Community raises $6K for Iqaluit basketball player heading to nationals

Since he moved to Iqaluit five years ago, Kundai Nleya, has been playing — and quickly excelling at — basketball.

"I've been working hard because I know how hard-working people in Nunavut are and that's what I want to demonstrate when I go to the tournament," Nleya said.

Nleya was originally the only player from Nunavut on the team heading to nationals at the end of next month.

Alexandre McDermott, 15, of Iqaluit, was later added to the "all-territory" team, which means it includes athletes from Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

But when Nleya heard the team wanted him, he found out the great opportunity came with a hefty price tag: $8,000 for plane tickets, hotels, food and training.

Nleya's family, originally from Zimbabwe, planned some fundraising lunches serving traditional food and raised about $2,000. People also started stopping Nleya on the street in Iqaluit to donate money to his fund.

It didn't take long for Nleya and his family and friends to raise $6,000.

"I was really impressed and really thankful because I wouldn't be going to this tournament if it wasn't for the generosity of the people of Iqaluit.

"I'm just excited for the opportunity to represent Nunavut and just to show everyone that Nunavut can be just as good as any other province or territory."

'I've done my best'

Nleya says he trains nearly every day in Iqaluit, even when he's in school. He just finished Grade 11 at Inuksuk High School.

Nleya says he used to get up at 5:30 a.m. before school, go to the gym — go to school, of course — and then go to the gym again after school.

"I'm trying to just be the best that I can," Nleya said. "I'm trying to give it all I got so that at the end I can say 'I've done my best.'"

For the next month or so, it's all basketball all the time for Nleya.

In three weeks, both he and McDermott will head to Yellowknife to train with some of their teammates. Then the whole team is flying down to Camrose, Alta., to train together and "get team bonding," Nleya said.

The under-17 national basketball tournament is in Winnipeg from July 30 to Aug. 6.