Industrial Cape Breton hosted the 1987 Canada Winter Games. New Waterford, a coal mining town with a rich basketball tradition, was selected as the site of the men’s basketball competition. After round-robin play was completed, our Nova Scotia team was pursuing gold. Intercollegiate schedules had been adjusted so coach Bev Greenlaw and assistant Mark Parker could choose the best talent for the 21-and-under competition. From the outset, coach Greenlaw, the Kings College mentor, said, “getting to the medal round was a realistic goal.” The Nova Scotia basketball squad was comprised of eleven university players and QEH’s James McQuaid. The St. Francis Xavier tandem of Augy Jones and Wade Smith started in the back court with Acadia’s Charles Ikejiani as their backup. The entire front line was Acadia Axemen – Jason Wilson, Grant MacDonald and Kevin Veinot. The Kings College trio of Keith Donovan, Peter Leppard and David Brown played prominent roles while Windsor’s Steve Woodman and Scott Borden from Sydney rounded out the team.

The Bluenoses entered the round-robin play against Newfoundland winning handily 96-75. Two blowouts followed in games against Manitoba and Prince Edward Island with successive scores of 87-46 and 116-49. The team from Ontario marked the final hurdle for the Nova Scotia crew. But with Jason Wilson, Kevin Veinot and Keith Donovan leading the scoring parade, the locals were victorious by a score of 88-76, winning the right to advance to the medal round.

The crossover game was a virtual breeze for the local squad. Their opponents from British Columbia weren’t in the same class and lost 116-86. A packed, partisan crowd of 1,200 filled Breton Education Centre’s gymnasium on Saturday, the final day of competition, to witness history in the making. The Quebec team represented the final obstacle in basketball’s quest for gold. The home fans were rewarded for their great support, when our players dominated the game and won 91-76. The victory still stands as the first and only time any Nova Scotia team has won a gold medal at the Canada Winter Games. Although unable to attend the event in person, I had a great affinity for the team as five members were former players of our Queen Elizabeth High basketball program.

Members of the team were: Scott Borden, David Brown, Keith Donovan, Bev Greenlaw (Coach), Charles Ikejiani, Augy Jones, Peter Leppard, Grant MacDonald, James McQuaid, Mark Parker (Manager), Wade Smith, Kevin Veinot, Jason Wilson, Stephen Woodman.

Bio courtesy of Bob Douglas