| FINAL STANDINGS 1. U.S.A. 2. CANADA 3. Mexico 4. Poland 5. Philippines 6. Uruguay 7. Italy 8. Peru | CANADIANS Gordon Aitchison (North Bay, Ont.) Ian Allison (Greenlock, Scotland) Arthur Chapman (Victoria, B.C.) Charles Chapman (Vancouver, B.C.) Douglas Peden (Victoria, B.C.) James Stewart Malcolm Wiseman Edward Dawson (Alford, England) Irving Meretsky John Dawson Thomas Pendlebury Robert Osborne Alphonse Freer Donald William Gray Stanley Nantais Ernie Williams Gordon Fuller – coach |
| RD 1 | Canada 24 Brazil 17 | |
| RD 1 | Estonia 34 France 29 | |
| RD 1 | Chile 30 Turkey 16 | |
| RD 1 | Switzerland 25 Germany 18 | |
| RD 1 | United States 2 Spain 0 | |
| RD 1 | Italy 44 Poland 28 | |
| RD 1 | Peru 35 Egypt 22 | |
| RD 1 | Czechoslovakia 2 Hungary 0 | |
| RD 1 | Latvia 20 Uruguay 17 | |
| RD 1 | Mexico 32 Belgium 9 | |
| RD 1 | Japan 35 China 19 | |
| Repass | Brazil 2 Hungary 0 | |
| Repass | Uruguay 17 Belgium 10 | |
| Repass | China 45 France 38 | |
| Repass | Germany 2 Spain 0 | |
| Repass | Egypt 33 Turkey 23 | |
| RD 2 | Philippines 32 Mexico 30 | |
| RD 2 | Japan 43 Poland 31 | |
| RD 2 | Uruguay 36 Egypt 23 | |
| RD 2 | Peru 29 China 21 | |
| RD 2 | United States 52 Estonia 28 | |
| RD 2 | Italy 58 Germany 16 | |
| RD 2 | Switzerland 25 Czechoslovakia 12 | |
| RD 2 | Chile 23 Brazil 18 | |
| RD 2 | Canada 34 Latvia 23 | |
| Repass | Poland 28 Latvia 23 | |
| Repass | Brazil 32 China 14 | |
| Repass | Mexico 32 Egypt 10 | |
| Repass | Czechoslovakia 20 Germany 9 | |
| Repass | Poland 28 Latvia 23 | |
| Repass | Brazil 32 China 14 | |
| Repass | Mexico 32 Egypt 10 | |
| Repass | Czechoslovakia 20 Germany 9 | |
| 16s | Poland 33 Brazil 25 | |
| 16s | Uruguay 28 Czechoslovakia 19 | |
| 16s | Canada 27 Switzerland 9 | |
| 16s | Mexico 28 Japan 22 | |
| 16s | Italy 27 Chile 19 | |
| 16s | Philippines 39 Estonia 22 | |
| 16s | United States (bye) | |
| 16s | Peru (bye) | |
| QFs | United States 56 Philippines 23 | |
| QFs | Mexico 34 Italy 17 | |
| QFs | Canada 43 Uruguay 21 | |
| QFs | Poland 2 Peru 0 | |
| 5-8th | Uruguay 2 Peru 0 | |
| 5-8th | Philippines 32 Italy 14 | |
| Semi | United States 25 Mexico 10 | |
| Semi | Canada 42 Poland 15 | |
| 15-21st | France, Turkey, Germany, Egypt, Latvia, China, Belgium | |
| 9-14th | Brazil, Chile, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Japan, Switzerland | |
| 7th | Italy 2 Peru 0 | |
| 5th | Philippines 33 Uruguay 23 | |
| Bronze | Mexico 26 Poland 12 | |
| Final | United States 19 Canada 8 | |
Canada captured silver in the first Olympic basketball tournament which was held in an outdoor tennis stadium on clay and sand courts. Canada was represented essentially by 11 members of the national senior “A’ champs, the Windsor Ford V8s, minus their captain Julius Goldman, who was ineligible for the Canadian team because he was an American citizen. To bolster the line-up, the Chapman brothers were added from West coast powerhouse, the Victoria Dominoes, along with Doug Peden. Both Canada and the U.S. Canada breezed through the early rounds.
In its opener against Brazil, Canada prevailed 24-17 but struggled dribbling the ball, a German-made ball that was smaller than a normal basketball, on the outdoor dirt court. Canada led 14-7 at the half. Art Chapman and Jimmy Stewart each scored 8 to lead Canada. Gord Aitchison added 6 and Ian Allison 2, while Chuck Chapman, Toots Meretsky and Red Wiseman were scoreless. Baiano led Brazil with 8. Nelson de Souza added 4, while Pavao, Armando Albano, Carmino de Pilla, Miguel Lopes and Americo Montanarini were scoreless.
Canada defeated Latvia 34-23 as Gordon Aitchison and Doug Peden each scored 11. James Stewart added 6, Toots Meretsky 4 and Ian Allison 2 , while Art Chapman and Red Wiseman were scoreless. Rudolfs Jurcins paced Latvia with 12. Visvaldis Melderis added 6, Eduards Anderson 3 and Dzems Raduzins 2, while Voldemars Elmuts, Martins Grundmanis and Maksis Kazaks were scoreless.
Halfway through the tournament the International Basketball Federation adopted a rule banning players taller than 6’3”. The Americans objected and the rule was withdrawn.
In the round of 16, Canada defeated Switzerland 27-9 as Art Chapman scored 9, Ian Allison 7, Gord Aitchison 5, Red Wiseman 3, Jimmy Stewart 2 and Doug Peden 1, while Ed Dawson was scoreless. Raymond Lambercy paced Switzerland with 6. Jean Pare added 2 and Jean Pollet 1, while Pierre Carlier, Rene Karlen, Georges Laedarach and Marcel Wuilleumier were scoreless.
In the quarterfinals, Canada thrashed Uruguay 43-21 as Art Chapman scored 12, Doug Peden 11, Jimmy Stewart 9, Ian Allison 6 and Gord Aitchison 2 , while Red Wiseman was scoreless. Humberto Bernasconi paced Uruguay with 10. Leandro Gomez added 9, Rodolfo Braselli 1 and Alejandro Gonzalez 1, while Gregorio Agos, Carlos Gabin and Tabares Quintans were scoreless.
In the semis, Canada whipped Poland 42-15 as Doug Peden scored 18, Malcolm Wiseman 8, Art Chapman 8, Ian Allison 3, Jimmy Stewart 2, Gord Aitchison 2 and Chuck Chapman 1. Zenon Rozycki paced Poland with 9. Florian Grzechowiak added 6, while Zdzislaw Filipkiewicz, Zdzislaw Kasprzak, Ewaryst Loj, Janusz Patrzykont and Andrzej Plucinski were scoreless.
Heavy rains drenched the courts on the day of the final, and the players were forced to wallow through mud and dribble on wet sand, which led, inevitably, to the low-scoring final, in which the U.S. prevailed 19-8. The U.S. led to 15-4 at the half. Six-foot-eight centre Joe Fortenberry’s eight points matched the entire output of the Canadian team. Bill Wheatley added 5 for the Americans, Francis Johnson 2, Carl Knowles 2 and Jack Ragland 2, while Ralph Bishop and Carl Shy were scoreless. It rained throughout the match. At one point, American guard Jack Ragland chase a loose ball as if it was a stuck pig for a full two minutes before finally corralling it. The teams scored a combined eight points in the second half. Ian Allison paced Canada with 4. Art Chapman added 2, Doug Peden 1 and Malcolm ‘Red’ Wiseman 1, while Gord Aitchison, Chuck Chapman and Jimmy Stewart were scoreless (it is alternately reported that Wiseman scored 2 and Stewart 1).
U.S. player Bill Wheatley later said “we were a little afraid of Canada because they were mostly American. Canadians would come down into American even then to play basketball. It was 14-4 at the half and we played catch for the second half. There were no rules against stalling.”
“It was unbelievable,” said Wheatley. “For two days it rained and we tried to get them to postpone the game …If you dribbled, it would stay on the ground. If you caught the ball, the sand would come off the ball, hit you in the eyes and you couldn’t see anything. It was playing under the most trying conditions.”
“We were actually playing in a swimming pool,” Sam Balter added.
U.S. assistant coach Gene Johnson noted “we used an untanned leather ball, which was German made. It was lightweight and, if the wind caught it, it would shift the ball from side to side. It was made like a soccer ball but about the size of a basketball.”
Gord Aitchison years later told the Windsor Star that “on the opening play, an American player raced down the court, caught a pass as his feet went from under him and completed the last 15 or 20 feet to the basket sliding on the seat of his shorts, water spraying out from both sides.“The ball, made in sections like a soccer ball, bounced reasonably well on some parts of the court but failed to come up when dribbled through one of the many puddles. A shot was only taken only after careful calculations to correct for the wind and the extra weight of a waterlogged sphere.”
Basketball’s inventor, Dr. James Naismith was in attendance. The 75-year-old said after his seeing his sport in the Olympics. “This is the greatest moment in my life. I have seen basketball played at its best.”
Windsor asked CABA for $900 (the cost of sending 3 players) to Berlin. The amount represented one-half of available CABA funds. The motion was defeated 8-2. Voting against it: Gordon Young, Elsie Bennie, George Walker, Dr. S.H. Keshen; K.J. Walton; Dr. Gillispie and W.H.W. Hardwick. Voting for the motion: C.H. Johnson; Samuel Rogers. CABA subsequently approved a $300 grant.
At the ceremony there weren’t enough medals to go around for all 14 members of the Canadian team. Meretsky and several of his teammates were instead presented with bronze medals and assured that the silver medals would be forthcoming. In 1996, after the Canadian Olympic Association became involved, the International Olympic Committee finally informed Meretsky that he would receive a replica of the 1936 Olympic several medal. “I’m really excited,” said Meretsky. “I’m getting more telephone calls and it was in the Detroit Jewish News over the weekend.” The IOC told Meretsky he must return the bronze medal to them. He didn’t receive a bronze medal but rather a commemorative medal, coloured bronze that all participating athletes at the 1936 Games received. Reminiscing about the final, Meretsky noted. “Basketball was basketball in those days. There was a centre jump after every basket. You couldn’t dribble. Whenever you dribbled the ball would stop dead in the puddles. Eventually, the game was won around the basket by these tall Americans.”
The Games were played under old rules. No second line. Centre jump after each bucket.
Chuck Chapman and Doug Peden were invited to join the Canadian team by the Windsor Fords, which had beaten the Victoria Dominoes for the national title and the right to represent Canada. It took the team 10 days by train and boat to reach Europe. Playing a game on the deck of the ocean liner, they lost a basketball off the coast of Newfoundland.
“You couldn’t dribble the ball, so it was an airborne game and they were so much taller,” Peden later said. “If we were going to beat them, we would have had to do it with speed. But I don’t think we could have beaten that team in any conditions.”