At 16 years old, Niagara-on-the-Lake resident Marsden Tataryn sees basketball as a way to accomplish his goals for his future. So his upcoming move to the Fort Erie International Academy (FEIA) is a step in the right direction.
The Crossroads Public School graduate, who has just completed grade 10 at Laura Secord Secondary School, is heading to FEIA to play basketball in September.
The former Toronto resident had originally hoped to earn a spot at Orangeville Prep, which operates out of a facility in Mono, Ontario. It is known as the elite basketball school in Canada, having funnelled eight alumni to the NBA, most famously Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets and Oshae Brissett, who just joined the Boston Celtics as a free agent. As well, three of the academy’s 2022 graduates signed on with Division I NCAA colleges in the US.
Tataryn participated in a three-week basketball camp there last summer and caught the eye of their coaches.
"They told me they were interested in me playing there for grade 10,” he tells The Local. “But it ended up not working out. Then, about a week and a half ago I got a text from one of their coaches, who was interested in me playing on their development team next year.”
Tataryn mentioned the text to one of his trainers, Keveshan (Kev) Padachey of ProActive Chiropractic and Training Centre in St. Catharines. Tataryn has been training with Padachey regularly, working on strength and conditioning and holding weekly shooting sessions at an outdoor court owned by family friends in NOTL.
“Three hours later I was eating dinner with some friends at a Mexican restaurant,” recalls Tataryn. “Kev called to say he had just talked to one of the coaches at Fort Erie, and they said they wanted me to come play for them next year.”
FEIA is a private boarding school for grades 6 through 12, focusing on academic and athletic excellence in both basketball and hockey. The 80,000 square metre campus is located next to Lake Erie near the Peace Bridge.
Like Orangeville Prep, FEIA plays in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) against the top teams in the province. In fact, in 2022-2023, FEIA bettered Orangevill in both the men’s A and B pools.
“It really came down to education,” says Tataryn. “Fort Erie is a private school, similar to Ridley, where Orangeville buses you to a public school. And the program is growing and growing. It really seems like a better family to join. And it has a 100 per cent university acceptance rate.”
The 6’6, 220 pound centre fell in love with the game when he was still living in Toronto. He moved to NOTL with his family (mother Amanda Terry, father Brandon Tataryn and younger brother Grayson) in 2016.
During his grade 5 year he joined the Niagara Falls Red Raiders, and played with them for a year and a half. During COVID, there were few chances to play either organized or pick-up basketball.
In grade 9, he caught on as a leader on the Laura Secord Patriots basketball team, and returned to the Red Raiders for further club play. During his grade 10 year he was called up to play a few games on the Patriots’ senior team as well.
“I fully fell in love with basketball in grade 9,” he enthuses. “I went full throttle, training non-stop. I was in the gym every day training with Mr. (Tim) Jabs and Mr. (Kyle) Nickel. Jabs told me if he wanted to play at the university level he’d help me get there. He’s a great friend; I can talk to him about anything, life or basketball.”
As Secord’s physical and health education program leader and basketball coach, Jabs has been committed to building a successful basketball program at Secord. He developed a popular course that focuses on the sport, and has begun to attract some serious players.
“I’m sorry to see Marsden leave Secord,” Jabs tells The Local. “He was going to be a key piece of our senior team this year. But I’m really happy for him and excited to see what the future brings. He’s making the right move. And it’s just more proof that Secord’s basketball program is growing.”
This summer Tataryn is also training with Moses Balabyekkubo of Border Town Basketball.
“He’s actually going to Fort Erie in September for his first year as the junior team’s head coach,” Tataryn says of Balabyekkubo. “So I’ll be kind of following him there.”
With Border Town he is playing with much older boys in the Under-19 age group.
“On that team I’m kind of the back-up centre,” he says. “ I don’t get a vast amount of playing time. It’s tough. I’m playing against guys who will be going Division I (NCAA), who will be playing at university next year. I’m playing against guys who were on the Biosteel Canadian team. It’s a grind.”
But he knows taking his knocks on the court right now will help in his development.
“I was playing with the Raiders, Border Town and Secord all at the same time,” he explains. “It’s so much easier to play against my age group after guarding a seven-foot tall 19-year-old.”
Despite his talent, his success and his competitive spirit, you’d be hard-pressed to find a 16-year old so grounded when it comes to his future goals.
“My ultimate dream would be to play Division I at Penn State or Villanova, or maybe Yale or another Ivy League school,” he says. “But that’s probably not realistic. The reality is I’ll probably end up at a Division II or Division III school as a starter.”
He doesn’t talk about NBA dreams, adding that it’s his brain and his education that are the biggest things he has going for him. Tataryn does hope to follow college or university with a four or five year stint playing professionally in Europe instead.
“I’ll make some money, travel the world, and make some connections,” he adds. “Then I’ll come back and hopefully catch on with an NBA team in front office management, or in statistics and scouting for the NBA. I’m really good at math, that’s my main focus in school.”
Of making the move as a boarding student at FEIA and leaving his friends at Laura Secord and his family behind, he’s quite stoic and relaxed.
“I have always been able to fit in wherever I go,” he says. “I’ll kind of figure it out. And it’s only 45 minutes away so I will come home on weekends. Once I’m there for a few weeks it will feel familiar. I’m really looking forward to it.”