Ten years of greatness and brotherhood: Celebrating Humber men’s basketball 2015 national championship
On Feb. 5, members of the 2015 national championship team will be invited back to Etobicoke to celebrate and reminisce the 10th anniversary of their CCAA title.
By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications
In sports history, even the greatest teams have moments when everything seems to be going down the drain. This was the case for the 2014-15 Humber men's basketball squad, who trailed by two in the dying seconds of the OCAA quarter-final. It was the kind of moment that leaves your palms sweating, your heart pounding, and your stomach turning — a team that went 17-1 in the regular season was about to be the year's biggest bust.
The Hawks were on the ropes. Trailing the Lambton Lions by 13 points at the end of the first quarter and watching the deficit increase to 19, the season seemed to be over. With just 12.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Lions prepared for a free throw with Humber down by two — the comeback seemed all but impossible. Then, chaos. After the missed shot, Hawks' Ancil Martin attempted a desperate three-pointer that fell short. But, out of nowhere, Tyrone Dickson snatched the ball mid-air and tipped it in with just 0.1 seconds left on the clock. Humber had survived.
"That miracle, that shot, I don't even know how to explain it; it was just crazy," said Gibson Eduful, the Hawks' point guard.
Humber had had a busy preseason. They had already been to Ottawa and Montreal and captured the Dawson Blues tournament, beating the Sheridan Bruins in the finals.
From the very start, the Hawks were unstoppable. Humber opened the season with a statement 20-point win over the Mohawk Mountaineers, a program with a good stretch of success that won the national championship in 2012 and the OCAA silver medal the following season.
Against the Sheridan Bruins, considered by many as the fiercest rivalry in the CCAA, Humber had won 'the Game' not once, but twice. By the end of the regular season, a dominant 17-1 record cemented Humber as the top contender for the OCAA crown.
Still, a path to glory is never straightforward and never guaranteed. The Hawks were stacked with many talented players who could have been the stars of any other squad in the country. However, having that much talent also brings its own set of challenges. Players had strong personalities, egos and academic issues — James DePoe, then assistant coach and current manager of North campus athletic facilities, said Humber went through it all.
"We had seven, eight guys who could have been the best player on any other team in the country. That starts to wear on a player," said Chad Bewley, one of the team's captains. "All these conditions come along with it, and it really stagnates the team."
In its playoff opener, Humber faced the Lambton Lions and found themselves down by 19 at one point. It was unbelievable to think their year could be over after a commanding regular season. But the Hawks clawed back, and Dickson's buzzer-beater sent the game to overtime, making the team believe again.
"I think we got really lucky," Bewley said. "The fact that we ended up being saved by Ty [Dickson] at the buzzer woke us up."
Bewley said that quarter-final game showed the team anything could happen, which ultimately translated to a better display in the semifinal game. The Hawks put on a clinical performance against the Fanshawe Falcons, cruising to an 80-62 victory to secure their spot in the OCAA finals.
However, destiny had another twist in store as they were set to face Mohawk again. The Mountaineers never trailed in the gold-medal game and the Hawks were outplayed, outworked and out of sorts.
The locker room afterward was a cauldron of emotions.
"There was shock, disbelief, anger, finger-pointing, blaming," DePoe recalled.
Bewley added that the disappointment ignited a storm of frustration and blame on a team packed with star players and strong personalities.
Despite the loss, the Hawks had still booked their ticket to the national championship just over a week away, but it was clear that something had to change if they wanted a different outcome. While the coaching staff is often tasked with rallying teams through tough times, DePoe credits the players for taking matters into their own hands after the provincial loss.
Bewley said the players held a meeting and confronted the truth: their differences had to be put aside if they wanted to return Humber basketball to national glory. That moment marked a turning point in the season.
Eduful said that during the meeting, Humber alumni and 2001 CCAA national champion Kingsley Hudson came in to deliver a speech to the team. Hudson emphasized that no matter if they were the fifteenth player on the bench or the one playing the most minutes, everybody had an important role to play.
"Whether your job is cheering, encouraging, scoring, or passing, you can only win if everybody's locked in and wants the same thing. That's what I got from that [speech]," Eduful said.
In a strange but poetic way, fate gave the Hawks a chance for redemption. The CCAA national championship was hosted in Hamilton at the Mountaineers' gym. Every step on the court came with a reminder of their provincial loss.
The night before the quarter-final, DePoe noticed how the players were laser-focused, dialled in like never before. Humber opened the national tournament against a challenging opponent, the defending national champions and fifth-ranked Langara Falcons, and DePoe knew exactly how to energize the team.
"He came to us before our first game," Bewley laughed. "'Langara is so good — the defending national champions. Look at that guy walking in with the ring on his finger. How do you feel about that? Shouldn't that be yours?'. Those words lit a fire in the players."
The Hawks dispatched Langara in the quarter-final and the top-seeded Holland Hurricanes in the semifinal, with Bewley being named the player of the game after a stellar 23-point performance.
By the time they reached the finals against No. 2 VIU Mariners, it seemed nothing would stand in their way.
Humber delivered a resilient performance to close out the championship. Bewley showcased his offensive brilliance with sharp passing and shooting, Dickson was flawless on the glass, Junior Davis provided a crucial spark in the third quarter to shift the momentum, and Vule Grujic's impressive performance earned him tournament MVP honours.
With Eduful receiving possession at half-court, the buzzer hit zero. What followed was pure joy. The players erupted onto the court, meeting in a chaotic embrace at the free-throw line. Smiles lit up their faces, and tears streamed down freely. In the right corner, DePoe could no longer hold back his emotions, tears rolling down his face as he hugged the coaching staff. For the first time in 14 years, Humber basketball climbed the CCAA mountaintop.
The crowd, a sea of blue and gold, celebrated. Hawks Nation had arrived in force, filling a bus to support their beloved team.
"Still probably top five feelings I've ever had in my life," Eduful said, his voice thick with emotion. "Hawks Nation brought a busload of people; we had an excellent support system."
For Bewley, the moment was less about excitement and more about relief. He remembered vividly telling the new players during the preseason that the team would win a national title.
"I remember looking at them and saying, 'Hey, listen, we're winning nationals this year. Either you want to be here to win with us or you go lose somewhere else, we're not coming up short," Bewley recalled.
DePoe had a full-circle moment that tied together his decade with the program. Celebrating on the court with Samson Downey, then an assistant coach and former varsity basketball player, had invited him to join the squad as team manager in 2003, which made the moment deeply personal.
"He [Downey] is the guy I went to high school with; he played at Humber and initially said to me to be the team manager. It was pretty special to be able to share [this moment] with him," DePoe said.
In sports, teams that achieve greatness are often remembered for their scoring records, championship rings and on-court performances. But the true legacy of this historic Humber squad lies beyond the four lines of the court. For them, it is about relationships created and maintained, lessons and bonds that have endured long after the final buzzer.
Bewley said Humber was a second chance. Coming off a challenging time at York University, where he struggled to find his best game, Humber completely changed the trajectory of his life. He found opportunities to earn his certifications and gain the experience that would shape his coaching career. He is now in his fourth year as the head coach of the Georgian Grizzlies men's basketball team.
"Humber has always gone above and beyond for me, and I don't think there's any way I'll ever be able to repay it," Bewley said. "My goal as a coach is to give all my players that same opportunity that Humber gave me. Humber will always be with me and have a special place in my heart."
While winning nationals was an unforgettable experience, Bewley said the most important takeaway is the lifelong connections he built with his teammates. For Eduful, those bonds are just as significant. He said the Hawks go beyond varsity programs, fostering a sense of family that stays with players for life. Eduful is now an assistant coach for the Humber women's basketball team and said he is happy to see the sport growing every year in Canada.
"You train with them [teammates], work out, help through school, go through so many ups and downs — it's unreal. It teaches you about brotherhood and family. And without that, you can't win," Eduful said.
DePoe said the 10-year celebration is not only about the championship but about the enduring connections the players have maintained. During that season, DePoe reminded the team of a quote from former Philadelphia Flyers head coach Fred Shero: "Win today, and we walk together forever."
"I want to see them as men, I want to meet their kids, I want to see what they've done with their lives; that's the most exciting part," DePoe said. "I'm really excited to bring them back and acknowledge them."
At the Hawks' Nest, the championship banner hanging in the rafters represents far more than the triumph of 21 men on the court. It stands as a testament to a brotherhood — a family that, like any other, faced its ups and downs but came together to fight for glory.
On Feb. 5, when the Hawks take on the Sheridan Bruins in their final game of the regular season, Hawks Nation will gather to honour that unforgettable season from a decade ago. A decade since Dickson's iconic putback. A decade of celebrating a bond that transcends basketball. One thing is clear: the 2014-15 Humber men's basketball team will always be remembered for their greatness and the family they became along the way.
