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Colin Throness

Alternative United

    Alternative United is an organization based out of the EMSB’s Outreach high school system. In 2013, four teachers—John Devlin, John Commins, Paul Berry and I—approached the GMAA about bringing the outreach schools together to form a basketball team. The proposal was accepted and Alternative United was born.
    The team drew players from five different schools that year and before long this talented group of athletes made a name for themselves as a passionate, scrappy squad that never quits. I wrote an article in the Gazette about how the team’s success on the court extended to the classroom. That summer, Gatorade discovered the story and approached us about making a short film about the team as part of their “Win From Within” series. It was an instant success, getting over a million views, and just like that Alternative United was receiving international attention.