Skip to content

All Native Basketball Tournament qualifier in Prince Rupert

A prelude to the Indigenous tournament was held from November 22-23

The All Native Basketball Tournament qualifier took place this weekend at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre.

The finals came down to a showdown of southern teams as North Shore and Van City faced off against one another with Van City coming out on top by a final score of 86-76.

The qualifier is the precursor to the big tournament this upcoming February.

The tournament in February will be its 60th anniversary, and the event promises to be as big as ever.

Peter Haugan the director of the tournament has been around the game for decades and doesn’t plan on stopping soon.

“I played for a long time, and I have coached. I just love the game and this tournament is a great way to stay around the game,” he said.

While the qualifying tournament doesn’t garner as much attention as the real deal, it is still chock-full of talented athletes and is highly competitive.

READ MORE: Strike Force completes the three-peat

The qualifier is comprised of teams who didn’t make last year’s tournament, and teams who were unable to score a victory at last year’s event. These teams come from across the province, some coming from as far south as Vancouver.

The teams and athletes are hungry and the only thing that will satisfy their appetite is success.

While the goal is to win, there is much more to this tournament than just the game.

“It’s a great way to get these communities together and experience the cultures, and catch up with friends you haven’t seen since last year’s tournament,” Haugan said.

READ MORE: Thrilling finish to 59th All Native Tournament



nick.laws@thenorthernview.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

14527152_web1_WEB-PRU-ANBQT-REBOUND-NL
Brandon Stevens looks on as players fight for the rebound (Nick Laws/ The Northern View)