MONTREAL -- Tychon Carter-Newman, a McGill University men's basketball graduate, was declared the winner of the 2021 "Big Brother Canada" television competition, Thursday evening.

The 29-year-old Montreal resident -- who was raised in Brampton, Ont., -- earned a master's degree from McGill in 2017, specializing in urban planning. He became the program's first Black winner, in either the Canadian or American version of the reality show, which has been running for a combined total of 30 seasons, including nine in Canada.

"History was made (on Big Brother Canada) last night with three #BIPOC winners," he wrote on his Twitter account. I'm over the moon. This is a win for everyone..."

Carter-Newman also became the only player through nine seasons to never be nominated for eviction en route to a 6-1 victory in the finale.

"It's bigger than me," Carter-Newman told the Toronto Star. "The message it sends having a Black winner of such a prominent show let's Black people all around North America know that we can do anything once we set our minds to it.

"I wanted to send a message to the world that Black people can achieve greatness," said Carter-Newman. "I wanted to guarantee that someone Black would win the game. I wanted to put ourselves in a position to make history."

A 6-foot-3, 206-pound guard on the basketball court who played high school ball for Campion Collegiate in Brampton, Carter-Newman preceded his time at McGill by earning an undergraduate degree in 2015 at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont., where he played four seasons of varsity hoops for the Voyageurs. He transferred to McGill for his post-graduate degree and played his fifth year of eligibility at the Montreal-based institution. In 16 regular season games for McGill, he was in the starting lineup nine times and averaged 28.1 minutes of playing time, 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He was credited with 33 assists and 15 steals.

VIDEO: CARTER-NEWMAN REACTS TO HISTORY-MAKING WIN

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
TEL: 514-398-7012
EMAIL: earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca