INUVIK
East Three Secondary School is hosting its annual three-on-three basketball tournament next week to kick off the new year with a full court press.

Vanessa Lennie attempts to keep the ball from Fort McPherson player Colleen Kangegana during a previous year's three-on-three basketball tournament. East Three is hosting the event Jan. 22 and 23. - NNSL file photo

"It's high energy, lots of fun, and a good way to get out and meet people and spread the good word of basketball," said coach and vice-principal Lorne Guy.

"We didn't run it last year, so I'm curious to see how it's going to be. I hope a lot of teams sign up."

The tournament, and clinic that precedes it, will run Jan. 22 and 23 at the school. The event has been a staple kickoff of back-to-school after the Christmas break for close to 10 years, barring the last when Guy was away.

Students come in from all over the Beaufort Delta to participate at no cost to the players, something Guy said he was eager to see expand.

"Inuvik is the hub of the region," he said.

"If I get more kids from the Delta, we can get more funding to run our programs. I've always been a numbers guy, and the more kids we can get playing basketball, the better."

Participation in previous years ranged from 30 players in the best years, to 10 or 12 players in the slowest. Still, Guy said he is happy to run the clinic for anyone who wants to come out and benefit from it. The real highlight of the weekend, however, is the tournament played on the Saturday afternoon, Jan. 23, to which teams from the community are also invited.

Making categories on the spot, depending on the number and ability of teams who show up, organizers open up the gym and run four games, all at the same time. Scrimmages last seven minutes, and then everyone swaps out, playing round robin to crown the victor.

Player Jackson Christie said the tournament is always a good time, largely because it's all for fun.

"You get to play with all your buds, and there's no pressure," he told the Drum.

"It's not like if you lose, you're done."

While Christie is mostly looking forward to the tournament itself, he said he expects the clinic will also be valuable.

"It's always cool to do stuff like that," he said.

"More communities are coming down, so you get to meet up with other people who play basketball."

Typically, the event draws between 20 and 25 adult players from the community, with a $10 entry fee going to cover their membership with NWT Basketball. Guy said the more people involved in the game he loves, the better.

"I played for 13 years, and I made a pledge to myself that I would give back for 13 years," he said.

"I'm proud to say I'm on my second 13 years now and I hope it keeps going."