Canada’s Best Come Together to Be One
Last Updated: January 09, 2008
Be One All-Canadian Weekend set to showcase the brightest talent in Canada.
This weekend marks the second year that Canada Basketball will be holding the Be One All-Canadian Weekend. The event celebrates some of the best basketball players from both the Canadian university and college ranks from across the country gathering them together for a weekend. Canada Basketball has selected Toronto’s Humber College as the site of this year’s location for the athletes who will receive instruction from an array of coaches as well as participate in intense competition.
Basketball in Canada is one of the fastest growing sports and has not yet had a national event to recognize its Canadian athletes. The Be One All-Canadian Weekend was created to provide a showcase event for the great basketball talent in both the CIS and CCAA.
For many players, the NCAA is the only way they feel they can continue playing basketball after high school. Canada Basketball is in the process of actively promoting the CIS and CCAA basketball routes as great post secondary options for players wishing to continue playing the sport at a high level. The underlying message the event is trying to promote is that staying in Canada to pursue a basketball career is a viable option for our student athletes. Keeping the talent pool within Canada is a key to keeping the playing level of the sport high in the country and this event was created help to highlight those who chose to stay and play in Canada.
“We are trying to keep the Canadian basketball talent in Canada,” says Canada Basketball CEO Fred Nykamp. “Canada Basketball needs to communicate to players to make pro Canadian choices when it comes to colleges and universities. The Be One event is a culmination of one of our efforts.”
The participants in this year’s event are a who’s who of the best talent that the collegiate and university level Canada has seen in recent years. Canada Basketball invites all of the CIS’s and CCAA’s top players to the Be One weekend. Those invited currently hold the distinction of being placed among the top players in the country as well as being recipients of major awards in their respective leagues. Participating in this year’s event are eight of the ten All-Canadian CIS men’s and women’s First and Second Team members, ten CCAA men’s and women’s All Canadian selections along with some of the talent on the rise in both leagues. Two of the confirmed players include the CIS Players of the Year Sarah Crooks from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and Osvaldo Jeanty of the five time national champion Carleton University Ravens.
The Be One All-Canadian Weekend will involve several components for the players. Though the focus will be on skill development through instruction from some of the elite coaches in Canada along side the National Team staff, there will also be an in class discussion session. This particular portion of the weekend has current and former professional players, coaches and individuals involved in other areas of basketball to give the weekend’s participants advice and shed light on various avenues that can be taken utilizing their playing experience after graduation. The session will encompass such things as exploring professional playing opportunities overseas and coaching. Among those slated to attend the sessions are former professional and National Team player Greg Francis, former NBA draft pick Will Njoku and coaches Chris O’Rourke of the University of Guelph and Humber College’s Darrell Glenn.
Last year’s Be One participant Osvaldo Jeanty has this to say of the event: “The event is a great thing. You get a chance to be coached by members of the National Team and you also get great individual coaching as well. The event also offers a chance for players to gain exposure. (Last year’s) event definitely helped to improve my overall game.”
The Be One All-Canadian Weekend will begin on Thursday May 3. The athletes will have three on court instruction sessions with the first Thursday night. The Women’s All Star Game will tip off at 12:00am Saturday morning with the Men’s All Star Game slated for a 2:30pm start time. Tickets to the games will be $10 for general admission and $5 for all Be One Members.
Written by: Ray Bala from www.thehoop-la.com
This weekend marks the second year that Canada Basketball will be holding the Be One All-Canadian Weekend. The event celebrates some of the best basketball players from both the Canadian university and college ranks from across the country gathering them together for a weekend. Canada Basketball has selected Toronto’s Humber College as the site of this year’s location for the athletes who will receive instruction from an array of coaches as well as participate in intense competition.
Basketball in Canada is one of the fastest growing sports and has not yet had a national event to recognize its Canadian athletes. The Be One All-Canadian Weekend was created to provide a showcase event for the great basketball talent in both the CIS and CCAA.
For many players, the NCAA is the only way they feel they can continue playing basketball after high school. Canada Basketball is in the process of actively promoting the CIS and CCAA basketball routes as great post secondary options for players wishing to continue playing the sport at a high level. The underlying message the event is trying to promote is that staying in Canada to pursue a basketball career is a viable option for our student athletes. Keeping the talent pool within Canada is a key to keeping the playing level of the sport high in the country and this event was created help to highlight those who chose to stay and play in Canada.
“We are trying to keep the Canadian basketball talent in Canada,” says Canada Basketball CEO Fred Nykamp. “Canada Basketball needs to communicate to players to make pro Canadian choices when it comes to colleges and universities. The Be One event is a culmination of one of our efforts.”
The participants in this year’s event are a who’s who of the best talent that the collegiate and university level Canada has seen in recent years. Canada Basketball invites all of the CIS’s and CCAA’s top players to the Be One weekend. Those invited currently hold the distinction of being placed among the top players in the country as well as being recipients of major awards in their respective leagues. Participating in this year’s event are eight of the ten All-Canadian CIS men’s and women’s First and Second Team members, ten CCAA men’s and women’s All Canadian selections along with some of the talent on the rise in both leagues. Two of the confirmed players include the CIS Players of the Year Sarah Crooks from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and Osvaldo Jeanty of the five time national champion Carleton University Ravens.
The Be One All-Canadian Weekend will involve several components for the players. Though the focus will be on skill development through instruction from some of the elite coaches in Canada along side the National Team staff, there will also be an in class discussion session. This particular portion of the weekend has current and former professional players, coaches and individuals involved in other areas of basketball to give the weekend’s participants advice and shed light on various avenues that can be taken utilizing their playing experience after graduation. The session will encompass such things as exploring professional playing opportunities overseas and coaching. Among those slated to attend the sessions are former professional and National Team player Greg Francis, former NBA draft pick Will Njoku and coaches Chris O’Rourke of the University of Guelph and Humber College’s Darrell Glenn.
Last year’s Be One participant Osvaldo Jeanty has this to say of the event: “The event is a great thing. You get a chance to be coached by members of the National Team and you also get great individual coaching as well. The event also offers a chance for players to gain exposure. (Last year’s) event definitely helped to improve my overall game.”
The Be One All-Canadian Weekend will begin on Thursday May 3. The athletes will have three on court instruction sessions with the first Thursday night. The Women’s All Star Game will tip off at 12:00am Saturday morning with the Men’s All Star Game slated for a 2:30pm start time. Tickets to the games will be $10 for general admission and $5 for all Be One Members.
Written by: Ray Bala from www.thehoop-la.com
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