Posted: Jan 21, 2010
Ask him what he wants to be, he'll say, "The Best." Ask him how far he'll go in order to achieve that, and he'll tell you as far as he has to. Ask him if anyone wants it more than him, and he'll laugh. Simply put, Christian "T-Bear" Upshaw is ready to put his stamp on basketball in a big way, and no one's about to get in his way and stop him...
Growing up in Mulgrave Park – based in the north end of Halifax, Nova Scotia – Upshaw had to deal with all the challenges that any other kid would have growing up – and then more. Raised by his mother, Upshaw was quick to give her a lot of credit for his development. “She gave me so many things that I thought I’d never have and she believed in me when everyone else refused to,” explained Upshaw. “My mother is one of my only heroes in my life.”
Coming from a man who’s become an idol to so many young children who watch him in amazement as his game excites crowds throughout Canada, Upshaw keeps his heroes outside of his mother to a minimum. “I’d have to go with Kobe Bryant and Michael Jackson. They’re the reason that I love basketball and music so much.”
A multi-talented individual, “T-Bear” isn’t shy to show his other talents in music and entertainment. “I can remember standing in front of my mom’s mirror and practicing Michael Jackson dance moves,” proclaims Upshaw. “And I can remember my bantam coach David Carvery saying, “T-Bear you need to start playing like T-Bear because this Kobe Bryant thing isn’t working anymore!””
And where does a name like “T-Bear” come from?
“When I was young I was fat and chubby like a teddy bear, so my mom and aunt started calling me T-Bear and it stuck with me ever since.”
Everywhere he plays, every gym he steps in to, and every campus he walks on, someone knows the name “T-Bear”, and if they don’t, they’ll never forget it by the time he’s finished on the court.
If you watch him on the court you might see him as someone that would never want to carry on a conversation with any individual. The fire in his eyes and the continuous energy and passion flowing out of him leaves many fans in awe – but then there’s another side to Upshaw, like most athletes, and we were lucky to catch that:
MM: What's the life of Christian T-Bear Upshaw like? How was growing up for you?
CU: Growing up for me was crazy. I was probably the biggest trouble maker in every school I attended until grade 8 when I finally decided to turn my life around.
MM: Did you ever imagine making it to where you are today?
CU: I never ever thought I would make it to where I am right now, with the way my life was going it just didn't seem possible. I never really thought I was good enough to play university basketball until grade 11. Before that I just didn't think I would play university basketball so I would always tell people I didn't want to.
MM: Would you say your life is where you want it to be now?
CU: The life for Christian T-Bear Upshaw now is good, but has to get a lot better because I have a lot of things I still have to accomplish.
MM: You went to one of the most prestigious schools in Halifax’s basketball community (St. Pat’s), what was that like and how did that sculpt your career and you as a person?
CU: Going to that school were the best three years of my life thus far. I did it all in that school when it comes to sports. I won three straight provincial championships in basketball, back to back 100m championships in track and field, played wide receiver in football, played in the Adidas High School All Canadian Basketball game, came second at the Nike run down for the fastest kid in Canada and won numerous MVP's and Rookie of the year's. There was no better time than that. The school didn't sculpt me well academically and that being my fault but it did sculpt me well athletically with that also being my fault.
MM: How good do you really want to be?
CU: I want to be the best, there's no question. I want to be the best and I don't want anybody to have any doubt in their mind who the best is. I'm a competitor. I compete, compete, and compete until I can't compete no more. I hate losing and I hate not being the best just as much as I hate losing.
MM: Do you want to set the bar and make people strive to be you?
CU: Sure I want to set the bar. I look around now at people before me and I want to be better than them. I want players to remember playing against me and I want coaches to never forget coaching against me. I want parents to say, "T-Bear is a great role model," and I want kids to say, "I want to be as good as T-Bear." But for me to reach that point I have a long way to go. I can't be the best on my own, so this team has a long way to go, and we’ll do it.
The X-Men currently sit atop the standings in the AUS conference of the CIS and are ranked third overall in Canada. Expectations are high not only for Upshaw, but for the rest of the men in blue and white and they look to get back to their national championship days after a seven year hiatus.
CU: Expectations scare the heck out of me, but I guess it's what comes with the territory. I'm not the type of person to say I'm the best and I'm this and I'm that but I guess I like it a lot more that people have expectations of me than not having any at all. It gives me a source of security, reminds me that people believe in me and that really motivates me.
MM: Would you say that you’re living up to hype then?
CU: I'm not too sure if I'm living up to the hype or not, you would have to ask somebody on the outside looking in but if I really had to give an answer I would have to say that I'm not living up to the hype.
So how does someone with the weight of the world on their shoulders – at least in their mind – find time to relax and still live a normal life one may ask? Music.
CU: People probably wouldn't know that my love for music is just as strong as my love for basketball.
Upshaw’s passion flows out of the pen and on to the paper just like the rest of your favourite musicians around the world, and he’s not one to hide his feelings in his lyrics. Giving as much passion to each verse as he does each minute on the court, Upshaw’s words are always strong.
“Judge me, rate me, love me, hate me, nudge me, shake me, leave me, take me just as I am...you didn’t make me.”
He needed no one to help create who he is today, no one could ever stop him, and no one will be for a long time...
Mat MacDonald is a current assistant coach with the X-Women Basketball team, contributes Toronto Raptors recaps to www.raptorspace.com and is a contributor to StFX sports information