Basketball, men's
- Early varsity teams
- Limited growth
Limited Growth
Despite its popularity, the growth of men's basketball was limited by inadequate facilities in which to play and practice. In 1909, the Academy gymnasium was made fit for basketball, but the University gymnasium had not been modified, and was deemed unfit for practices. Instead, starting in 1911, and up to at least 1913, the University men used the new Ladies' College gymnasium, located in the basement of Hart Hall, for practices and games.
The Academy continued to field basketball teams up to and through WWI, but at the University the sport was discontinued for some of the war years. This was a common practice with other varsity sports at Mount Allison, and also at other Canadian universities. In 1915, there was no record of basketball being played by University men. In 1916, interclass basketball was reintroduced and, in 1917, athletes from the University and the Academy were once again competing for an interclass cup. University men also played non-competitive games against local teams such as the Sackville Boy Scouts (1916 and 1917) and the military regiment 78th Battery C.F.A. (1917).
Following WWI, Mount Allison’s varsity team had a good practice venue in the reconstructed Lingley Hall gymnasium, and an intercollegiate league was formed. Success for the men's varsity basketball team soon followed. In 1919, Mount Allison won both the Maritime intercollegiate and Maritime amateur titles.
Mount Allison Academy basketball team, 1916-17
Mount Allison University basketball team, 1918
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