HAMILTON, Ontario — R.J. Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Shaedon Sharpe, Caleb Houstan. One thing that all of these names have in common is that they were all brought up by, and heavily developed by, one of basketball’s greatest minds: Dwayne Washington.

Washington is the head coach and founder of UPLAY Canada, an elite AAU basketball program committed to evolving the game of basketball in Southern Ontario. However, his journey didn’t start in Canada, but rather on the tough streets of the Bronx, New York.

Born and raised in New York City, Washington had high aspirations of one day going to college and playing professional basketball. Upon realizing that pro ball may not be in the picture, he instead chose to work hard on his studies and eventually earned a scholarship offer to play basketball for Houghton College, a competitive Division III school at the time.

Here he would go on to graduate in 1999, majoring in education and psychology, before moving on to acquire his master’s degree at Fredonia University. After studying for his master’s, Washington officially made the move up north, attended grad school at the University of Toronto, and found a home in Hamilton, Ontario, where he currently resides.

During his third year of study at Toronto, Washington saw the basketball potential booming in the area and officially formed UPLAY. The New York native spoke on why he believes Canada is such a “hotbed” for talent.

“I think what you’re seeing right now is the emergence of Canadian basketball and it’s not going away,” he said. “It’s actually getting stronger now, it’s getting stronger and it’s not going backwards. … The coaching is better; the skill sets are better. With recruiting on the internet, people can see stuff, everyone is exposed now. From Manitoba to Nova Scotia, and all over the place. So, really we’re not hidden anymore, the guys have confidence. They play AAU, they play high schoolers, other American high schools. What you have right now is a sleeping giant that’s awakened and across all the provinces you now have kids who know they can actually get to that higher level of basketball.”

Washington initially began working with CIA Bounce, another established AAU program in the GTA, before collaborating with major Canadian figures like Rowan Barrett, Roy Rana and Dave Smart (to name a few), all of whom have helped build up Southern Ontario into a powerhouse in Canadian basketball.

Since first establishing UPLAY Canada in August 2007, Dwayne and his staff have helped to create a world-class program for local youth athletes to take their games to the next level. Some of the biggest names to come out of the prestigious academy include Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Knicks’ R.J. Barrett, Michigan’s newest Wolverine, Caleb Houstan, and top-rated recruit for 2022, Shaedon Sharpe, as well as South Carolina’s A.J. Lawson, Alabama’s Charles Bediako and a variety of other Division I hoopers.

There’s no denying the impact and presence that Washington has with Canadian basketball, as more and more of his proteges seem to flood in and out of the NCAA every year. With even more UPLAY alumni taking the collegiate scene by storm, and some even starting to enter the NBA, Washington’s vision of creating a premium basketball institute in Canada has turned into a reality.

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