Drew Ebanks
Drew Ebanks is a Toronto native who has been involved in the sport of basketball for most of his life. Drew played point guard at the high school level for Langstaff S.S. and Bayview S.S. where he was a multiple York Region All-Star and went on to play one year at York University under legendary head coach Bob Bain. His brother and cousin both went on to play NCAA basketball continuing the trend of basketball players in his family. His cousin Roshane Roberts is currently playing for Queens.
Drew has been employed in the Financial Services industry since leaving University but his true love has always been sports and Drew knew that If he wasn’t playing basketball that he wanted to to cover the sport in some form and thus decided to obtain a broadcasting diploma. He graduated from Seneca College’s(Seneca at York) Broadcasting-Radio & Television Program and worked for Global Television(Global Sports), reporting on the Toronto Raptors, Maple Leafs, Argos and other breaking sports stories.
After his stint at Global Sports, Drew began highlighting and interviewing Canadian high school prodigies, while working with Crown Magazine as well as assisting Canada Basketball in documenting their Targeted Athlete Strategy program for youth basketball development. Drew also guests on various Toronto Radio stations discussing all levels of basketball including NBA, NCAA, CIS and High Schools/Prep Schools. His interviews showcasing Canadian basketball can be seen all over the internet.
Jay Irving
Jay Irving is the founder of a boutique film production company(JI Films), specializing in documentaries, short films, and commercial videos. Jay believes in the integrity of his work which places artistry and originality beyond the boundaries of creativity.
Jay was born in Toronto and has since traveled all over the world honing his craft. Currently Jay is in development on two new documentary projects and working as a freelance director, cinematographer and editor. Jay’s work has been featured on TVO, CBC, NBA TV, The Score, Rogers Sportsnet and TSN. Jay distinguished himself by having “The Night Cook” become the first entirely independent documentary to be acquired by TVO’s The View From Here.
Jay has a B.A. from the University of Western Ontario and is a graduate of New York Film Academy and Humber College’s Independent Documentary Production program (Honours Student). Jay has also studied under Academy Award nominated producer Erin Faith Young, best known for her basketball documentary “Hardwood”.
Drew and Jay met in the summer of 2012 while both filming Canada Basketball’s Red vs. White game. Their chemistry was immediate and impactful as they later launched a pilot episode of ON POINT showcasing Canadian NBA player Cory Joseph. Since then, their work has been met with great esteem having already been featured on Yahoo Sports, CBC news, and TSN radio. They continue to profile and document Canadian basketball personalities and stories to the masses.
The rest as they say is history.
What is ON POINT?
A Canadian basketball series featuring prominent basketball personalities from across Canada. Created by Drew Ebanks & Jay Irving. A basketball film series that goes beyond the “court” to tell powerful, uplifting stories about basketball life in Canada and the world. An unlikely partnership between Drew Ebanks a.k.a. “The Hoops Guru”, a former sports reporter for Global TV and Jay Irving, a visual and creative mastermind with a flare for images and a grace for editing. Each episode has its own branding with a unique approach influenced by many art forms including graffiti, hip hop, modern art, jazz, film, and the brilliant graphic design stylings of Mark Sylvain.
Music by Shallay Bhatia & Blaaow
Intro song by Francis “Got Heat” Nguyen Tran
Additional Production Team: Anish Bhalla