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PHOENIX, ARIZ.
Basketball, education and culture have taken a team of 13 athletes from the NWT to Arizona and back again.

The members of Team NWT who competed in the Native American Basketball Invitational included, back row, from left, Brandon Tonka, Adrien Tremblay, Laurent Isaiah, Charles Gargan, Chris Church, Zachary Bayha and coach Neil Barry. Front row, from left, Devan Horassi, Gabriel Klengenberg, Hugh Evalik, Dwight Hardisty, Nick Wrigley, Eric Bayha and Francis Doctor. - photo courtesy of Kathleen Barry

Neil Barry, a science teacher and basketball coach at Thomas Simpson School, organized the opportunity for NWT athletes to compete at the Native American Basketball Invitational in Phoenix.

More than 100 teams from across North America participated in the tournament, making it the largest any of the NWT athletes had competed in. The NWT was the only Canadian entry.

Basketball may be the reason students sign up for the trip, but Barry said it's also a hook to broaden the athletes' horizons, encouraging them to go to college or university after they graduate.

While in Phoenix, players toured the campuses of UCLA, Grand Canyon University and Phoenix University. The first day of the tournament also incorporated a career fair where universities promoted themselves to the students.

Opening their eyes to the world

Taking the students to Phoenix is also about opening their eyes to the world and giving them the chance to travel so they aren't afraid to leave home after they graduate from high school, Barry said.

"Pretty much every day was packed with something we'd never seen or done before," he said.

The trip began on July 1 with the 13 athletes, including six from Fort Simpson, two from Yellowknife, one from Inuvik and four from Tulita, participating in a basketball camp in Yellowknife.

On July 5, the group flew to Los Angeles and spent four days there before driving through the desert to Phoenix.

"The whole trip was really fun," said Adrien Tremblay.

Tremblay, 18, said some of the highlights for him included going to Disneyland and Universal Studios. Teammate Laurent Isaiah, 18, said the activities were fun, including going to a Women's National Basketball Association game featuring the Los Angeles Sparks.

Tremblay and Isaiah, both from Fort Simpson, also enjoyed the tournament.

They agreed the first game was Team NWT's best.

Up against Chaos of North Dakota, Team NWT won 75-64. However, the NWT lost its second game of the day against Arizona's Hoksila Sica.

A second loss came against Team Yaqui of Nevada. Things were looking up in Team NWT's playoff game.

The team was up by two against Team Jordan of North Dakota. This lead vanished, however, when with less than 10 seconds in the game Team Jordan scored a layup to tie the game.

With two seconds left a North Dakota player shot a buzzer beater to give Team Jordan a 57-54 win.

"They were all pretty tough," said Isaiah, about Team NWT's competition.

Special honour

Isaiah received a special honour at the end of the tournament. He was chosen to play in the NABI all-star team against Kenny Dobbs and his Ball is Life crew.

The team, coached by NBA all star A.C. Green, won the game 58-56. Isaiah was the leading point scorer on the team.

"It was so fun," he said.

Isaiah said the tournament helped prepare him for the 17U Men's National Championships from July 31 to Aug. 5 in Sherbrooke, Que.

Devan Horassi from Fort Simpson, who was also on the trip, is also part of that team.

This is the second year Barry has organized the trip. Last year, while teaching in Tulita, he took 12 students to Phoenix.

Barry said he was pleased with how the team played, saying, regardless of how the game was going they never slowed down or got frustrated.

"They played hard from beginning to end," said Barry. "I was really proud of them."

Barry said he thinks the trip met its goals both on and off the court.

"I think the guys are really talking about what they want to do," he said, related to careers and future goals.

Approximately $35,000 was fundraised to make the trip possible, including a $10,000 contribution from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

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