The Athlete Institute is an athletic centre located in Mono, Ontario. It is made up of three facilities, the training centre, residence and the fieldhouse. The Institute is home to The Orangeville Prep Basketball Academy, who compete in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA).[1] Orangeville District Secondary School provides academic instruction for the institute's students. As well as home to By Design Learning Centre, CrossFit Orangeville, Purple Owl Pilates and Athlete Institute Football Club. (AIFC) It was formerly home to the Orangeville A's of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC).

Athlete Institute
Athlete Institute
Map
Location207321 Highway 9,
Mono, Ontario, Canada
L9W 6J2
Coordinates43°55′56″N 80°02′35″W / 43.93210°N 80.04312°W / 43.93210; -80.04312
OwnerJesse Tipping
OperatorJesse Tipping
OpenedSeptember 2010
Tenants
Orangeville A's (NBLC) (2015–2017)
Athlete Institute Prep (Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association) (2012–present)
Orangeville Prep (Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association) (2010–present)
Athlete Institute Red (Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association) (2018–present)
Athlete Institute Black (Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association) (2018–present)

History

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The institute was founded in September 2010 by colleagues Jesse Tipping and Adam Hoffman. Tipping followed the dreams of his father, James, who wanted to create the best basketball facility in Canada.[2] Tipping would later compete with the Brampton A's, an NBL Canada team owned by his family, which had grown rich through the trucking industry.[3] The A's relocated to Orangeville and claimed the Athlete Institute as their home arena.[4]

The Athlete Institute has received praise from several players, including local high school basketball player Jalen Poyser, who said, "I thought it was like an NBA facility when I got here."[3] The Toronto Star credited the institute for attracting top talent from around the world. The newspaper also considered Tipping as one of the "five most important people in Canadian basketball."[5]

In September 2014, the institute received significant exposure when highly touted 2016 NBA draft prospect Thon Maker joined the program; he went on to become the first high schooler to be taken in the first round of an NBA draft since 2005.[6]

Orangeville Prep

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Orangeville Prep is the national team at Athlete Institute. They compete in The Grind Session in addition as the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA). In the 2019-20 OSBA season, Orangeville Prep won the championship, and had a 19–0 record in the regular season.

The team and the school are the subject of the 2021 CBC Television documentary series Anyone's Game.[7]

2020-21 Orangeville Prep Roster
Number Position Name Height Grad Year Hometown Post-Secondary Commitment
0 PG Jalik Dunkley-Distant 6'3 2024 Stoney Creek, Ontario
1 PG Darius DeAveiro 5'11 2021 Ottawa, Ontario Valparaiso
2 SG Justice Gordon 6'4 2022 Milton, Ontario Wayne State
3 SF Khenyan Stirling 6'5 2022 Toronto, Ontario Toronto Metropolitan
4 PG Jefferson Monegro 6'4 2022 LaSalle, Quebec Western Michigan
5 SF Enoch Kalambay 6'7 2022 Gatineau, Quebec Tallahassee CC
6 G Wilson Dubinsky 6'2 2021 Ottawa, Ontario Seward County CC
8 SF Justin Chase 6'6 2023 Toronto, Ontario UNB
10 G Jahnai Dunkley-Distant 6'5 2024 Stoney Creek, Ontario
11 SF Majambu Mbikay 6'8 2022 Châteauguay, Quebec Florida Southwestern CC
12 G Aaron Aboonabi 6'2 2023 Guelph, Ontario
13 G Jayden Samarasekera 6'0 2023 Hong Kong
15 PF Rory Stewart 6'9 2022 London, United Kingdom Rhode Island
21 G Izan Rooke Mora 6'0 2024 Madrid, Spain
24 C Mustafo Vanjov 7'0 2022 Tajikistan Curry College
25 G Alberto Menendez 6'2 2022 Waterloo, Ontario
30 G Tristan Louka 6'1 2023 Richmond Hill, Ontario
33 G Jonathan Gaspard 5'11 2024 Nepean, Ontario
35 G Nishaan Singh 5'11 2025 Oakville, Ontario
- Head coach Tony McIntyre
- Assistant coach Olivier Jean-Charles
- Assistant coach John Sedore
- Assistant coach Koven Padayachee
- Strength & conditioning coach Tyler Schneider

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "About". AthleteInstitute.ca. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Staff Members". AthleteInstitute.ca. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b Friesen, Joe. "Ontario program aims to keep Canada's basketball talent at home". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  4. ^ "Pro basketball coming to Orangeville". The Orangeville Citizen. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Top five most important people in Canadian basketball". Toronto Star. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  6. ^ Biancardi, Paul (September 5, 2014). "Thon Maker heading to Canada". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  7. ^ Debra Yeo, "CBC's fall slate includes a series about an Orangeville basketball school". Toronto Star, May 27, 2020.
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