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Breaking new ground Team NWT makes it to second round of playoffs in Phoenix
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, August 1, 2013
PHOENIX, ARIZ.
Thirteen basketball players from the Northwest Territories broke new ground at a tournament in Phoenix, Ariz., last month.
Team NWT advanced to the second round of playoffs for the first time at the Native American Basketball Invitational in Phoenix, Ariz. The team includes, back row, from left: Louie Bonnetrouge, Francis Ayah, Devan Horassi, Chris Church, Jozef Semmler, Laurent Isaiah, Tyler Lafferty, Eric Bayha and Christian Cli-Hopf. Front row, from left: Kane Yakeleya, Nicholas Yakeleya, Kevin Roche and Tyson Netser. - photo courtesy of Neil Barry
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The athletes from Fort Simpson, Tulita, Inuvik and Yellowknife made it into the second round of the silver division playoffs at the Native American Basketball Invitational. In the three years that coach Neil Barry has been taking teams to the tournament, it is the first time that an NWT team has advanced that far.
Team NWT, which included Tyler Lafferty, Laurent Isaiah, Kevin Roche and Devan Horassi of Fort Simpson, began with three exhibition games against local teams on July 15. It was the first time the team had played together.
"They were a good practice for sure," said Barry.
The tournament began on July 17 with 64 girls teams and 64 boys teams. Team NWT started with a 72-46 loss against O's Boys from northern Arizona.
The losing streak continued through all of their round-robin games including a 61-30 loss to Lakota Pride from South Dakota and another to the AZ Warriors from Arizona.
Looking at the skills of the other teams in the pool, including the Warriors which went on to play in the gold division championship game, the players didn't feel too badly about losing, said Barry.
"We know we had had some strong teams," he said.
Many of the round-robin games only had a 10- to 15-point spread going into the final quarter when Barry made the decision to put the team's younger players on the court.
It was hard for athletes in grades 8 and 9 to compete against much larger men, he said.
"They played really hard and they got lots of experience," said Barry.
Team NWT had their first win in the first playoff game in the silver division. The top two teams from each round-robin pool went to the gold division and the bottom two went to the silver.
On the court against the SR Warriors from Arizona, Team NWT won by approximately 15 points.
"We played well together for the first time," said Barry.
The win energized the team.
"Players on the bench were cheering for the guys on the floor," he said.
"It was really great."
That game was definitely the team's best, said Horassi, who played point guard.
This was Horassi's second year at the tournament. This year's team was stronger than last year's, he said.
"It was a really good experience," Horassi said about the competition.
Team NWT went on to play Team Yaqui of Arizona on July 20 in the second round of the silver division playoffs with only 16 teams remaining. The game ended in a loss.
"We struggled with them from the beginning of the game," said Barry.
"They outplayed us and they won."
Barry said the entire team played well throughout the tournament, and that the trip met his goals of introducing athletes to the wider world and to a higher level of basketball competition.
All of the players at the tournament are aboriginal, so the athletes from the NWT get a chance to see what
youth like themselves can accomplish with work, Barry said.
"I think it's powerful," he said.
The tournament also encourages aboriginal youth to go on to post-secondary school and to succeed. There was a career fair and university and college booths at the tournament as well as daily motivational speakers.
Horassi said the tournament has inspired him to improve his basketball performance and possibly play at the college level.
"I want to get better."
For Horassi, 17, highlights of the trip included meeting A.C. Green, a former NBA basketball player, and being able to be in Phoenix for a second year with Team NWT.
The athletes also had the chance to share their culture, including handgames, with other teams at the tournament and to take in some sights including the Arizona Science Centre.
Although the trip was about basketball, Barry said the highlight for him was facilitating the daily team meetings where the athletes shared the day's highlights, things to work on and concerns. By the end, some of the players said the relationships they'd formed were more important than the basketball experience they'd gained.
"They found a supportive network of friends that they could be open and honest with," he said.
"I think it was an amazing experience in that way."
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