PEI

Spirits high as P.E.I. men's basketball team presses toward Canada Games

For the players on P.E.I.'s Canada Games men's basketball team, they are practising intensely to be ready for next month's tournament in Newfoundland.

'This will be not just a sporting event, but a life event for a lot of these guys,' says assistant coach

P.E.I. men's basketball team wants to 'shock the country' at Canada Games

14 hours ago
Duration 1:56
Teams are getting in their final practices before the Aug. 5-25 Canada Games begin in Newfoundland, and the men's basketball squad wants to make a splash in the national tournament. CBC's Cody MacKay went to one of the practices and spoke to the players about what they expect to see next month.

Assistant basketball coach Dennis Manning paces back and forth up the court as his players push each other to drive to the net and score.

He studies every step, shot and layup, what went right and what went wrong with every single play; and the players match his intensity, going over every moment as if it's the last time they're going to be on the court.

All that, and we're talking about practice.

We can shock the country if we play good.​​​​​— Will Ren

The team is on the hardwood repeating game-like situations at UPEI , fine tuning for the biggest youth sports tournament in the country next month: the Canada Games.

This is Manning's first time coaching a Canada Games team. Being a former athlete of the Games, he knows the moment is a big one for these young Islanders.

A coach with a green shirt and whistle talks to a reporter as players conduct drills in the background.
Assistant coach Dennis Manning says competition will be tough, but the men's team is ready to compete. (Cody MacKay/CBC)

"This could be the biggest show for some of these kids," Manning said.

"This will be not just a sporting event, but a life event for a lot of these guys, so hopefully we make it a positive experience for them."

'I want to take the shot'

Competition will be tough. The coach knows that, and he's pushing the players to show up to each practice better than the last one. Thankfully, he said, the players encourage each other to do that just as much as he does — and chemistry is high.

"It's a good bunch of guys. They know each other from competing against each other. A lot of these guys have known each other since they've been playing mini ball," Manning said.

"They get along well. They're not into trouble. They're a good bunch of guys and they look out for each other."

A player poses for a photo in a white jersey.
Theo Plourde says he's going to be proud to wear P.E.I. colours and represent the province at the Games. (Cody MacKay/CBC)

Theo Plourde has been playing for more than six years. With a few weeks left until the Games kick off in Newfoundland, there's only a one thing on his mind for the tournament ahead: winning.

He's excited most about the drama of the game — the last few moments in a tight matchup.

"I like the adrenaline, especially when it comes down to final shots. I like that feeling," he said with a smile. "Mostly because I want to take the shot."

A player smirks at the camera with a basketball in his hand.
'You like to compete, you like to prove that you're better,' says Fadi Mayaleh. (Cody MacKay/CBC)

Fadi Mayaleh picked up the game by shooting hoops in a park years ago. Now, he's preparing for the Canada Games.

Playing against the top talent his age across the nation is what motivates him to play on the big stage in August.

"It's really exciting. Those guys are really good, of course they have a lot of talent. You learn from them, and, I mean, it's the competitive part of it," he said.

"You like to compete, you like to prove that you're better, you just like to play out there."

'We have a good chance'

Will Ren is one of the point guards on the team. He said he's been putting in countless hours of work off the court to get to this point.

"Very excited for this, because it's probably one of the biggest stages I'm going to play on in my career," he said.

A basketball player in a black shirt and jersey posing for a photo with his team in the background doing drills.
Will Ren says if the team puts in the work, they're going to shine at the Canada Games. (Cody MacKay/CBC)

Ren knows his team is the underdog. There's a lot to work on after a recent matchup against Team Nova Scotia, he said. These final weeks before the Games are everything, because he wants to make a point to all the other provinces next month.

"People from other provinces don't think that P.E.I. has, like, a very strong team in general. I think we have a good chance if we put in the work," said Ren.

"We can shock the country if we play good."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cody MacKay

Multi-platform journalist

Cody MacKay is a writer, editor and producer for CBC News on Prince Edward Island. From Summerside, he's a UPEI history and Carleton masters of journalism grad who joined CBC P.E.I. in 2017. You can reach him at cody.mackay@cbc.ca

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