Mark Wacyk's first order of business is to make the BlackJacks the hub of Ottawa's thriving basketball community.
Wacyk was named the new team president of the Canadian Elite Basketball League club on Thursday morning and Leo B. Doyle was also introduced as the BlackJacks' new community advisor. Wacyk has deep ties in Ottawa's business and basketball communities and he's spent the past week reaching out to old connections.
"My first goal here is just to ensure that everyone understands what we're doing here and that they're welcome, that their ideas are welcome, their participation is welcome," said Wacyk in a phone interview with The Canadian Press. "Really just ensuring that the community knows that the BlackJacks are going to spend time in the community, and we're going to ensure that everyone has some say in how this franchise is run.
"There's a lot of good basketball people here, both on the administrative side and the technical side in basketball."
Wacyk has over 35 years of entrepreneurial experience across several industries, including sports, technology, high-net-worth finance, transportation, and biopharmaceuticals,
He's also played basketball his entire life, including for the University of Ottawa. He went on to be an assistant coach for the Gee-Gees, helping them win the Wilson Cup championship in 1993.
He later founded the Garnet and Grey 6th Man Club, a basketball alumni chapter, and has volunteered as a basketball coach with Ottawa-area club teams the Guardsmen and Shooting Stars.
"The Ottawa basketball community here is super passionate," said Wacyk, noting that James Naismith, the creator of basketball, was from nearby Almonte, Ont. "It's super loyal, and it's a really sophisticated basketball community.
"I have a number of people and relationships that I've had over the years that I'm rekindling."
The CEBL was founded in 2017 with six teams and began play in 2019. Ottawa was the league's first expansion team, added in 2019. There are now 10 teams across Canada, with an Eastern and Western Conference.
The BlackJacks finished third in the East with a 9-11 record this summer then beat the Scarborough Shooting Stars 90-73 in the play-in on Aug. 2 before losing to the Niagara River Lions 94-91 in the East semifinal on Aug. 4.
Wacyk believes that having a Canadian professional basketball league that's affiliated with FIBA, the world's governing body for the sport, is healthy for the game in Canada. Especially because it means children can watch professional basketball in person.
"They can come to a local place where what they experience is an NBA-calibre fan experience," said Wacyk. "They can look up to people, to Canadians, that have gone through the same breeding in the game at the local level that they have and they can aspire to follow in their footsteps.
"I think the fact that we have a professional basketball league here that's focused on Canadians is really going to help folks that are becoming basketball people."
Doyle will assist in expanding the team’s community portfolio, connecting with key local figures to support local clubs and organizations. Doyle serves as the chair of Eastern Ontario Basketball and is the founder of the Ottawa Basketball Network, an advocacy group focused on promoting basketball and ensuring equitable access to opportunities that facilitate youth and community development.
"National excellence in basketball is an Ottawa tradition. It stretches back over 130 years," said Doyle in a statement. "Under Mark Wacyk’s leadership, I know that the BlackJacks will continue to grow, and to become a central part of Ottawa’s tradition of basketball excellence."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
