On April 4th, Britannnia CC hosted their sixth straight Night Hoops Championship Event. Building off the excitment of last year's Event, the 2009 Championship was a thrilling, well-attended event. Once again, we were joined by some special guests:

Raj Hundal, Vancouver Park Board Chair;
Wally Opal, Attorney-General, Minister responsible for Multiculturalism;
Gordon Hogg, Minister of State for Mining and a founding partner of the Night Hoops program;
Mel Davis, Fomer NBA player for the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, long-time Harlem Globe Trotter;
Rick Gill, Canadian representative for Hoops4Hope, former international professional basketball player in South Africa and Australia;
Greg Eng, City of Vancouver Director of Community Relations and Special Projects - Olympic and Paralympic Operations;
John Buis, RCMP Staff Sergeant and President of Basketball BC;
Dean Robinson, VPD Inspector, Head of District 4 Operations Division

In the first game, the Night Hoops Selects squared off against a VPD team with serious size in the frontcourt, including Night Hoops Board member Sergeant Randy Bell. Rajbir Sohal, coach of the Night Hoops team, ran with a Junior Girl, Junior Boy, Senior Boy, and a Coach/Staff on the floor at all times. There was above the rim play from both teams: dunks, alley-oops, and big swats. The Junior Girls were hitting big jumpers, Coaches were bringing some old school moves, and the players were enjoying running with new teammates. The VPD held a slight lead at half. During halftime, Mel Davis gave an inspiring speech to the Night Hoops players and Coaches about how lucky we are to be living in Canada and to never let anyone say "You can't do it." We were then proud to present Rick Gill and Hoops4Hope with over $1500 raised at our Shoot-a-thon and a very respectable haul of sports equipment to send to South Africa. After the half-time break, the VPD added a couple Night Hoops players and cruised to a strong victory. Much thanks to the Vancouver Police Department for being a part of the program again this year.

The Junior Girls Final showcased Champlain Heights CS getting a big early lead on Strathcona CC by using their size in the half court offense. The Churchill Dance Squad were flipping and spinning and kept everybody groovin' during half time. In the second half, Strathcona turned on the full court pressure, forced turnovers, and gradually chipped into the lead. It took the entire half to tie it up, forcing an overtime period. Fans were on their feet and boisterous because of the intensity and excitement. The Strathcona Junior Girls sprinted to a come from behind victory. Congratulations to everyone involved in such a successful Girls Season. The Britannia Coaches (Babita Gill, Kavita Dhillon, and Sara Hotomanie) were recipients of the Junior Girls Outstanding Coach Award. The Most Sportsmanlike Team Award went to the Strahcona Junior Girls. Special recognition goes to the Girls League Coordinators: Mitra Tshan and Kim Howe, and to our Adler School of Psychology practicum volunteer, Deanna Schilling.

The Junior and Senior Boys Finals did not skip a beat. The Strathcona Junior Boys were running like a well-oiled machine for most of the season. On this night, Champlain Heights CS Junior Boys came out in full force trying to knock off Strathcona who had only lost once this year (to Edmonds CS). While Champlain showed tremedous skill and teamwork, Strathcona's depth proved too much and the Strathcona site took their second Championship of the night. Dean Valdecantos from Edmonds CS won the Junior Boys Outstanding Coach Award and the Britannia Junior Boys won Most Sportsmanslike Team.

Lastly, the Hastings CC Senior Boys rolled in with a huge entourage to end the Strathcona attempt to sweep. Strath had momentum coming off their shocking road upset against Collingwood NH in the semi-finals. Strathcona scored in bunches as they do but struggled to defend Hastings' unrelenting inside game. When the dust settled, Hastings were the 2009 Senior Boys Champions. Hastings Coach Yash Zandiyeh left with a Championship t-shirt and the Senior Boys Outstanding Coach Award. For the second year in a row, the Burnaby Youth Custody Services team won the Most Sportsmanlike Team in the Senior Boys Division. Thanks goes to David Cheng, who helped keep the Boys Divisions real tight in an expansion year.

A huge thank you to all Players, Coaches and Refs for your commitment to the program and for many excellent and exciting games this season. I also want to thank everyone else who put in a lot of hard work to make 2009 a truly successful Night Hoops season.