Gordon gives back to game of basketball

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This article was published 10/06/2025 (330 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been nearly 25 years since O’Neil Gordon arrived in Brandon and much like when he first stepped on the scene, you still can’t keep him out of the gym.

Perhaps the only difference: when he arrived in 2001 he had the ability to jump out of the gym.

While his vertical jump isn’t quite what it once was – he turns 45 next month – he’s still undeniably one of the best basketball players in the city.

His time here in the Wheat City started as part of strong Brandon University Bobcat teams that were perennial national contenders. Those days included trips to nationals, an all-Canadian selection, and plenty of jaw-dropping plays, he also continued to play significantly beyond his Bobcat days.

Gordon played professionally overseas and represented Canada internationally in three-on-three basketball, finishing as high as second in a World Cup event in Japan.

There hasn’t been much he hasn’t seen in a lifetime dedicated to the game, but here he is, now as a father and still unable to keep from moving, especially when you put a basketball in their hands.

It doesn’t hurt that five-year-old son Kyler is starting to love basketball as well.

“I call myself a basketball developer,” said Gordon.

To be honest, it’s hard to summarize what he does for the game. On top of serving the Bobcats as an assistant coach, he leads individual and group skills sessions at various gyms throughout the city and at all hours of the day.

It’s common to see Gordon leading 6 a.m. workouts, getting a mid-day run at the YMCA, and contributing to practices in the evening.

He also helped Dream Team to its first-ever Wheat City Men’s Basketball League title this past weekend. The team finished second in league standings before a come-from-behind 105-102 victory over Beez Kneez in the final.

Gordon’s speed, athleticism and ability to see plays develop are all still game-changers and was evidenced in Sunday’s final.

In an era where players often chase the Instagram-worthy, highlight-reel play rather than focus on controlling a game, Gordon still manages to do both.

His skills are still among the best in the league – he can slash and shoot, dribble and defend, and although not quite as high as when he first arrived in Brandon, he still jumps better than most.

He doesn’t even remember exactly where his athletic ability comes from, it’s just something that seemed to develop as an active kid that has served him well into his forties.

“It’s something I was blessed with I guess,” said Gordon.

“I was blessed to have an athletic family and as a kid I was always running, playing, doing things that used muscles I didn’t even know I had.”

He was small as a child however, so he quickly honed his guard skills that defined the rest of his playing career.

He was then blessed with a substantial growth spurt going in the middle of his high school days, sprouting to six-foot-three by the end of Grade 10. From then on, basketball clearly became his future.

He was recruited to Brandon University by then-coach Jerry Hemmings, and the rest is history.

What no one could have predicted is that well over two decades later he’d still be one of the best to play the game in this corner of the province.

But it’s more than that. It’s all the little things he contributes outside of the game that serve the biggest difference.

“He’s a guy that’s grown and matured so much, and adds so much to our program and the entire basketball scene here in Brandon,” said BU men’s basketball coach Gil Cheung.

“He’s grown into the great person he is now. He’s the first to admit his own faults, and he’d be the first to admit he doesn’t care about much else other than making positive contributions to student-athletes and young people in our community. He’s just that kind of guy.”

“He never asks for anything, he just shows up for them and shares what he can, which is a lot.”

It’s not a question of if Gordon will continue to give back to the game, but for how long and in what capacity.

He has no immediate plans other than to keep doing what he’s doing. If one of the youngsters can take some of his guidance and benefit, great. If not, you’ll know where to find him, on one of Brandon’s basketball courts and with a ball in his hands.

“It’s a way to give back to these kids. I didn’t have the information that they have. They have the information, but don’t always know how to use it,” Gordon said.

“Any kid that loves basketball, I’m going to be a fan and supporter to help them get where they hope to.”

The kid from Toronto will always consider Canada’s largest city his hometown, but Brandon is now very much Gordon’s new hometown.

“I’ll always be a Toronto guy until the day I die, but the second half of my life, I’m a Brandon guy.”

» mpackwood@brandonsun.com