Nunavut women’s basketball team wins hearts in first appearance at Canada Games

Athletes proud to showcase talent and determination that comes from Nunavut

The first U17 women’s basketball team to ever compete for Nunavut at the Canada Games didn’t pull off any wins — at least according to the scoreboard — but team members say it was an incredible experience marked by friendship, camaraderie, sportsmanship and enthusiastic support.

The team, which only began practicing a couple of weeks before the games, arrived in St. John’s N.L., with modest ambitions, such as running a play, players told CBC Sports.

Their team spirit earned praise from games organizers with a Facebook post highlighting the team’s milestone.

“Their energy can be felt up and down the court and has been adopted by all other teams from the first quarter to the final buzzer,” the post reads.

Point guard Kanina Duval said taking part in the games, which continue until Aug. 25, was about more than simply competing.

“Like meeting players from across Canada, learning and building friendships through this sport. But, like, also the atmosphere around it was incredible, and it really pushed me to grow both as a player and a teammate,” she said.

‘Carried a lot of pride’

The team played its final game on Friday against the Northwest Territories, losing 55-26 in the consolation round.

It was eliminated from medal contention in the preliminary round of competition earlier last week after losing 66-42 to Yukon; 112-11 to Manitoba; 88-13 to Saskatchewan and 81-16 to Newfoundland and Labrador.

But assistant coach Olivia Tapatai said the team worked to set goals such as limiting turnovers and rebounding more than the opposing team, and celebrated each milestone as it achieved them.

“To watch our athletes cheer each other on, cheer everyone else on, was such a great experience for me, and it makes me so proud of the group we brought here,” she said.

Players from Nunavut’s remote, fly-in communities were selected for the team based on video submissions, coach Ashley Donkoh told CBC Sports.

Team members in Baker Lake, Cambridge Bay and Iqaluit worked together with community coaches to develop their skills before meeting with the entire team for the first time in Ottawa.

When they got to St. John’s, they stayed close to the Yukon and Northwest Territories teams, sharing a bus so they could cheer them on and even taking part in karaoke on the bus on the way home from games, Tapatai said.