The Ucluelet Secondary School Warriors recently bounced through a busy weekend with several teams competing in their first basketball tournaments of the season.
The senior girls team, coached by Ornellia Cirella and Emily Collins, beat Victoria’s Glenlyon Norfolk School, but took a loss against Maple Ridge at a tournament in Duncan.
“All team players worked hard and played well,” Cirella told the Westerly News, adding that Janessa Frank, Jaysen Touchie and Carol Tom each won Player of the Game awards.
“They were very enthusiastic, they played really hard and they played well. We still need to work on our offence, but they did really well on their defence.”
The season runs until February and Cirella said she has high expectations for her squad.
“After this tournament, I feel like we have the potential to win the Islands, or be in the top 3, which means we could go to the B.C. finals,” she said.
She added the team has “improved significantly” from past years and could produce the best season in recent memory.
Colin Maxwell coaches the Grade 8 boys basketball team, which won two of their three games over the weekend.
Maxwell said the team “played great,” especially considering it was the first tournament some of the players had ever participated in.
“We’re looking at a new, fresh squad. They bring great energy and they’re enthusiastic. They have energy and they work together really well. I’m really impressed with the effort they put in both in the loss and when they were winning by quite a lot.”
He added that losing the first game can sometimes dampen spirits, but his squad was resilient to come back and win their next two.
“They showed great composure and responded really well,” he said.
The senior boys swept through the first tournament of their season in Campbell River, winning all three of their games.
The team is coached by Alistair Reynolds and managed by Kevin Nixon.
School principal Drew Ryan went as a volunteer driver and was amazed at the athlete’s performance on the court, as well as their supportive maturity off of it.
“It was amazing,” he said, adding the team is restructuring this year after losing three seniors to graduation last season.
“Given the fact that they’re restructuring, the boys played not only exemplary but all the refs, families and other teams were very complimentary on our athletes’ attitudes on the court and how they handled themselves with respect. It was a great first tournament.”
The team finished third in the tournament despite having no losses as they fell in the points- against category by just five points.
“They were undefeated and came in third so they’re looking forward to playing in the future. It was just a really, really great way to kick off the year,” he said.
He added he was proud of all the school’s athletes over the weekend with multiple basketball tournaments as well as a wrestling tournament.
“USS just continues to have amazing student athletes, really focusing on the student athlete part of that; being respectful, showing their iisaak (respect), and also making sure their academics are all in order,” he said. “I really appreciate all the dedication of not only the coaches and volunteers, but also the families supporting really the other side of what it means to be a holistic student…It’s very successful and just another layer of this great school.”
He said student athletes face a tough task balancing academics and sports along with being a teenager.
“It’s hard to be a teenager in and of itself, navigating all the ins and outs of that world and then on top of that you have not only the academic demands but also the athletic demands,” he said.
He said the school offers homework halls three days a week as well as resources like an Indigenous support worker, youth mental health workers and teachers are available to help.
“You might have practice on Monday and Thursday, so then you can come to Homework Hall on Wednesday. Athletes have said they’ve used that time and it’s been beneficial,” he said. “Students need to be caught up on all of their work and be in a favourable academic position to go on trips and those kinds of things and our teachers and support staff do a lot to help support kids to get that done…It’s a small school with a big heart, so we’re all trying to make it work for our kids.”
He added local families have a huge role to play in the success of the students.
“We always appreciate the West Coast support between Tofino, Ucluelet, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ and Tla-o-qui-aht. We have amazing families and amazing communities, hence we have amazing kids, so we really appreciate that.”
He added the school is currently looking for sponsorship partnerships to help fund the team’s travels and anyone interested in helping to make their high school teams’ seasons a success is encouraged to reach out to Ryan at dryan@sd70.bc.ca.
“Inflation has hit everyone hard, tournament fees, hotels, mileage and all that stuff adds up, so if there are any sponsors that want to get involved with USS please contact me,” he said.
He added the school is preparing a sponsorship drive in the New Year with an eye on bringing sponsorship advertising back to the gymnasium.
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