Media Release
May 25, 2026
This weekend, May 29-31, Ottawa welcomes 116 basketball teams from across Ontario. They are coming to the Capital to compete in under-17 boys and under-19 men’s Ontario Cup basketball tournaments. These championship provincial tournaments will be played in 16 divisions across nine Ottawa locations.
The NBA is coming to Ottawa this weekend, too, as represented by its Referee Scouting Leader, Diana DePaul. She will be attending Ontario Cup basketball games that are serving as a national training camp for Canadian basketball officials. In partnership with the Ontario Cup, the Ottawa Valley Board of Approved Basketball Officials (OVBABO) have organized the “Capital Elite Officials’ Camp”. It has attracted 52 up-and-coming referees from across Canada, who will officiate top level Ontario Cup games.
In post-game meetings with officials, Diana DePaul will share her knowledge of the development pathway that can lead to opportunities for officials at basketball’s highest levels.
Up-and-coming referees will be mentored by senior Referee Coaches, including Ottawa’s Nadine Crowley and John McFarland, the Canadian Basketball Officials’ National Education Vice Chair.
Eric Jordan, the Ottawa-based Provincial Supervisor of Officials’ development for the Ontario Association of Basketball Officials, says: “this Ottawa camp attracted the interest of the NBA because it brings together all major basketball partners. Ottawa officials are collaborating with: Canada Basketball, the Officials Commission of Canada, Ontario Basketball, Ontario Associate of Basketball Officials and Women in Basketball Officiating.”
Ontario Cup Games
The U17 boys divisions one and two will be played at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation centre at Algonquin College.
The U19 men’s divisions one, two and three will be played at Carleton University, both in the Raven’s Nest and the Norm Fenn gym. The Carleton’s men’s basketball team is fresh off a National Championship win, so having access to their premium facilities not only helps to celebrate basketball’s success in Ottawa, but also shows the growth of the Ontario Cup tournaments.
The 3-day tournament by Ontario Basketball is hosted by the Eastern Ontario Basketball, organized by Ottawa Basketball Network and proudly sponsored by Ottawa Tourism.
For the U17 boys, the tournament will begin at 4:30 p.m. for divisions one through seven. Division 10 will begin at 6:15 p.m. on Friday and divisions eight and nine will begin on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Full schedules can be found here.
For the U19 boys, the tournament will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Friday for divisions one through five. Division six will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Full schedules can be found here.
In January, the Ottawa Sport Council, the Ottawa Basketball Network, and Ottawa Tourism released a Business Case Study on how to improve the city’s capacity to host basketball events. Developed by the Greater, a Toronto consultancy, the Ottawa Basketball Sport Hosting Improvement Business Case recommends infrastructure expansion to align capacity with rising demand for more dedicated indoor gym space.
Last year, Ottawa saw an economic impact of $2,132,268 from this weekend alone. It brought 1,428 players and 357 coaches to the Capital, using 547 hotel rooms.
Merchandise and the iconic Ontario Cup sweaters will be available for purchase at Carleton and Algonquin beginning on Saturday. Please join Ottawa Basketball Network, the Eastern Ontario Basketball Association and Ottawa Tourism, and come to a game this weekend.
For more information or media inquiries, please contact either:
Farrah Philpot, Ontario Cup Communications Liaison – farrah.123@icloud.com
To discuss Diana DePaul’s potential media availability, Friday, May 29, 11:30am to 12:30pm, at Carleton’s Raven’s Nest, contact Eric Jordan, (613) 410-3915
Lily Tran, Tournament Director – theneighborhoodhoop@gmail.com