, a silver as a sophomore in 1990, and then gold as a senior in 1993.
Collegiate Career
As a result of his impact with Oakwood CI, Greg won a scholarship to study at Fairfield University in Connecticut, where he would play from 1994 to 1997. Over his collegiate career, he scored 1,570 points, ranking fifth all-time at the school. He holds the school record for most three-point baskets made in a career with 230. During his senior season, he helped lead the Stags to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and the 1997 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. He almost single-handedly upset the North Carolina Tar Heels in the first round of that tournament, scoring 26 points including eight three-pointers. He was enshrined into the Fairfield University Hall of Fame in 2003.
Canadian National Team & Olympics
Following college, he joined Canada’s National Men’s Basketball Team in 1998 for the World championships in Greece, followed by the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Olympic qualifier in 2003. It was through his involvement with the men’s national team that his coaching career began with Canada Basketball.
Coaching Background
In 2004, Greg was approached by Canada Basketball to begin a coaching career with the National men’s team, a relationship that spanned 12 years. He was the National Team Development coach until 2009, when he became head coach of the University of Alberta. In 2012, he was named head coach of the University of Waterloo until being appointed Director of Basketball Operations for the Canadian Elite Basketball League. Throughout that period, he was also filling the role of Manager and Technical Director of Men’s High Performance for Canada Basketball. Most recently, he was head men’s basketball coach for Ontario Tech University.
Canada Basketball
In 2015, Greg was appointed Manager, Men’s High Performance with Canada Basketball. During his time there, he provided technical leadership for the men’s high performance pathway, including overseeing the Gold Medal Profile Project, National Team, and Targeted Athlete Strategy (TAS) programs. During his tenure, Team Canada captured gold at the 2017 FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup – the best-ever result for the Canadian men’s basketball program at a FIBA tournament.
Ontario Basketball
Greg joined the Ontario Basketball staff as Director, Sport Development in November 2022. During his time with OBA, Greg provided leadership, strategic direction and support for all high performance, youth development, and coach education programs. OBA was fortunate to be able to draw upon Greg’s leadership and extensive experience in basketball during his time with the organization.
Links | Further Reading
Looking Back: Going the distance in 1997 – Fairfield University
Greg Francis Biography – Canada Basketball