T-wolves get behind elementary hoops tournament
Nav Parmar wants basketball to be a game any kid can play.
Money, or the lack of it, should never be a barrier that gets in the way of taking shots or making blocks in a game of hoops, especially when it means a chance to play for your school.
With that in mind, Parmar, an assistant coach for the UNBC Timberwolves university men’s team, has organized the Junior Timberwolves/School District 57 Hoops Classic, a one-day, eight-team tournament today from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Duchess Park secondary school.
The past three Junes, Parmar has been the driving force behind a three-on-three basketball tournament for high school-aged kids. The popularity of that event with school district staff convinced Parmar to put on the elementary tournament.
“I wanted to give them something different, something the kids had never experi- enced before,” said Parmar.
Due to space restrictions in the Duchess Park gym the tournament is limited to eight School District 57 venture (inner-city) elementary schools – Harwin, Nusdeh Yoh, Spruceland, Ron Brent, Quinson, Van Bien, Westwood and McBride Centennial.
“They do have an elementary school league but not every school has a team,” said Parmar. “Even if each school can generate eight to 10 kids, this tournament is meant to be fun, and the players don’t have to be very skilled or gifted.”
Parmar says there are plenty of examples of kids who are great athletes but don’t play organized sports because their families lack the money for equipment and registration fees or other factors which keep them from getting involved in sports through camps or recreational leagues. Today’s tournament could provide that door-opener for a hidden star.
“I just want them to develop that passion for the game and give them opportunity to play the game,” said Parmar. “These kids are the future of the sport so the earlier you get them involved with basketball the better it will be for them moving forward. A lot of this demographic lacks the self-confidence of believing they’re good in the sport or they lack the positive reinforcement, and that’s where we come in.”
Both UNBC T-wolves basketball teams have several local players on the roster playing at the university level in U Sports. On the men’s team are Tyrell Laing (PGSS), Dan Stark (Kelly Road) and Nolan Hanson (College Heights), while the women’s team has Madison Landry (Duchess Park), Alina Shakirova (Duchess Park), Alexis Magrath (D.P. Todd), Emily Holmes (Duchess Park) and Emily Aase (PGSS).
“I always tell kids that whatever sport you play or whatever your passion is, if your passion and your skill is good enough hopefully you can go to a post-secondary institution and have your education paid for by applying that sport to it,” said Parmar. “What better goal to set for yourself?”
Parmar hopes the elementary tournament will become an annual event. After playing three-round-robin game each, the top four teams will advance to semifinal games today at noon, followed by the final at 1 p.m.
The event is being sponsored by Hub City Volkswagen, Subway, Panago Pizza and the Northern Husky sports program.