A Dream Comes True
Tim Kendrick and other basketball leaders in the Maritimes came up with the idea for a professional league in the region about 15 years ago. These days, the congenial Nova Scotian is smiling because the Eastern Canadian Basketball League is just two months from its opening tip-off. And Kendrick is the league’s first president.
“I still have my notes from our first discussions and to see how far we have come is a dream come true,” Kendrick says. “I still don’t think most people realize what we want to do for the Maritimes,” he notes. “We want to help basketball grow while giving opportunities for Maritimers, who want to play, coach and work at a professional level.”
The Moncton Motion, Saint John Union, Bathurst Bears, Charlottetown Power, Summerside Slam, Truro Tide and Valley Vipers will open the league’s inaugural season in late March. Rosters are currently under construction and player signings will begin in early February.
The league is committed to helping Canadian players compete at a professional level. All rosters will feature six Canadian players and six internationals. Two of the six Canadians will have to be from the Maritimes or have played in Atlantic University Sport or the Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association.
Kendrick also serves as head coach of the first-place Holland College Hurricanes in the ACAA. He has also coached the University of Prince Edward Panthers in the AUS for six years and was coach of the Horton High Griffins in Wolfville, Nova Scotia for 22 years.
“What makes me the happiest is knowing our Maritime kids are going to have a chance to play professionally,” Kendrick says. “I see kids play at the university and college level then they are done when they are just 22 or 24 years-old,” he adds. “We want them to know this league is here for them. It’s going to be a high-level league and Maritime players are going to be a big part of it.”
In 1984, Papa Johns Pizza started in the small town of Jeffersonville, Indiana, and its popularity has spread all the way to Atlantic Canada. Today, Papa Johns boasts over 3,600 restaurants and can be found in more than 35 international markets outside of the USA. In Atlantic Canada, we opened our first Papa Johns franchise in Moncton, operating under the name of PJ Atlantic Restaurants Ltd. in 2009.
This was the first of many Papa Johns restaurants to be opening over the next few years to serve the Maritime provinces. We now have a dozen restaurants in the following areas:
639 Mountain Rd., Moncton
555 Dieppe Blvd., Dieppe
20 Plaza Ave., Saint John
528 Smythe St., Fredericton
133 McAllister Dr. Saint John
19 Babineau Ave., Charlottetown
1909 Mountain Rd., Moncton
269 Main St., Fredericton
94 Hampton Rd., Rothesay
540 Pinewood Rd., Riverview
961 Bedford Highway, Bedford
644 Portland St., Dartmouth
We believe in our brand’s heritage and commitment to quality. We believe that better ingredients really do make a better pizza.