67th Annual

The 67^th BC High School Boys Championship is again hosted by the Langley Events Center for the second consecutive year, in hopes of again drawing a good size crowd.

This year’s opening game featured Point Grey take on Yale which is the opening tip-off caught by Sportswave photographer Laird Allan.

It’s not unusual that the first day is sparce for those attending, but throughout the week, the crowd continues to grow and by week’s end, it’s a sell-out!!

Last year’s event was a learning experience for both parties, but overall it was a success, both on and off the court.Organizations look at making changes all for the better of the sport and Basketball BC is no exception.

One should remember that the success of the event is due to the support of the volunteers throughout the years, dating before my time.

The history of the event was written and saved by the late Ken Wright, who coached teams such as Duke of Connaught to four championships and Vancouver College to five titles.

The event has produced super star Steve Nash led the SMU Blue Devils to a 76-48 win in 1992 over Pitt Meadows, which was the first championship for SMU.

The first year the tournament saw four teams compete and the following year it went to eight.

In 1948 it expanded to 16 teams where Magee won the trophy over Connaught by a margin of 48-41.

Tournament Director John Buis told me “it’s a part of keeping a tradition alive from one generation to another, which is rich with past players that have moved on to play at a higher level”.

Buis played for the North Delta Huskies from 1971-73 and has no regrets with his choice of sport.

His brother played pro football for the BC Lions as guard/tackle from 1983-89.

So sports run in the family.

Entering the tournament it’s interesting that Kelowna is ranked 1^st, while Pitt Meadows coached by Rich Goulet is ranked 2^nd.

It’s a week of basketball you soon won’t forget.