Grind Session star and USF commit was also named All-Canadian Boys Player of the Year at halftime.
What a weekend for the Grind Session’s Tristan Beckford.
The Fort Erie International forward led his team to victory at the CWENCH All Canadian Games, dropping a game-high 26 points to go along with 13 boards. For his efforts, Beckford became the 11th Grind Session player to be named MVP of the annual all-star game that has drawn comparisons to America’s McDonald’s All-American Game.
NBA stars Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets and Luguentz Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder are among the other Grind Session players and top Canadian hoopers who have previously taken home game MVP honors.
Adding to his young legacy, Beckford was named the 2025 All Canadian Boys Player of the Year at halftime. He now shares that honor with four other former Grind Session standouts, including Leonard Miller of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Tristan had a phenomenal high school career and has the makings of a future all-conference caliber player in college. His versatility and athleticism make him an immediate-impact guy at any level,” said Grind Session co-founder and CEO Scott Waldrup. “We’re so proud of his continued success and recognition and can’t wait to see him further establish himself as a player to be reckoned with in the months and years ahead.”
According to the 247Sports Composite, Beckford is a four-star recruit, ranking inside the Top 125 and holding a Top 30 ranking at his position. He’s also the top Canadian prospect in the Class of 2025 recruiting cycle.
He played his senior campaign on the Grind Session as a member of Fort Erie International, where he averaged 14.3 points per game, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and shot 45.2% from the field. He was also named a Grind Session All-Star at the end of the season.
Entering the 2024-2025 season, Beckford already held a multitude of Power-4 offers, including Arizona State, Arkansas State, Iowa, Minnesota, and Oregon, among other high-major programs. He originally signed with Arkansas State in December before reopening his recruitment and following coach Bryan Hodgson to the University of Southern Florida (USF).
Beckford has also dominated on the international stage. Last summer, he represented Canada at the U18 Americas Championship in Argentina, helping the team earn a bronze medal. He led the team in scoring (13.3) and rebounding (7.3) and earned all-tournament team honors.
While Beckford went home with the impressive hardware last weekend, he wasn’t the only Grind Session player selected to participate in this year’s All Canadian Games. He was joined by his Fort Erie teammates Matt Dan, Mahliq Guiseppi-Kitson, Chris Kumu, and Promis N’landu, as well as Royal Crown’s Justus Haseley and fellow USF commit Adriel Nyorha of Winston Salem Christian School.
Two former Grind Session players, Jaion Pitt and Austin Goode, were also selected to play in the game. Pitt and Good previously played for Dream City Christian and Royal Crown School, respectively.
