All Native Basketball Tournament facts for kids

The All Native Basketball Tournament is a huge basketball event in British Columbia, Canada. It's also the biggest cultural gathering for Indigenous communities in the country. The tournament takes place every year in Prince Rupert, BC. Thousands of people come to watch and play, including athletes, coaches, and fans. Teams travel from places like Vancouver Island all the way to Alaska to compete! This exciting event brings in a lot of money for Prince Rupert each year. It's special because it's built on "Village Pride," which means communities come together to celebrate their heritage and love for basketball.

History of the Tournament

The All Native Basketball Tournament started a long time ago. It began in 1947. Back then, it was called the Northern British Columbia Coast Indian Championship Tournament (NBCCICT). The very first tournament was held in the Roosevelt Gymnasium. About 400 people came to watch and cheer! The main idea behind starting the tournament was to bring Indigenous communities together. It was a way to build friendships and community spirit through friendly basketball games.

However, in 1953, the tournament stopped for a while. Not enough teams were interested at that time. But don't worry, it came back! In 1959, people decided to bring the tournament back to life. It officially restarted on March 2, 1960. This time, it had a new name: the All Native Basketball Tournament.

Tournament Divisions and Champions

The All Native Basketball Tournament is a big competition. It has four different divisions for teams to play in. Around 50 teams compete across all these divisions! When the tournament first restarted in 1960, there were only two divisions: Senior and Intermediate. That year, 15 teams played for the championship titles.

In 1993, the tournament grew even bigger. Two new divisions were added: Women's and Masters. This allowed even more players to join the fun!

Some teams have been very successful over the years:

• Senior Division: The team from Hydaburg, Alaska, has won the most championships. They got their first win in 1997. Now, they hold the record with 13 Senior championship victories!
• Masters Division: Hydaburg, Alaska, also leads in the Masters division. They have won seven championships in this category.
• Intermediate Division: In this division, many different teams have won. Metlakatla, Alaska, has the most wins with eight championships.
• Women's Division: Metlakatla, British Columbia, has won the most championships in the Women's division, with eight victories.

The 2019 Tournament

The 2019 All Native Basketball Tournament was held from February 10 to February 16. It was an exciting week of games! To make sure everyone could follow along, the games were broadcast live. You could watch them online or listen on the radio. This made it easier for people far away to feel like they were part of the action.

Tournament organizers want the event to keep growing. They hope it will become well-known across all of Canada. They want everyone, not just Indigenous communities, to recognize this amazing cultural and sporting event.

2019 Tournament Winners:

• Senior: Kitkatla
• Women's: Kitamaat
• Master's: Hydaburg, AK
• Intermediate: Skidegate

See Also

• Basketball in British Columbia