To most Canadian athletes, the opportunity to play collegiate sports in their home country is merely a consolation prize.
It's something they'll settle for. Something they can still be proud of if they don't achieve their "real" goal. For some, the OUA is typecast as being the "minor leagues".
That's the hierarchy of post-secondary basketball. It's America or bust, because athletes assume that the greatest opportunities reside below the border.
In reality, the OUA is far more than a backup choice. It's a legitimate and competitive league with athletes who possess talent comparable to that of Division I players.
Javier Gilgeous-Glasgow discovered that for himself last season. He transferred from the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's basketball team to pursue a Division I opportunity at Troy University.
A year later, he's back in Ontario wearing a Bold jersey.
In Gilgeous-Glasgow's eyes, that's not the only thing that's the same.
"I've played Division I and I've played [in the OUA]; there was no difference…the [Division I] facilities are bigger, the schools are paying more players, and the travel is a little different. But skill-wise, it's all the same basketball."
The six-foot-two guard originally joined the Bold for the 2024-25 season, fresh off two years of playing for the NJCAA's Howard College Hawks in Texas.
When considering his options in Canada, one stood out above the rest:
"I knew if I came to play in the OUA, I would only play for one team: TMU."
His connection with TMU Head Coach
David DeAveiro was what made the decision an easy one. The two have known one another since Gilgeous-Glasgow was 14 years old.
"The first time I met Coach Dave was at [Canada Basketball's] Junior Academy," Gilgeous-Glasgow explained. "He was one of the coaches for the Junior Academy, [which trains] the upcoming grade seven and eight students in the country."
"His son, Darius, just so happens to be one of my best friends," he added. "I played with him probably from grade seven up until my fifth year of high school…I have a lot of connections to those guys; they're like family."
The Ancaster native was also coached by Bold Assistant
Jeremie Kayeye during his national championship run with the Team Ontario U15 team in 2018.
Given these connections, Gilgeous-Glasgow reached out to DeAveiro about joining the Bold when he returned to Canada from Howard in the summer of 2024.
"He's a talented young guy, so it was easy for us to add him to our roster," said DeAveiro.
In his first season with TMU, the guard made an immediate impact. He led the team in assists per game with 4.6, and ranked second in points per game with 12.5, trailing only the OUA Player of the Year in
Aaron Rhooms.
"Javier has the ability to create his own shot; not a lot of people can do that…he's really confident in who he is," praised DeAveiro.
The team made it deep into the 2025 playoffs, fueled by a 20-point, six-assist, and three-steal performance from Gilgeous-Glasgow in the quarterfinals against the University of Western Mustangs.
The semifinals were another story, though. The Bold fell 89-56 to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, failing to qualify for the U SPORTS Final 8 national tournament. That summer, Gilgeous-Glasgow took the leap to Division I and announced his transfer to Troy.
Despite redshirting the 2025-26 season, the guard thoroughly enjoyed his time with the Trojans:
"Troy was an amazing experience with some amazing guys that will probably be my brothers for life."
"The coaches taught me how to appreciate the game of basketball over there," he added. "Our motto was, 'Take the stairs.' Anytime we're in a hotel, and our floor is the eighth floor, you've got to take the stairs to get there. To get to the arena, you've got to take the stairs. So, it was a lot of hard work."
The Trojans ended up winning the Sun Belt Conference championship and eared a bid into NCAA Division I's famous March Madness tournament. Although they fell in the first round, it was an experience that Gilgeous-Glasgow will never forget:
"That was probably the best experience of my life, and the loudest arena I've ever played in my life," said Gilgeous-Glasgow. "We lost, but it was a good learning curve."
While Gilgeous-Glasgow was having success in America, the Bold did just the same back in Ontario. Led by a second-straight OUA Player of the Year season from Rhooms, the squad won the OUA's Wilson Cup championship and placed fourth in the U SPORTS Final 8 national tournament.
The separation was seemingly mutually beneficial for both Gilgeous-Glasgow and TMU: one side got to play in March Madness, while the other won a conference championship. Considering the peaceful split, most would assume Gilgeous-Glasgow would stay with the Trojans for the 2026-27 season–especially now that he could play rather than redshirting.
But instead, he chose to return to the Bold. The reason why? Because TMU "felt like family".
"It felt like I didn't really leave," Gilgeous-Glasgow explained. "I was still talking to most of the guys from the team last year; I was FaceTiming them daily. When they won the [Wilson Cup], I called all of them in the locker room–they were ecstatic."
"I just wanted to come back home," he added. "It felt like I never left."
That strong team chemistry, combined with his pre-existing relationships with coaches DeAveiro and Kayeye, gave the Bold the edge in Gilgeous-Glasgow's decision.
"I want to say around July, I had a talk with Coach Dave. He explained what it was going to be like coming back," said Gilgeous-Glasgow. "I agreed to the terms…all he told me was to play hard and play defence. That's easy."
Another reason for the return was to earn redemption for the 2025 semifinals loss to Ottawa:
"I felt like I left a lot on the table in that 2024-25 season, and I want to prove everyone wrong this year…I want to emerge as one of the best players in the OUA."
Unlike the assumption of most Canadian athletes, Gilgeous-Glasgow doesn't feel like the OUA is a tier down from Division I play. In fact, he considers the talent levels even in both leagues.
"The talent level in the OUA is second-to-none, honestly," Gilgeous-Glasgow praised.
Coach DeAveiro, who has experience coaching professionally in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, held similar praise for the talent level in Canada:
"I think there are a number of teams in the OUA who have proven that they can compete with Division I schools," said DeAveiro. "The coaching in our conference is outstanding, so there are really no easy games."
The Bold backed up that claim in their very first preseason game of the year, defeating Division I program Central Michigan 92-71. Gilgeous-Glasgow led all scorers with 28 points in the matchup.
DeAveiro has cultivated airtight team chemistry at TMU. The Bold men's basketball program has not only pried talented players such as Gilgeous-Glasgow away from the bright lights of Division I schools, but has demonstrated that they can defeat those very same Division I schools.
With Rhooms having graduated from TMU in June, Gilgeous-Glasgow looks to step up as a top scorer for the Bold. Although he won't be playing in March Madness this season, he'll be facing the same level of competition in the OUA–and better yet, he'll be doing it with family.
