For years, teams from across the province would attend the Golden Hoop high-school basketball tournaments in Sudbury. Truth be told, they were not about to come across a more gracious event organizer than Doug MacKay.

“I am probably the best tournament host ever because we never won my own tournament,” said the 76 year-old retired teacher, coach and sports administrator with a laugh.

In fact, by his account, the man who helped guide primarily midget and junior teams at both Garson-Falconbridge Secondary School and Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School for a period running from roughly 1971 to 2008 or so, also wasn’t stacking the trophy-case as an athlete, dating back to his younger days, growing up in Orillia.

“I was probably about the worst athlete in the family,” suggested the youngest of the four boys in the clan, the eldest (Angus) heading off to play just a little football at Queen’s University before a knee injury – or, more precisely, a string of knee injuries - sent him to the sidelines.

While curling and baseball and golf were all thrown into the MacKay sporting mix at various times, not usually with great success, football did enjoy more of a special place in the life of the young man who grew up quite literally right across the street from the local high-school.

“I curled in grade nine but didn’t like it too much,” said MacKay. “Actually, it’s like golf – I like it, but it doesn’t like me.”

As for the lure of the gridiron, it didn’t hurt that with a ten year age gap between he and Angus, young Douglas was privy to the excitement that could be created at a time when the secondary school sports scene in Orillia was as alive and vibrant as anywhere in the province.

“I remember my older brother playing football because the games were packed,” recalled MacKay. “He was a really good player. I got injured in high-school and once I got hurt, I kind of lost my edge. After that, I was a lot more cautious. Before that, I would tackle anybody.”

Thankfully, basketball awaited, albeit not as a player.

“There were no youth leagues or elementary league basketball back then,” stated MacKay. “At high-school, I didn’t even think of playing basketball – but I don’t know why.”

But as a coach, even as early as his own senior high-school years, the sports-minded teen was a natural, first taking on the grade nine team at Orillia District Secondary School as they competed in a makeshift in-house city league. By the time he completed his undergraduate degree from

“I think I applied to Teachers College because I really wanted to coach,” said MacKay. “And in those days, most people never even played basketball until they got to high-school.”

A job fair hosted at the Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto would bring the young educator to Sudbury, beginning a six year stretch at GFSS in the early seventies. “I remember my first game against Lasalle, I had our midget team and I thought that was at least their junior team out on the floor,” he offered with a smile.

“We got properly whomped.”

In his first year, his crew recorded a single solitary win – while also dropping an exhibition game against a middle-school opponent. The next year was similar. But by year three, MacKay was getting some buy-in.

“I practiced every night and on weekends – and then we added some morning practices,” he siad. “That was my philosophy.”

Well, that, and assembling a team that at times resembled a track squad, darting all over the floor.

“We became a (full court) press team, all game long,” he explained. “I didn’t care what the score was – up fifty or down fifty, you press. I got them conditioned to that. By the end of the year, we were good.”

If that sounds a tad unsportsmanlike, it should be noted that, especially in the early days, when numbers were large, MacKay would run a 15-player roster at intervals of roughly three minutes each. While the constant pressure may have caused opponents headaches, the score was not about to become preposterous with his third unit on the floor.

If his calling card as a coach was the press, his administrative calling card became the Golden Hoop tournament. At one time, Lo-Ellen Park would play host to midget, junior and senior divisions on three consecutive weekends, with MacKay sure to be in the gym from midday on Friday right through until late Sunday afternoon.

The side benefits, for his teams, were a boatload of games.

“Once you start up a tournament, you make more and more contacts,” said MacKay. “I would get a lot of exhibition games; we would play anybody. Before our first (regular season) game, I wanted to have 10 to 15 practices and at least a couple of exhibition games.”

Not surprisingly, tournament invitations ensued, with his Knights often partaking in out of town treks – which also provided the coach/administrator a chance to garner even more knowledge along the way.

“I modelled some of my tournaments off the Timmins High Tournament,” said MacKay. “The Timmins High gym was a shrine to basketball.”

Over the years, the same could be said for Lo-Ellen – though Doug MacKay ensured, not by design, that the home of the Knights was not about to be filled with tournament championship banners - at least not from his own tournaments.