by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
WHITEWATER REGION (Beachburg) — A young basketball player in Beachburg received a special message from a champion 3-on-3 basketball player.
Jonny Fanning, who lives near Westmeath, participated in a five-week session of Jumpball Player Development organized and coached by Gerry Benoit. There were two different groups during this first session of basketball held for five consecutive Wednesday evenings in the gym at Beachburg Public School.
Jumpball Player Development is an opportunity to “learn the game of basketball,” said Benoit. He teaches young people in the skills and fundamentals of basketball for ages six and up.
There were about 25 participants in the Beachburg program. At the end of the session, Jonny received the very first Heart and Soul Award, which began because of Jonny, said Mr. Benoit.
Jonny not only received a special certificate for the recognition, but also two other special items. The first was a congratulations video from Michael Linklater, who is an Aboriginal professional basketball player from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, as well as an autographed basketball by Linklater, from the private stash of Benoit.
Linklater operates a non-profit organization called Boys with Braids, to teach young Aboriginals about their culture. He plays on Team Sask in the three-on-three basketball world tour with the Federation of International Basketball.
Talking about the award development, Benoit said, “It started because of Jonny. Everything I see about him, something told me I needed to do this.
“In this Heart and Soul Award, it exemplifies the heart of the person, not just on the basketball court, but in life, it goes off the basketball court.
“The same as the soul,” he continued. “He’s such a beautiful person inside and outside, spiritually speaking, but I just felt as though I needed to do something for him to get acknowledgement for this award.”
Benoit spoke with Jonny’s mom and it grew from presenting him with a signed autographed ball from the participants in the group to getting the video from Linklater.
“I called up Michael…explained the Heart and Soul Award to him, and he was like, yea, I would love to do this,” he said.
The message was simple – heard you were a good basketball player, and keep up the good work. Linklater said he was voted the most spectacular FIBA player in 3-on-3 basketball in 2017. He also encouraged Jonny to continue to do good things.
“The autographed ball was a ball that Michael gave to me, because we were both coaching in the North American Indigenous Games this past summer in Toronto,” Benoit explained. “He was with Team Saskatchewan and I was with Team Ontario, and I asked him to sign a few basketballs.”
When thinking about the award, Benoit said he felt the need to give one of those signed basketballs to Jonny.
At the end of the final session Wednesday evening, Nov. 30, Benoit sat down on the floor with the young participants and told them about his basketball life. He recalled being a shy youngster and the game of basketball brought out the best in him.
He spoke about the importance of each person to do what is important to them and going in that direction.
“If you decide to do something, go for it,” he said.
However, Benoit stressed the importance of “remem-bering who helped you along the way.” He then told the students to turn around and look at the adults sitting against the wall, the ones who brought them to each session, who are helping them through life – their parents. They said thank you in unison and applauded them.
Benoit encouraged the players to “go out and do things and make a difference in your community. It’s awesome to be special and unique. If you have a gift, share it with others.”
He noted while the players did learn the skills and fundamentals of basketball, they also had a lot of fun while doing it, not even realizing they were learning.
“You may not remember the drills and how to do a line-up free-throw, although I hope you do, but you will remember the fun you had and the friendships developed,” Benoit said.
He then presented Jonny with the Heart and Soul Award certificate. They all then gathered around a laptop to listen to the message from Linklater followed by the presentation of the autographed basketball.
This is the first time the program has been offered in Bechburg through the Westmeath and District Recreation Association, he said. While this was a five-week session, Benoit said each session is developed on its own merits, depending on what the organizers want. It could be from a weekend session to eight weeks, he noted. There is a fee to participate, but along with learning the skills, each player also receives a t-shirt.
This year, Benoit has held about 15 camps throughout Ontario, along with playing in the North American Indigenous Games and the Northern Ontario Native Basketball Invitational.
He is the ambassador for the Steve Nash Basketball Programs in the Ottawa Valley, which means he sets up programs, which includes Beachburg.
In 2002, he was a team member of the Aboriginal Men’s Team Ontario of the North American Indigenous Games.
“It’s like the Native Olympics,” Benoit said, adding, “Teams are from the North Pole down to the South Pole.”
In 2014, he was head coach for the Aboriginal Team Ontario Under 14 boys basketball team. The team participated in the North American Indigenous Games held in Regina, returning home with a silver medal. In 2017, the games were held in Toronto, and he was again the head coach for Team Ontario Under 14 boys basketball team.
“We didn’t do as well as we wanted to, coming in fifth,” Benoit said. “But, you know what, it was good experience. It’s not all about winning and losing at that level. It’s about networks, meeting different people and forming friendships.”
He continues to be “heavily involved” in the Aboriginal side of things for basketball, is on the Aboriginal Sport and Wellness Council of Ontario and Canada Basketball.
Benoit is a status Aboriginal with the Algonquins of Pikwaknagan. While he grew up in the former Alice and Fraser Township, and did spend some time living on the reserve near Golden Lake, he now lives in Laurentian Valley.
