Draft:Royal Crown School
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Last edited by Huskybooboo (talk | contribs) 5 days ago. (Update) |
Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Huskybooboo (talk) 03:28, 27 September 2026 (UTC)
{{Infobox school
| name = Royal Crown Academic School
| type = Private day and boarding school
| grades = 7–12
| city = [[Scarborough, Toronto|Scarborough]], Toronto
| province = Ontario
| country = Canada
}}
'''Royal Crown Academic School''' (commonly '''Royal Crown School''') is a private day and boarding school in [[Scarborough, Toronto|Scarborough]], [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada, serving students in grades 7–12.<ref name="Star2026">{{cite news |last=Osman |first=Libaan |date=2026-08-28 |title=Inside the Scarborough school that's become a girls' basketball powerhouse in North America |url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/inside-the-scarborough-school-thats-become-a-girls-basketball-powerhouse-in-north-america/article_7a108ca1-5ff8-4756-90b7-1a04f01939c6.html |work=Toronto Star |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref> The school is known for its basketball program, which competes in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) and the U.S.-based Grind Session circuit.<ref name="Star2026" />
== History ==
The school previously operated in [[North York]] before relocating to Scarborough.<ref name="York2019">{{cite news |last=Kurek |first=Dominik |date=2019-12-09 |title=Toronto private school now training high-level basketball players |url=https://www.yorkregion.com/news/toronto-private-school-now-training-high-level-basketball-players/article_5e8e8858-93b5-5247-bc8c-a29e7db1ab58.html |work=YorkRegion.com |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref> In December 2019, Dwayne Washington joined as athletic director to lead a Nike-sponsored boys' and girls' prep basketball program; at the time, all players on the prep squad attended the school on scholarship.<ref name="York2019" />
In 2020, Royal Crown board chairman Mino Chou approached Patrick Shaw to build a new girls' basketball program with dedicated infrastructure.<ref name="Star2026" /> Shaw recruited former NCAA player Lee Anna Osei, previously the head coach of the [[St. Francis Xavier University]] women's basketball team, as head coach of the girls' program.<ref name="Star2026" /> In 2020, the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' reported annual tuition of $40,000, including food and housing, plus $15,000 for basketball training.<ref name="Star2020">{{cite news |last=Zwolinski |first=Mark |date=2020-09-19 |title=At Scarborough's Royal Crown Academic School, girls with WNBA dreams live and learn in a bubble |url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/at-scarborough-s-royal-crown-academic-school-girls-with-wnba-dreams-live-and-learn-in/article_d26f91b0-507c-5da9-8be3-d85ba1d9acf9.html |work=Toronto Star |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref>
== Basketball program ==
In 2026, the ''Toronto Star'' described Royal Crown's girls' program as "one of the most successful girls' basketball programs in North America," reporting that it had sent 17 players to [[NCAA]] programs over the previous two years.<ref name="Star2026" /> The program's titles include an OSBA championship, back-to-back National Preparatory Association (NPA) championships, and Grind Session world championships in 2025 and 2026.<ref name="Star2026" />
In March 2025, Royal Crown's senior girls won the Grind Session World Championship, becoming the first Canadian team to win the title, defeating the previously undefeated, top-seeded DME Academy of Florida 56–55 in the final.<ref name="Grind2025">{{cite press release |title=Grind Session Crowns 2025 High School Basketball World Champions |date=March 2025 |url=https://sports.einnews.com/pr_news/796955924/grind-session-crowns-2025-high-school-basketball-world-champions |publisher=Grind Session via EIN Presswire |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref> Yohana Fami was named the game's most valuable player with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block, and Divine Tumba added 12 points and 8 rebounds.<ref name="Grind2025" />
During the 2025–26 Grind Session season, the women's team continued to compete in the circuit, recording wins including an 81–72 victory over Legion Prep in Toronto.<ref name="Grind2026">{{cite web |title=Royal Crown Women Win Again |date=2026-03-26 |url=https://grindsession.com/news/royal-crown-women-win-again |publisher=Grind Session |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref>
At the 2026 OSBA championship weekend, Royal Crown won three titles: the women's championship, defeating Crestwood Prep 56–55; the D-League boys' championship, defeating Brampton City Prep North 78–70; and the D-League girls' championship, defeating Southwest Academy 66–55.<ref name="OSBA2026">{{cite web |title=2025–2026 OSBA Championships |url=https://ontariosba.ca/content/2025-2026-osba-championships |publisher=Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref>
In the summer of 2026, Prime Minister [[Mark Carney]]'s office sent the school a congratulatory letter recognizing the program's accomplishments, writing in part: "The achievements of the Royal Crown Senior Girls Basketball Team stand as a powerful example of what can be accomplished through talent, discipline, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence."<ref name="Star2026" />
== Notable alumni ==
= Professional =
- [[Joshua Primo|Josh Primo]] – completed his prep career at Royal Crown; selected 12th overall in the [[2021 NBA draft]] by the [[San Antonio Spurs]]<ref name="PrimoSN">{{cite news |title=Spurs select Canadian Joshua Primo with 12th pick in 2021 NBA Draft |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/spurs-select-canadian-joshua-primo-12th-pick-2021-nba-draft/ |work=Sportsnet |date=2021-07-30 |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref>
- [[Latasha Lattimore]] – high school at Royal Crown; selected 21st overall in the [[2026 WNBA draft]] by the [[Chicago Sky]]<ref name="LattimoreRoster">{{cite web |title=Latasha Lattimore |url=https://olemisssports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/LATASHA-LATTIMORE/5974 |publisher=Ole Miss Athletics |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref><ref name="LattimoreDraft">{{cite news |title=Cotie McMahon, Latasha Lattimore Selected in 2026 WNBA Draft |url=https://olemisssports.com/news/2026/4/13/womens-basketball-cotie-mcmahon-latasha-lattimore-selected-in-2026-wnba-draft |publisher=Ole Miss Athletics |date=2026-04-13 |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref>
- Xavier He (He Jiaxuan) – Royal Crown class of 2023; signed with the [[Tianjin Pioneers]] of the [[Chinese Basketball Association]]<ref name="HeCBA">{{cite web |title=Proud to announce He Jiaxuan (Xavier) has signed with Chinese CBA Tianjin Pioneers Club |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Db8wi63RTOn/ |publisher=Royal Crown Basketball Program |date=2026-08-12 |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref>
= College =
Royal Crown basketball alumni who went on to play NCAA Division I basketball include:<ref name="RealGM">{{cite web |title=Royal Crown Academic School alumni |url=https://basketball.realgm.com/highschool/teams/16873/Royal-Crown-Academic-School-ON |publisher=RealGM |access-date=2026-09-27}}</ref>
- Andy Gemao – Penn State
- Divine Tumba – Pittsburgh
- Peter Bandelj – Nevada
- Sean Blake – Ball State
- Danny Cheng – Stonehill
- Declan Cutler – Weber State
- Hunter Harding – Elon
- Mike Evbagharu – North Alabama
- Davante Hackett – Tennessee Tech
- Simon Hildebrandt – Washington State