Bballnationals in 2020 has a perfect vision for Canadian club basketball
Bballnationals has already become a premier tournament in Canadian club basketball. The number of teams from across the country that fill the Langley Events Centre in the Township of Langley is remarkable.
But the tournament organizers have big plans for next year’s version. The goal is to have even more teams from across the country flood the LEC to test themselves and have fun.
“This past year we’ve seen some tremendous momentum and people are really getting excited,” said Co-Founder Anthony Beyrouti. “People find this to be a really fantastic way to end their summer and encourage kids to play basketball at a high level and play teams from across the country. So instead of playing north-south, they’re playing east-west. That’s what really taking off and people love the concept.”
It will once again be held at the Langley Events Centre in the Township of Langley, a facility that Beyrouti called “arguably the best facility in the country”.
“[It has] air-conditioned courts, it is a brand-new facility, it’s unbelievable and unparalleled for our region,” he said.
New to next year’s Bballnationals is the inclusion of divisions for all the age groups. The goal is to have a U13 to U18 division for the boy's tournament, ensuring that all teams from across the country have a team to play the same age as them.
“It’s a very exciting opportunity for kids to play teams from across the country” explained Beyrouti. “That’s been the main goal, it’s what we’ve wanted to do from the start and we’re now seeing it start to pay dividends and people really getting after it.”
Another big addition to the tournament will be an ‘intermediate’ division, to complement the competitive division. This will allow everyone the option to truly test themselves at their own pace out in the Township of Langley.
“Everyone is getting an opportunity to play in the tournament,” Beyrouti said talking to BC Sports Hub. “We want to make it something that people will remember for the rest of their lives.”
Perhaps the biggest selling point of Bballnationals is the chance to play teams you normally wouldn’t see. Beyrouti is emphatic that those who make the decision to travel will not regret it.
“The teams that actually travel to come here they love it,” explained Beyrouti “because they get a fantastic venue, they get a fantastic environment around the tournament, they get to play teams on the west coast and hang out on the west coast and see all the tourism things the Township of Langley and Vancouver have to offer. And, they get high-quality games and they find out the teams out here can actually play at a very high level.
We’ve had some of the top teams from across the country come to the tournament and it’s been very cool to see how excited teams from Ontario and Quebec are to come to the tournament and enjoy themselves. We’ve had [teams] all the way from Newfoundland. They’ve maybe enjoyed it the most.”
The tournament will run from July 28th to August 3rd, 2020. For more details on how to register, head over to bballnationals.com.
Written by: Nick Bondi