Two Alaska-based teams will now be participating in the Masters Division of the 2015 All Native Basketball Tournament (ANBT).
Two late invites were sent out to Hydaburg, AK and Metlakatla, AK to boost the number of Masters teams to 12. The two teams were first and second respectively on the standby list before joining the tourney.
“We wanted American teams in if we could get them in and they were the next two on the waiting list,” said ANBT president Peter Haugan.
While there was no qualifying tournament for the Masters Division for 2015, Hydaburg and Metlakatla will be joining to even the number of teams out across the divisions a little more closely.
The seniors have 14 teams competing, the women’s division has 14 and the intermediates have 12.
Bella Coola, who was third on the standby list, is now pushed to first. The standby list is created in order of who first contacts ANBT officials stating their intent to participate.
“Bella Coola’s the first standby and we never had a qualifying tournament for the masters so it’s not like anybody’s left out,” said Haugan.
The competing teams in the Masters Division now consists of Masset, Bella Bella, Kincolith, Kitamaat, Gitwinksihlkw, Prince Rupert, Kitkatla, New Aiyansh, Port Simpson, Greenville and Hydaburg, AK and Metlakatla, AK.
The 2015 ANBT will take place at Prince Rupert’s Jim Ciccone Civic Centre from Feb. 8 – 14. Old Massett are the two-time defending Masters champs.