Edmonton lands U-15, U-17 basketball nationals
Both under-15 and under-17 tournaments at Saville Centre
Edmonton, along with possibly some of the top college coaches in North America, is in for a basketball treat next summer.
The city will host the under-15 and under-17 men’s and women’s Canadian basketball championships, slated to be held July 24-31 at the Saville Community Sports Centre.
“Basketball Alberta is honoured and excited to be hosting the 2014 Canada Basketball National Championships,” Basketball Alberta’s executive director Paul Sir said in a news release that came on behalf of Basketball Alberta and Canada Basketball. “We are committed to creating a true celebration of our great game in Canada and (to) create lifelong memories as we welcome teams, families, coaches and spectators to our community.”
It will be the first time that both tournaments, for both age categories and genders, will be in the same venue. Each province and territory will be represented at the tournaments.
With the surge of Canadian talent at the NCAA and pro levels of basketball in recent years, it’s highly likely that American college coaches will join Canadian college and university coaches in the stands next summer.
The event has been moved from its normal early August start date to fall within an NCAA viewing window that would allow college coaches to make the trip to Edmonton. An application for full event sanctioning by the NCAA for the national championship is currently being undertaken, the release said.
“The young players who represent the provinces and territories have been selected through hard work and commitment to their teams,” Michele O’Keefe, Canada Basketball’s executive director, said in the release.
“The coaches leading these teams have also shown their commitment to basketball development in Canada.”
The tournaments are another notch in the basketball belt for the Saville Centre, which also serves as the training base for Canada’s senior women’s team. Sir and Basketball Alberta are continuing their aim of growing Edmonton’s role in the national program. Goals for 2014 include an international exhibition game as well as an NBA event.