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The basketball community will come together Saturday at the Richmond Olympic Oval to celebrate the life of a husband, father, teammate, coach and friend who touched the lives of so many.
The second annual John Dumont 3-on-3 Classic will once again see a full schedule of teams playing in a wide range of divisions — from adult to youth.
A busy day on the courts and in the Oval courtyard, for a beer garden and barbecue, will be followed by an after party at Ceil’s. All of the event’s proceeds will go to a trust fund established for his family — wife Trixie and sons Jack, Hunter and Cole.
It was in September of last year when the former Vancouver College and UBC star lost a year-long battle with a rare and aggressive nasal cancer known Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma. He was just 41.
Just weeks earlier the inaugural John Dumont Classic was held at Vancouver College and the response was immense with over 200 participants and an estimated 800 attendance. Many were names prominent in B.C. basketball for the past 25 years including two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash who went out of his way to attend the event and address the large crowd about his former U19 provincial teammate.
“There were a number of players out there and people watching that we used to compete against,” Gerald Cole, Dumont’s life-long friend and teammate told the Vancouver Courier. “The basketball community in Vancouver is pretty small and there’s a lot of respect that everyone has for one another. For everyone to come out was a huge sign of respect and support.”
With construction making Vancouver College unavailable it was initially thought this year’s tournament would have to be put on hold. Instead, it has shifted to the Oval thanks to the efforts of Richmond’s own Pasha Bains who operates his DRIVE Academy at the venue.
“With the construction going on, we didn’t think we could go ahead with it until Pasha used his relationship with the Oval. It’s really only been the last month or so that it has all come together and again the response has been impressive,” said Jeff Joseph, one of the event’s organizers and Dumont’s brother-in-law. “It looks like it will be at the Oval again next year as well before we can return (to Vancouver College).”
John’s wife Trixie Cruz-Dumont enjoyed an outstanding high school career at Richmond High, helping the Colts win a pair of provincial titles before moving onto play for UBC. Now their sons are making a name for themselves in the high school ranks.
Jack Cruz-Dumont helped the Fighting Irish win the Lower Mainland AAAA title last spring and will be one of the top Grade 12 players in the province this coming season.
His younger brothers Hunter and Cole will be entering Grades 10 and 8 respectively.
The Dumont Classic gets underway at 10 a.m. with youth division games and concludes with the adult division final at 4 p.m.
COMMUNITY
