Four years in the making, the first ever Clash of Clans basketball tournament is set to take place beginning Sept. 27 in the Nass Valley.
Bobby Mitchell, head coach of the UBC Okanagan Heat, said he's excited to finally see the idea come to fruition.
"Tom (Huisman, the school's athletic director) and myself, we were approached with this idea for a tournament four years ago, but because of COVID, and the travel involved it fell through numerous times until this year," said Mitchell. "It is a pretty amazing opportunity."
"It is a great event to share culture and build leadership through a common connection in the game of basketball," said Alan Nutini, director of Wild Camps.
The tournament will feature the women's Heat basketball team from UBC Okanagan and their competitors the Cougars from the University of Regina, the Griffins from MacEwan University in Edmonton and the Cougars from Mount Royal University in Calgary.
It is a warm up for the start of the Canada West Universities Athletics Association's regular basketball season, which begins Oct. 31.
Games will be played between Sept 27- 29 in Laxgalts'ap, Gitlax瘫t'aamiks (New Aiyansh) and Gingolx.
"Myself and the other coaches will also be holding a clinic for some of the players up there, who range in age from kids to adults," said Mitchell.
"For us, the basketball is the second part of what we are doing as we get the opportunity to be in classrooms in some of the communities," he said.
He explained that the players will be split into three groups and put into Kindergarten to Grade 6 classrooms, where they will share their life experiences and stories, while also listening to and hearing the children's perspectives on their lives.
UBCO athletes will talk to students at a school in Gingolx, Regina in Gitlaxt鈥檃amiks, Mount Royal in Laxgalts鈥檃ap and MacEwan in Gitwinksihlk.
"It is not just a trip for basketball, it is a trip to learn more about their cultures," added Heat third-year guard Lily Pink.
Players from the University of Regina and UBCO will also respectively participate in a walk and run with school students to bring attention to the importance of Truth and Reconciliation, as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is on Monday, Sept. 30. Staff at Laxgalts鈥檃p and Gitwinksihlk are in discussions to implement an initiative as well.
Mitchell noted there is an academic component involved as well. UBC Okanagan Indigenous professors will help guide grade school students in the Nass Valley toward pursuing a post-secondary career if they are interested.
For Heat sophomore Tennyson McCarty, the tournament will be extra special.
"My mom comes from the Red River Nation," she said. "So, I am excited to connect more with my culture on the basketball side as I know they love basketball. We are going to try to be good stewards of the land and respect them and their culture."
The games will feature opening ceremonies, with each team representing a Nisga'a clan. The Killer Whale clan will be represented by UBCO, the Wolf clan will be represented by Regina, the Eagle clan will be represented by MacEwan, and the Raven clan will be represented by Mount Royal.
The schedule for the tournament is as follows:
Friday, Sept. 27 Events鈥� Gingolx Recreation Centre
6:00 p.m. Game: UBCO vs. MacEwan
8:00 p.m. Game: Regina vs. Mount Royal
Saturday, Sept. 28 Events
11:00 a.m: Officials Clinic 鈥� Gitlaxt鈥檃amiks Recreation Centre Meeting Room
12:00 p.m.: Elite Player Training (University Coaches) 鈥� Gitlaxt鈥檃amiks Recreation Meeting Room
Sessions are free, but there is limited space. Register early with chester@peopleofthegrizzly.com.
6:00 p.m. Game: Mount Royal vs UBCO 鈥� Laxgalts鈥檃p Recreation Centre
8:00 p.m. Game: MacEwan vs Regina 鈥� Laxgalts鈥檃ap Recreaction Centre
Sunday, Sept. 29 Events 鈥� Gitlaxt鈥檃amiks Recreation Centre
2:00 p.m Game: MacEwan vs Mount Royal
4:00 p.m. Game:UBCO vs Regina
Post Games 鈥� Closing Ceremonies and Awards
- With files from Bowen Assman.
