It’s been 40 years since Dawson College began its annual Fall Classic basketball tournament and since then, it’s become a main attraction for top-tiered teams in Quebec, Cégeps teams and Ontario colleges, where the top four teams from each province face off in an exhibition tournament.
While the tournament doesn’t count for much, it’s an opportunity for each team to gauge how well they measure up against other teams.
Joe Tyrrell has been involved with the tournament since its early years – first as a player, then as a coach and now as an organizer.
More often than not, he’s seen the winner of the Fall Classic go on to do well in the national tournament in March.
For Tyrrell, seeing the tournament still thriving makes it all the more worth it to keep helping with the organization.
“It gives me a bit of satisfaction to see the tournament progress at the level where it’s at right now and see the teams from across the country still willing to come,” he said.
Dawson College has long been considered one of Montreal’s premier schools for basketball.
The program sent a few players to the NCAA such as Ryan Razsnaki, Kyle Desmarais and Adrian Sapp.
Dawson College was also the home of NBA player Joel Anthony.
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On Sunday, Dawson College didn’t make it to the finals of the tournament it hosted.
Instead, Montmorency College defended its title against Sheridan College from Ontario where the athletes tend to be a little older than Cégep students.
The game was close throughout but in the end, Montmorency College pulled ahead with a 76-70 victory.
According to Dawson College athletic coordinator Gavin Sealy, Quebec schools are strong this year.
Regardless of who won the Fall Classic, basketball in Quebec got to prove itself against its powerful neighbour.
“Montreal really looks forward to these events because Montreal has very limited basketball high-calibre tournaments like this,” Sealy said.