Teams try to bond at Games
REGINA — Like many of the teams at the North American Indigenous Games, Saskatchewan’s under-16 boys’ basketball entry is running the “Four Corners” offence.
Because the squad comprises players from the four corners of the province, the team members didn’t have a lot of time together to gel before the games began.
That means the early games are a feeling-out process for the new teammates.
“We’ve got guys from up north, guys from down south, guys from here in Regina and a guy from Saskatoon — we’ve got them from all over,” head coach Lonnie Mercredi said Sunday after the U16 team opened its tournament with a 71-54 loss to Wisconsin at the University of Regina.
“We had to go through three tryouts, so it was a long process to put the team together. We went to a tournament in Edmonton prior to this to get them prepared. It has been a long haul to get them here.”
Mercredi said the squad had “four or five” practices, including a couple of weekend workouts that involved six hours worth of practice.
The trouble is, players are scattered across the province and not all of them made it to every session.
“Some weekends, we had guys not be able to show up for legitimate reasons — either they were in another city at that point in time or they were ill,” Mercredi said. “It does make it a little difficult sometimes not having them always there all the time.
“Consistency really does pay off in the end.”
The biggest issue may involve the team’s offence.
Without a lot of practice under their belts, the players may not have a good handle on offensive sets or play calls. As a result, things sometimes could devolve into an individual showcase.
“That’s the hardest thing, when not everyone knows what’s going on,” said Don Campbell, a 16-yearold Beauval resident who plays high school basketball with the Valley View Voyageurs.
“It’s kind of hard at times when everyone’s not at practice, but we’re doing OK. We just try our best.”
That’s all Mercredi can ask of his charges.
“I’ve been doing everything from (working out of) a playbook to reinforcing what we’re supposed to be doing — reinforce, reinforce, reinforce,” the head coach said. “It makes things easier in the end, but you do still face some difficulties.
“It’s a different type of team. It’s not like high school basketball where you can practise two or three times a week consistently for a straight period of time. This is spread out.
“You’ve got your challenges, but you try to overcome them.”
Team Saskatchewan couldn’t overcome a talented Wisconsin squad in Sunday’s opener.
Pressing after each made basket in the early going, the visitors scored the game’s first nine points. Saskatchewan rallied to take a 17-13 advantage before Wisconsin scored six straight points to lead 19-17 after one.
After being up 30-27 at halftime, the Americans outscored Saskatchewan 25-8 in the third quarter to take control of the game. The visitors rested their starters in the fourth quarter but were never threatened.
Griffin Summers scored Wisconsin’s first 13 points and finished with 23 in the game. Zach Pederson had 24 to lead Saskatchewan.
Wisconsin’s entry faces a similar issue to Team Saskatchewan in that its roster features players from different centres.
Summers said the squad practised seven times in the past two months to prepare for the Games — and the players’ familiarity with each other was evident Sunday.
“We have a pretty good flow,” said Summers, a 15-year-old resident of Green Bay. “We’ve played together with different high school teams, so we all mesh together really well.”
That was evident of Team Wisconsin as a whole Sunday.
The U of R’s gyms were packed with Wisconsin athletes and family members there to cheer on their state’s various basketball teams.
For Summers, NAIG 2014 — in the grand scheme of things — represents a bonding opportunity for everyone involved.
“There’s a great atmosphere,” he said. “There’s a lot of competitiveness, but at the end we’re all one tribe. It all just helps us come closer.”
Results can be found online (regina2014naig.com).
The Games continue through Saturday.