TORONTO, Ont. (April 3, 2023) – It is with deep sadness that Canada Basketball announces the passing of Olympian and former national team member, Greg Francis. 

Born and raised in Toronto, Ont., Francis attended Oakwood Collegiate Institute, where he captured three OFSAA triple-A medals; gold (1993), silver (1990), and bronze (1989). In his final year of high school, he led Team Ontario to a silver medal performance at the 1993 Canada Summer Games in Kamloops, B.C.

Upon graduating, Francis attended Fairfield University (NCAA), recording a career 1,570 points in his four-years – fifth-all time in program history. During his senior year, he led the Stags to a 1994 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship title, earning tournament MVP honours in the process. 

On the world stage, Francis was a key member of the national team during the 90’s and 00’s, competing for Canada at both the 1998 FIBA Men’s World Championship and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Following his playing career Francis transitioned into coaching, serving as men’s basketball head coach for the University of Alberta Golden Bears (2009-12), University of Waterloo Warriors (2013-15), and the Ontario Tech University Ridgebacks (2019-22). In 2012, Francis led the Alberta Golden Bears to a Canada West title, with their season culminating in a CIS national silver medal.

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In 2015, Francis was appointed as the Manager of Men’s High Performance at Canada Basketball.

In his three-years with the national sport organization, he provided technical leadership to the men’s high performance department’s Performance Pathway (Gold Medal Profile project), as well as National Team (NT) and Targeted Athlete Strategy (TAS) programs. During his tenure, Canada captured gold at the 2017 FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup – the best-ever result for the men’s basketball program at a FIBA tournament.

Supporting the launch of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), Francis was the first Head of Basketball of the CEBL, and helped lead the league’s first-ever player showcase in 2018.

Most recently, Francis was appointed as the Director of Sport Development for the Ontario Basketball Association, where he provided leadership, strategic direction and support for all high performance programs, youth development, and coach education training throughout Ontario.

Greg’s dedication to basketball was unwavering. His passion for the game, leadership, community building, and coaching made him an inspiration and a friend to many.

Canada Basketball would like to extend our deepest condolences to Greg’s family, including his daughter Lilia. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.

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