First memorial basketball game for TSN staffer brings family ‘closer to closure’

It’s been over four years since a group of former high school basketball teammates gathered at their captain’s funeral and made a pact. On Saturday night, they reunited at their alma mater in Richmond Hill to fulfil that promise.

The shock had not yet worn off for the friends of Jonathan Gayle-West, the talented sports broadcaster who was shot dead in his car by total strangers while driving home for dinner on Dec. 12, 2018. Wearing yellow boutonnieres over their hearts, they decided with their former coach that when the trial was over they would put on a memorial basketball game in Gayle-West’s honour.

After the pandemic further delayed a long and emotional trial, the Jonathan Gayle Memorial Alumni Basketball Game finally came to fruition to celebrate the life of a young man who was known as a “beacon of happiness.”

“We’re doing this for (Gayle-West’s mother) Grace and also for the family, who we really love,” said organizer Jim Stewart, who was Gayle-West’s media studies teacher and basketball coach.

“He was very much like a son to me. When I was asked to read the eulogy at his funeral, I was very honoured to do that. He had a profound impact on people. That resonant voice. His great laugh. He was a great leader for us. He was a leader in my media classroom, too.”

The game inside the “Lion’s Den” at St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School was a homecoming of all who knew and loved Gayle-West. The custom T-shirts scattered across the gym matched the conversations overheard in the crowd: “Jonny was a good boy,” they read, in reference to Bob Marley’s hit song.

Twenty-five alumni players — some who travelled as far as Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia to be there — suited up for the officially-sanctioned game between Team Shaq and Team Kurt, named after captains Shakiyl Cox and Kurt Benson.

“I think if Jonny were watching this, he’d be commentating on the game. He’d be doing impressions,” Cox said. “He’s laughing at how big we got and how slow we are.”

The halftime show highlighted the work of Gayle-West’s former colleague Danny Granger, who painted a portrait of his late friend. Entertainment was provided by a trio that included Toronto comedian Marc-Anthony Sinagoga, who also provided commentary during the last STL alumni basketball event in 2012 that featured a comical halftime interview with Gayle-West himself.

“I’m hoping that this event sort of transcends into making the kids of tomorrow have someone to aspire to be, because Jonny carried that out in everything he did,” Sinagoga said. All through elementary and high school, he had admired his two-time valedictorian and basketball captain. “He was always being a leader. I hope future generations will hear about him and say, ‘Look, this is the impact you can have on the community.’”

The game itself was lively and loud — save for the moment of silence beforehand — with coaches coaching and players playing. Packed into a section of the gym bleachers was the star of the night. Grace smiled as she watched her son’s old friends run up and down the court.

“I’ve known a lot of these men since they were small,” Grace said. “I bought a basketball net and they would come to my home. They remembered and reminded me of it. I feel so honoured. It’s an amazing thing, I am very happy.”

The efforts also went toward raising money for KidSport, a charity that helps to cover costs for underprivileged kids to play sports in the GTA. KidSport was an easy choice for Grace, who wanted to honour her son’s values. In his free time, Gayle-West, who also played baseball, field hockey, soccer and tennis, coached youth sports and believed that all children should have a chance to play their favourite sport.

A rising talent in the sports media industry, Gayle-West had returned to his old high school over the years to provide advice and speak to current students in Stewart’s class about his career.

The 29-year-old was days away from a job interview for an anchor position at TSN when he was murdered by two 18-year-old men, Samir Adem and Salman Ahmed, who got into his Honda Civic in a possible carjacking or robbery. His family believes that — in classic Jonny behaviour — he agreed to give the two men a ride on a freezing winter day, letting them into the car.

Ahmed and Adem were convicted of second-degree murder after a trial earlier this year. Adem has since died in custody. Ahmed faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

“For a lot of us, that was probably the darkest day of our life when he was murdered,” Stewart said. “So we’re happy that this has come together for Jonny. We’re happy it came together for his mom, and his family, who have suffered. It’s just awful what happened to him and we’re trying to create some solace for the Gayle family.”

The suffering isn’t over by any means. Nothing will bring Grace’s son home — and sentencing for his killer is still to come — but Saturday night represented a new stage of healing for the Gayle-West family. The scoreboard read 75-69 for Team Kurt, but on this night, everybody won.

“Tonight I am overwhelmed with all the accolades for Jon and the people in his corner that love him and haven’t forgotten him,” Grace said.

Gayle-West certainly won’t be forgotten. There are ongoing talks about creating a memorial garden and a scholarship in his name. While it was 11 years in between alumni basketball games at STL, they hope now it will be an annual tradition to remember Gayle-West.

For Grace and her family, it would be something to look forward to.

“It feels closer to closure. It’s not going to happen overnight. But I have this to reflect and remember Jon through all of his friends and through the game, and that brings me peace,” she said.

“I will always have peace. I will always have pain. But I also have joy. It coexists. And that’s why I’m so happy tonight. It’s the joy that’s coming out tonight.”

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