Mini Players Impress Spectators at Steve Nash Youth Basketball Challenge
13 junior players joined in the Mini Basketball Festival on the weekend of April 2 & 3. This year's festival had an unique opportunity to participate in the Steve Nash Youth Basketball Challenge hosted by Basketball BC at a beautiful venue the Langley Event Centre.
During the tournament, BCWBS members played total of four exhibition games and two of the games featured players from Steve Nash league teams as well. Stand-up basketball players struggled with maneuvering wheelchairs and getting shots up from sitting position but showed their great basketball skills to match against and with our players.
Two other games are played between BCWBS juniors. Young athletes are surely developing their skills over the years and impressed not only their parents and coaches but also the spectators.
Coach Nathan, Brad, Joe, and Bo made the weekend fun as well as great learning experience for all the participants. Referee Dean and Conston helped the young athletes including stand-up players understand the game and rules as well.
Between the games on Saturday, players was tasked a scavenger interview hunt and four groups of three wondered around the venue trying to get answers from stand-up basketball teams, their families, staff members, volunteers, etc. Caleb-Joel-Barlaj team beat other teams by 1 point but everyone did a great job working as a team and accomplishing the task.
After lunch on Sunday, Coach Bo shared story about his basketball and Paralympic experience with our young athletes. Everyone was impressed with the Paralympic medal that Bo brought for them to take a look.
Basketball BC did a great job with organizing this event as well as accommodating wheelchair division into their tournament. It was really neat to see everyone, whether in wheelchair or standing up, who loves basketball enjoying their game together at the same venue.
Great job to all the junior players over the weekend!
Big thanks to Nathan, Brad, Joe, and Bo for enthusiastic coaching and also to the families for their support.
We would also like to thank Basketball BC, Wheelchair Basketball Canada, and the Georgina Foundation for their generous support.
More photos from the weekend can be found at our facebook page.