#RepYourRegion: Finish Strong is ready to see Bballnationals past the finish line

You can expect some exciting final quarters at this year’s Bballnationals tournament, thanks to the inclusion of East Vancouver’s Finish Strong Basketball club.

“It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish” reads the team’s slogan.

The club was established in 2012 simply to fulfill the need for an accessible, affordable basketball program for people that live in Vancouver’s East side.

“We don’t cut players and want to give everyone an opportunity to play,” explains David Knight, club founder.

Finish Strong is focused on giving opportunities for youth to perform both on and off the court.

“What makes us unique from other clubs [and] programs is that we like to give our players job opportunities and work experience to give back to our younger players,” explains Knight.

This will be Finish Strong’s first time at Bballnationals, and Knight is looking forward to what if offers the players.

“The experience of games being live streamed and [the] tourneys atmosphere [is] such a great opportunity for the young players to witness,” Knight professes. “Not many tourneys put in that much.”

As the name implies, Finish Strong is a team that wants to give every match everything they’ve got.

“Our players just want to compete,” remarks Knight. “They love the competition.”

A national tournament marks a big leap forward for the club, as they’ve only competed in local tourneys thus far.

Exposure to teams from across Canada is something Knight is looking forward to, and he and his team are looking to make the most of it.

“We will be for sure noticing how other teams play and how they prepare themselves,” assures Knight.

Bballnationals begins at the end of the month, but there’s still time to register your team. Head over to the Bballnationals registration page here and get involved with one of the summer’s biggest tournaments.

Written by: Jake Cressy