Friends, teammates remember Jacob Ranton

A former basketball star and WCI grad is being honoured this weekend.

The former Knights-Vikings Roundball Classic is being renamed in memory of Jacob Ranton, a beloved friend and former teammate to many.

“People looked up to him,” says Alex Copp, a former basketball teammate of Ranton’s at WCI and fellow camper at Naismith Basketball Camp.

“He just had this light about him — this aura of positivity — that was contagious.”

“He was a very genuine person,” adds best friend Zach Totzke, who first met Jacob while playing rep basketball in the fifth grade.

“He was [also] a very unique person, mostly in that he was a fierce competitor and great athlete, but off the court, he was such a nice guy and great friend, and no matter who he was around, people enjoyed being around him.”

“He had a wonderful smile,” says Lucas Oldfield, a friend of Jacob’s since grade 9.

“You always felt comfortable and trusting of him. You knew, just from his smile, that his heart was bigger than the average person. He genuinely cared about others, and that’s what I miss most.”

“His personality was as big as his humour,” fellow Naismith camper Graham Notar Maclean tells 570 News.

“I rarely saw him without a goofy grin on his face, and his laughter radiated to those around him.”

Ranton became one of the leaders of the basketball team during his tenure at WCI, and he went on to play hoops at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Friends remember his competitive spirit well.

“We used to have a bunch of battles — especially when we were young — over the simplest games,” says Ryan Douse, a friend of Jacob’s since before elementary school at Northlake Woods.

“I’d be over at the Rantons, and we’d always play basketball outside on his net,” Oldfield adds.

“One time, we were playing a game to 11, and I was up on him 10-7. He hadn’t really been trying much, and then all of a sudden, once he realized I was at 10 points, you saw the competitive edge in his eyes, and I didn’t get another point [laughs].”

“There was a high school game that we played — I think in the 10th grade — and we were playing one of the teams that was favoured to be the best team in the league,” Totzke says.

“At halftime, we were down I think 17 points, so we weren’t feeling too good about our chances, but in that second half, Jacob just absolutely went off — scored probably 75 percent of our points. He hit a half-court buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter, and we ended up winning the game by 10. It really just showed how Jacob would never give up.”

Despite his towering presence on and off the basketball court, many friends remember Jacob for his kindness.

“A gentle giant — that’s what I remember,” says Copp.

“Every time I saw him, he’d erupt with this huge smile, and he always just made you feel good to be his friend — one of the nicest people you’d ever meet […] People were always laughing and smiling around him, because that’s what he was all about. He was such a fun-loving guy.”

“Jacob was always up for whatever,” Totzke adds, “and always approached things with such a ‘take the world by storm’ attitude. Just one of the nicest and happiest guys you could meet, and always optimistic about things. He just never seemed to get caught up in the negative implications of situations, or how things could go wrong. It was always ‘make the best of it,’ or ‘let’s just do this; it’ll be great.'”

“We would go fishing for hours on end at my cottage,” says Oldfield.

“I remember one time, a neighbour told us that there was a pool in the back forest with a bunch of good fish, and we hiked out there with another friend. We were hiking for two and a half hours, and we never found the pool [laughs]. We still managed to have a lot of fun. He was always able to make the best of those types of situations, and half fun, and just live in the moment.”

Talk to Ranton’s friends, and his ability to make the best out of situations is referenced often.

“I was playing golf with him the one day,” says Douse, “and Jacob got a hole in one.”

“It was honestly, probably the worst golf shot I’ve seen in my entire life, and somehow it went in the hole. It skipped up through the bunker and hit a rake, and kicked straight right and rolled 80 feet into the hole […] He was so excited; it was hilarious. He could always turn something that didn’t seem good into something very good.”

Most of all, friends remember Jacob for his caring side.

“When you needed someone to talk to, or someone to be around, he was always there, and he’d always give you a big hug. You always knew you had a really good friend in Jacob,” says Oldfield.

“He was a great guy,” says Douse. “I loved him — still love him. I miss him every day. Never stop thinking about him.”

The impact on family and friends has been hard since Jacob took his life in December last year.

Former high school coach Craig Nickel says it’s changed the way he looks at his students.

“Sometimes you work with kids that you know are struggling with mental health issues,” says Nickel, “and with Jacob, he kept that bottled up inside. Now, in the year since it’s happened, I look at every kid I interact with — the kids on my student’s council, the kids that I coach — wondering, is there something going on that I don’t know about?”

“The tragedy with Jacob is, if he had just told one person about the kind of struggles he was having, he’d still be with us, because somebody would have helped him.”

“That friendship is one of the most valuable things that I’ve had in my life,” Totzke adds.

“I miss him, and I know everyone else does just as much. We’re always thinking about him, and we love him.”

Funds raised from the Jacob Ranton Memorial Tournament will go to the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council.

If you wish to donate, you can do so here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/jacob-ranton-memorial-basketball-tournament/