It was an ending fit to honour the two players who were on many people’s minds the afternoon of Sunday, April 13, 2025, as Fort Frances team Betty’s Boys won the final of the first-ever Fort Frances Men’s Mental Health Memorial Basketball Tournament.
Between the third place game and the championship matchup, organizers took a few minutes to share about men’s mental health.
Jolene Morrisseau addressed around 100 people who had gathered at the Fort Frances High School gym on behalf of the Fort Frances chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). Morrisseau is the Geriatric Mental Health Lead for the Fort Frances CMHA, and she thanked the crowd for attending the tournament and helping spread the word around men’s mental health.
“We want to thank you for raising awareness about men’s mental health and for reducing the stigma that prevents our bothers, our sons and our dads from getting the help that they need, and the support that they need,” she said.
“I, like many of you, have watched men in my own family wrestle with their mental health and I know the pain of losing someone because of mental illness.”
The tournament was held in memory of two local basketball players, Joey Angus and Will Anderson, who struggled with their mental health, ultimately losing their battles.
“The men we care about need to know that anxiety and depression, and things like substance misuse and other disorders are treatable,” Morrisseau continued.
“That there is hope, and that there are healthy ways to cope with whatever life throws at us.”
Several local healthcare and mental health organizations were on hand with staff, resources and giveaways for those who came to watch and play in the tournament.
Organizers also called on the voice of the Fort Frances Lakers, Shane Beckett, to do play by play for the tournament’s live stream.
Betty’s Boys beat the Baudette Bears 102-76 in a high-flying final that saw Betty’s Boys player Caleb MacIntosh drop 32 points, including eight three pointers, to earn MVP honours for the tournament.
K-town from Kenora bested the team from Dryden for third place 49-44.
After taking the championship, Justin Anderson, brother of Will and one of the tournament’s organizers, said he was pleased with how the weekend went for the first local men’s basketball tournament in a few years.
“The amount of support we got, I’m overwhelmed to be honest,” he said.
“I just really appreciate all the help and everybody who came out and supported [the cause].”
Over the course of the weekend players were ‘fined’ if they committed a technical foul in the course of play. At $50 each, these fouls, often committed intentionally, plus donations from spectators, added up to a $6,000 donation to the Fort Frances chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
