A group of 12 young people from Halifax will make up the first Canadian team to ever play in a special basketball tournament in the United States.
“We’re going from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean — we’re going worldwide,” said a grinning Colter Simmonds, director of We Will Win Youth Association (also known as 3WYA).
The organization is about combining culture, education, and basketball to help young people succeed in mutliple aspects of life.
Simmonds coaches 3WYA’s team. The players will compete in the IndiHoops World Championship in San Diego.
The tournament, now in its second year, is for players in Grade 8. There will be teams from Florida, New York, and Las Vegas.
Simmonds’ team is the first and only international team in the three-day event.
“Canadian basketball is definitely on the rise, and there’s a lot of buzz around it,” said Brian Hershman in a phone interview. “I think that the field is extremely loaded, but I think they’re going to compete very well.”
The team is made up of players from different communities in the municipality.
“I’m excited to show what we have because a lot of people underestimate Canadian basketball, so we’re trying to change that,” said Jayrell Diggs, who is from East Preston.
He will be playing in the tournament with fellow teammate James Fitzgerald, who is from Cole Harbour.
Both said the program has made them more mature, both on and off of the court.
“It’s helped me become such a better person and a better basketball player so far, and I’d like to keep going and see how far I can go,” said Fitzgerald.
The team will travel to San Diego on Tuesday.
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