A prairie sweep for CF National Basketball Championships
By Amber Schönhaar
Gnr Nebraska Kosy, CFB Shilo makes a basket attempt in the second quarter of the game, at the CF National Basketball Championships.
Photo: Janine Avery |
It was a prairie sweep at the CF National Basketball Championships (February 28-March 3) with CFB Edmonton and host team Shilo meeting in the final game. A strong Edmonton team took the championship title 67-56. The tournament, in its 17th year, saw six teams compete-Esquimalt, Edmonton, Shilo, Petawawa, Ottawa, and Halifax.
"This year marks the first time the host team was invited to play in the tournament and the fact that Shilo and Edmonton reached the final game shows the calibre is high in the prairies," said Jim MacKenzie, Shilo coach and tournament organizer.
Corporal Shawn Quilty of Edmonton said that his team's dedication, practising two or three times a week plus playing games, along with the tightness of the team all contributed to their win. "The time factor is huge especially in Edmonton where our guys are going on lots of tours, so the time we have together for teambuilding and practice is really important," he added.
Cpl Jeremy Kerr of Shilo attributed their success to the team's athletic big men, Gunner Nebraska Kosy and Sergeant Mike Jackson. He added, "Our team played smart and kept calm with the ball. And, our experienced guard play, bench enthusiasm-along with everything just clicking-took us to the finals."
A couple of the players excelled in the tournament shooting 36 or 42 points in games that racked up 60 to 70 points. Cpl Kerr and Gnr Kosy are two of the tournament's all-stars, along with Cpl Mike Ironstand (CFB Esquimalt), Lieutenant Bayo Ajayi (Ottawa), and Gnr Ashley Diggs (CFB Petawawa). The tournament's Most Valuable Player award went to Captain Joe Boland from CFB Edmonton.
Mr. MacKenzie, who was presented with the Dedication to CF Sports Award for 23 years of coaching and playing in the CF basketball program, noted that the best part of the tournament was that it "allowed soldiers to get away from work, play hard, have fun, and most of all, relieve stress, especially in today's world (dealing with operational commitments and the loss of comrades in Afghanistan)."
Last year's champion team, Ottawa, was beat out by Edmonton in the semi-finals.
The Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency (CFPSA) oversees the CF National Sports program and 13 National championships each year.
Ms. Schönhaar is a freelance writer with CFPSA.