BBall Nationals continuing to grow the game of basketball in Canada

Back for a third consecutive year, Bballnationals is excited to host some of Canada's best and brightest club programs in coast-to-coast competition.

As basketball continues to grow in Canada, we're starting to see plenty of talent from up north excel in both the NCAA and NBA. For BBall Nationals Tournament Director, Darcy Coss, the opportunity to be a part of an event that can help to grow the game of basketball in Canada was just too good to pass up.

“The number one thing was the vision. [. . .] said Coss on why he joined the BBall Nationals team. “There’s plenty of other big tournaments around the nation that will host teams from all over the country, but their vision is not to be a national tournament. That’s what sets us apart; we have that vision. You can have all the bells and whistles, and you can have teams from all over the country but if you’re not stating ‘We want to be a nationals’, you’re just another tournament.”

That vision?

To be a barometer for where basketball currently stands in this country. For club teams, it’s imperative to test yourself against the best. So to be able to do that against Canadian competition, makes BBall Nationals a project that’s well worth it.

“When you have competition outside your region, it helps push the envelope in regards to talent and coaching” explained Coss. “It just elevates the game as a whole." In Canada, we travel a lot to the United States and we use that as our barometer for where we want to be. I think there's a world in the future where Canada can use the teams in their own country as a barometer of where they want to be.

"BBall Nationals also brings coaches from across the country together on a larger scale than in some of the other models —which is limited to one team per province.”

For Coss — the former Executive Director of the Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association — a successful tournament would see coaches and teams from across Canada buy into the same vision and make BBall Nationals a staple of the Canadian basketball calendar.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how people react,” he said. “This isn’t the first year the tournament has run, but I'm looking forward to seeing how people respond to the vision. We’re saying 'Hey, we're a national tournament and we’re treating it as such.”

Team registration for BBall Nationals closes Monday, July 15 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Visit the BBall Nationals website to learn more, and stay tuned to BC Sports Hub for exclusive coverage of the tournament.

Written by: Nick Bondi