I was attending a high school game at Booth Memorial in the late 90's when I first saw Greg play in person They won handily (and Booth was a very good team that year) and I soon realized having a game changer on the court like Greg made a huge difference! Greg signed with MUN varsity spending 3 years at home before taking his to Wolfville, Nova Scotia where he spent his remaining two years at Acadia. Greg really enjoyed his senior year r Edz D the Axemen made it all the way to the semi finals of the AUS going out with style!
A. Introduction
My name is Greg Winter, I am from St. John’s and I attended Gonzaga High School graduating in 1997. I started to really fall in love with basketball when I was about 11 or 12 and by the time I hit grade 9, I had made an NLBA team and from then on, basketball was the only sport I ever wanted to play. Today, I coach youth basketball as my children enjoy playing and are just learning the game. I’ve just started small group basketball training for kids that love that game. I haven’t played in a few years, but I hope to play again in the fall, in some capacity.
2) What got me hooked on basketball?
I could point to a few things. First, it was my older brother’s favourite sport and he was a very good high school player, leading the city in scoring his senior year and playing on a few provincial teams as well. I suppose I developed a determination to be better than him.
Another factor was that when I was younger, one of the kids in the neighbourhood had his father build a custom adjustable basketball net. This was before you could just buy adjustable hoops at stores like Canadian Tire. It was the only adjustable outdoor rim in the city as far as we knew.
This hoop was amazing and it went inch by inch, from 8 feet to 10 feet with a breakaway rim - it was the first outdoor hoop I’d ever seen with a breakaway rim. We spent countless hours in his yard moving the net up and down and challenging each other to try and dunk just another inch higher. By the end of grade 9, I could dunk and I’m sure it was because of all the time in the backyard on Scott Kelly’s custom made basket. Scott’s father, Peter built that basket with his own hands, and it brought a lot of joy to a lot of kids.
Third, up until grade 8, I was like a lot of kids and I played baseball, tennis, soccer… whatever sport was happening at the time. But by then, basketball was my favourite. When I was 14, I randomly heard about a tryout for some under-15 team going to Halifax for a tournament. The tryout was at the old MUN gym, just up the street from where I lived. I dragged along a friend and we tried out. As unknown and unconnected player, I didn’t think the tryout was going but I was hooked.
A few fun facts about that particular provincial team; Doug Partridge is known for building an outstanding woman’s program at Memorial, but he was the coach of that U-15 provincial team. I still feel like he really gave me my first opportunity to try and grow as a player. I’m still thankful that he selected me to be on that team, even if I probably was the 11th or 12th man. The other cool thing about that team was that we had three guys that went to play hockey in the OHLand beyond - Cory Crocker, Brian Barker (by far the best player on that provincial team and could have played a high level of basketball if he chose to stick with it) and eventual Stanley Cup winner, Danny Cleary. (Aside: Brian Barker played in Deer Lake for Jim Feltham and with Saj Joseph! Feltam whose bad luck in losing Saj Joseph was offset by Brian Barker's OHL Barrie Colts being eliminated from the OHL playoffs. It was Brian who hit the final 3 pointer for the Lakers to win the 3A provincials vs St Francis of Carboner by 1. It was such an exciting game!!
3) Best Coach I Ever Had??
I think I had a lot of different coaches that were “the best” at something and all played a significant roll in my development as a person and a player, so I’ll mention a few:
a. My high school coaches, Peter Watkins and Greg O’Leary were two young guys that made basketball fun for us. At the time, all anyone at Gonzaga cared about was the hockey team. So our basketball team was an after thought for the faculty and staff - at least it felt that way We had very little support and aside from a few parents, the only people watching our home games were the kids coming out of detention while waiting to get picked up.
We were probably the best of the bad teams or the worst of the good teams, depending on how you looked at it. Peter and Greg were pretty young themselves but they coached the me from grade 9-12 and I formed a great friendship with them during that time, as they were always very supportive and gave a lot of time and effort for all the kids on the team. If they didn’t step forward to coach us, we might not have even had a team in some of those years. I’m still in touch with both of them and I’m grateful for having those guys in my life.
b. Glenn Taylor recruited me to play at Memorial and I played for him for three seasons. When I was in grade 11, he made it very clear that he wanted me to come to MUN and he’d often watch me play and offer advice. In a lot of ways, he was a bit of a father figure for some us but he could certainly be hard on us when things weren’t going well or he felt we weren’t living or playing to an expected standard. He really taught me that loyalty is a two way street. He also taught me that the level of effort and professionalism to be a university athlete was beyond anything I thought it would be. We are still in touch from time to time and while my time at MUN didn’t end the way I imagined it would, I’m happy to have had the opportunity to play for Glenn and to play with the teammates I had. Dave O’Keefe, Andrew Sinclair, Jeff Saxby, Bobby Cook, Jermaine Bruce, Loran Kielly and more. Glenn made that happen, I’m grateful for that experience and to have spent time with all those guys. All good players, all exceptional people.
c. After Glenn left Memorial, I didn’t feel the same way about the University or the basketball program, so I transferred to Acadia. The coach there, Dave Nutbrown, was appropriately nicknamed “Nutsy.” I knew of him from playing against Acadia and he was well known for standing on the sidelines and yelling at his players. I often wondered how anyone could play for him. However, upon arriving at Acadia and getting to know him away from the court, I realized that all he was ever trying to do was get the most out of you, as a player and a person.
In terms of understanding the game, I’ve never been around anyone like him. He understood so much about every player on every team we played against - scouting reports and game plans were extremely detailed. Our practices were intense and he definitely wasn’t easy to play for. A lot of the young guys on the team really struggled and I am sure that had I went to play for him out of high school, I wouldn’t have had the maturity to deal with the constant criticism. However part of me loved playing for him. All you had to do was listen, do what he asked and try your best every time you were on the court. If you did those three things, he’d always have your back - perhaps because I was a bit older when I transferred, I came to understand that pretty quickly. For me, his competitiveness was contagious. I never had to look at a stat sheet to know if I was playing well. If he left you on the floor, you were playing well. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and how he tried to coach the young men that played for him.
d. I had Ron Tobin as an assistant coach for one year and he always had a reputation as being a great player and tremendous competitor. I remember hearing him say on more than one occasion that “defence is played with both your heart and your mind.” No truer words have been spoken and I never forgot it.
4) High School Gym - see section 3c
5) Favourite teammates?
It is very hard to select three favourite teammates, as I have a lot of respect for most of the guys that I went to practice and battle with over the years, but I’ll point out a few that standout in my mind for different reasons:
Carl English and Peter Benoite
i am putting these two guys together because they had a “compete level” unlike anyone else I’ve ever been around - and that’s in everyday life and basketball. They had “Mamba Mentality” before there was Mamba Mentality.
I played with Carl for a few years on Canada Games and provincial teams. He was absolutely fearless and he really thought and believed he was the best player, no matter who else was in the gym. At the time, this used to drive me (and other teammates) crazy. He was a bit younger than us and we all thought he was just too full of himself. However, years later, I realized that what I thought was arrogance from a young guy, was really an unshakable self belief and determination that would turn Carl into the player who had a spectacular professional career.
Carl thought he was the best and he was determined to prove it to you. When I was 19 and he was 17, I still feel like I was a better player at the time… but I remember I wouldn’t play Carl in 1 on 1 whenever he asked me. “C’mon Slick, lets play,” he’d say. I always had an excuse not to play him. I’m ashamed to admit it (but at least I can admit it) , but I was scared of losing to him. My ego couldn’t handle it at the time. This seems absurd to me now. If I could do it all over again, I would have tried to match his competitive nature and I would have played him over and over again, no matter what the outcome. That’s how you get better. You go out there, check the ball and you compete. Over and over again. I tell my kids this story all the time, not because I want them to think less of me, but because I don’t want them to be afraid to lose. Obviously, Carl was never scared to lose - and that’s how he became the Carl English we all cheered for years later.
Peter was just coming off making CIS First Team All Canadian when I was starting my freshman year at Memorial. I was recruited by other AUS schools as well as some schools from outside of Atlantic Canada - but I chose Memorial mainly because Peter was there, and I wanted to play him everyday in practice. Similar to the Carl English experience, a major regret that I have as a player is that I wasn’t able to raise my "compete level "to match Peter’s. I worked hard, I busted my ass but it wasn’t enough - day in and day out, he kicked my ass mentally and physically in practice. I went to MUN thinking that Peter was going to be a mentor for me, a friend and by the third week of practice, I was regretting my decision to go to MUN and dreading every practice as I knew an ass whipping was waiting for me.
I’d try and talk myself into battling him harder but one harsh word from Peter or one elbow in the guts and I’d just back down again. If I could talk to my younger self I’d say, “Don’t back down. It doesn’t matter that he is one of the best players in the country - battle harder and earn his respect.” These are the lessons I learned (albeit too late, at least from a basketball standpoint) from Carl English and Peter Benoite. I’m still in touch with both of them from time to time ,and consider them both friends. Obviously, I have tremendous respect and admiration for all they have accomplished in their careers. I am and was competitive. I worked as hard as anyone once we got between the lines on the court - but if you want to truly be great, you need to have a mentality that very few have. Peter and Carl were the only two teammates I ever had there always dying to compete and get better.
b. While Peter Benoite didn’t turn out to be the mentor I had wanted (I blame myself partially for that), John Coaker really took me under his wing and he and I become close my first two years at MUN. John was our starting point guard and he was quick and played really hard. He was an excellent teammate and I admired that he never treated me like a “rookie.” He knew how to lead and how to bring the guys together. He definitely stands out in my mind as a favourite. My second year, Bobby Cook walked on as a transfer from Queens and those two guys were like older brothers to me.
c. Mathew Chapman and I entered MUN the same year, and then we left the team at the same time, both of us transferring to Acadia to finish our university careers. This is a little ironic in retrospect because we weren’t very close at MUN and at times, I think we had a genuine dislike for each other. But eventually, we got on the same page and at Acadia, he was as good a friend and teammate as anyone could ever ask for. He also happens to be one of the best players I’ve ever played with or against. Chappy is 6’7 but played like he was 7’0. Half way through our third year, he was leading the country in scoring and rebounding and absolutely dominating every game we played. He started his career as a skinny guy that was almost too fragile to get on the floor. He finished his career as an unstoppable scorer, rebounder and shot blocker and great teammate. I value the time we spent together on and off the the court and I still value his friendship today.
d. Saj Joseph is another guy that probably believed in himself more than anyone else did early on. We started playing together on provincial teams when we were 14 and a year later we were co-captains on the Newfoundland Under-15 team that won the 1994 Eastern Canadian Championships (I’m not sure NL ever won it again).
Saj was small and quick and could really shoot the ball. I think it was easy to take him for granted when playing against him because of his small stature. However, after he drained a few deep shots or blew past you, you’d quickly realize you were in for a long game if you didn’t take him seriously. That said, because of his lack of size, I don’t think many thought he’d be much of a player outside of high school (I wasn’t one of those people)! He chose to go to Acadia out of high school and barely played at all as a freshman. Clearly, he didn’t believe his critics because he worked extremely hard and by his senior year, he developed into one of the top point guards in the AUS and set a great example as a leader and a teammate.
The year I transferred, we got to practice together everyday as I had to sit out as a “red shirt.” I wish we had had the opportunity to be teammates at the University level, because I believe we could have accomplished great things together.
e. Dion Langdon and I started playing together on NLBA teams when we were 16 and were teammates for three years at MUN. I’m pretty sure we were roommates on most of our road trips and while we bickered like an old married couple, we were and are still good friends. As a player Dion could jump out of the gym and I’ll never forget being in Winnipeg for Christmas tournament. Dion entered the tournament dunk contest and brought three thousand people to their feet with a few windmill dunks that would score high points in any NBA dunk contest at the time.
f. I took Erik Wynter’s starting position when I transferred to Acadia. Erik never said a word about it. We battled everyday in practice - he was an excellent on the ball, shutdown, type of defender and would do anything he had to do to make our team better. His stat line rarely looked impressive, but his contributions to our team every day were extremely valuable. Erik Wynter was a true example of a great teammate.
6) Highest scoring games?
I scored 49 against Booth Memorial against my good buddy Dion Langdon. I remember that game because I wasn’t feeling well and considered sitting out. We had a solid lead with about 9-10 minutes left and I came out of the game because we were in a tournament and had to play again that same evening. Had I known how many points I had, I would have asked to stay in to see if I could get close to the provincial record (I believe it was 71 by Shane Butland at the time, but I’m pretty sure Carl English broke that a few times).
My University high was 32, which I think I accomplished twice. Once against UPEI and once against Lethbridge when we played them in a tournament at the University of Alberta. That game stands out more sobecause at the time, they were ranked in the Top 10 and we played a great game and were able to pull off an upset. Over the course of 5 years Greg averaged 10 points per game for a total of 907. The most points he scored in a season was 299!
7) I played on NLBA teams from the ages of 14-19, completing in the 1997 Canada Games.
8) I have so many memories from my time as a player. I’ll point out a few that still stand out:
a. I hit game winning shots or free throws at or near the buzzer against McGill, Dalhousie, UCB and Bishops. Each one of those moments are very memorable and I’m proud of them. Not everyone wants to take the last shot.
b. I also missed game winning shots against against UCB and UNB (this one was in the playoffs and it was a deep three, and I thought it was going in when it left my hand. It hit back rim and spun out - it would be the last shot I ever took in a MUN uniform).
c. My senior year at Acadia, St. FX were the two-time defending National Champions and hadn’t lost a game on their own court in over two or three years. During that time, they were 35-0 (or something like that) - but we beat them in the finals of their own pre-season tournament and I was named to the tourney all-star team. It was a great team win - perhaps my favourite as a University player.
9) Where have I travelled for basketball?
I’ve played in every province in Canada with the exception of Saskatchewan. While in Grad School at the University of Victoria, I played in a mens league and had the pleasure of playing on a team with Eli Pasquale. Eli was a former captain of Canada’s national team and the best point guard I had ever played with. In his forties at the time, all I had to do was run to a spot and he’d pass it to me for an easy bucket. I also lived in New York City from 2009-2012 and played in some really good men’s leagues and tournaments during that time.
10) The most difficult player I ever had to guard?
I took a lot of pride in being a strong defender. I loved to compete on the defensive end I won the defensive player of the year as a senior at Acadia - something I’m very proud of. I always wanted the challenge of guarding the other team’s best guard. With that said, Peter Benoite is by far, the toughest player to guard. Peter is four years older than me, and we were teammates for one year - so I never had to guard him in a university game. However, I had to guard him in practice and I have had countless matchups with him in men’s leagues and men’s tournaments over the years. A lot of times, when he’d catch the ball, I was so familiar with his game, I knew exactly what he was going do and I still couldn’t stop him. He had a really quick first step and an explosive pull up jumper, especially going to his right hand. And if you didn’t get up tight with a hand up on the three point line, the ball would be in the hoop before you could blink. Playing against Peter was always a physical and mental battle.
The other player that comes to mind as a matchup nightmare for me was Jonah Tessung was an All-Canadian and National Champion as a player for Saint Mary’s. Today, Jonah is the Saint Mary’s head coach. As a player, Jonah was tough to guard, not only because he could score himself but because he also made everyone else around him better. He controlled the game and it didn’t matter how physical you got defending him, it seemed like he was never rattled and he never got tired. And if he was guarding me, I had to take extra special care of the ball because he had such a long reach and quick hands. “Crafty” is an understatement when describing Jonah’s game. I still remember a crushing double over-time loss to Saint Mary’s in the Old MUN gym where Jonah and I guarded each other for the full 50 minutes. Honourable mentions to Jordan Croucher and Fred Perry of St. FX - those guys were where so good!
I11) The best advice I can give to anybody that wants to be a good plater - “Play as much as you possibly can. Be a gym rat. Let go of your ego and play anyone and f everyone, and most importantly, never be afraid to lose.” For a better understanding of this, reread the section on Peter Benoite and Carl English.
12) Just for fun, Greg, who is your favourite NBA team and player?
Favourite Player/Team
Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls
Demare Derozan - current
I would like to thank Greg for taking the time to answer my questions and reminisce about his basketball days. These articles are not designed to create conflict but are simply written to allow the reader an inside look at their favorite NL basketball days and what they are up to now. I love the writing, the discussing and the dreaming! Thanks again Mr. Winter!
Comments