On April 24^th, fans, paticipants, and supporters of Night Hoops witnessed another sensational Championship Event. The event hosted at Britannia had highlight after highlight. Inspiring stories were heard from Canadian Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion Junior Moar and from World Champion wheelchair basketball athlete Pat Anderson. They bookended the first game of the night where the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) squared off against the Night Hoops Selects. The second game saw the Langara Family YMCA attempt to dethrone Strathcona Community Centre (CC) in the Junior Girls final. In the Junior Boys final Strathcona CC also were looking to repeat as Champs but Edmonds Community School (CS) were standing in their way. And the Senior Boys finals turned out to be an all-time classic Night Hoops game between Ray-Cam CC and Champlain CC.

          Like in his fights, Junior Moar entered into the gym after an opening traditional song and drum ceremony performed by Ray Thunderchild. Junior shared his life story with the youth. Growing up in a Northern Winnipeg ghetto, Junior's toughness made him a natural talent in the ring. But during his rise, he became entangled in gangs with the zig zag crew and one cold afternoon outside his house would change his life forever. With his younger brother and nephew in his vehicle, Junior was confronted by rival gang members and a shoot out ensued. A bullet from Junior's gun lodged behind the ear of a man in the other car. He survived but Junior was charged and convicted of discharging a weapon with the intent to disfigure or maim. He spent 37 months in prison and 27 of those were in solitary confinement because, in jail, he constantly had to fight for his life. He had a lot of time to think. Upon release, Junior moved to Vancouver, built a beautiful family, and changed his life. The youth in Vancouver are faced with similar pressures and Junior understands the importance of telling them how bad decisions and gangs can destroy their life. For more about Junior Moar's turnaround in his CTV documentary, click here.
          The Night Hoops players were very lucky to hear another heroic comeback story from Pat Anderson. When he was 9, he lost his legs above the knee when he was pinned against a wall by a drunk driver. After recovery, and at such a young age, he had two choices: give up and fall into depression because he could not do what he used to; or, persevere, continue in sport and make a difference. It was not easy but he picked the second choice. Now, "Anderson has been described as the world's most talented wheelchair basketball player. He has won two Paralympic gold medals with Canada's national men's wheelchair basketball team (in Sydney in 2000 and in Athens in 2004)" - Canadian Paralympic Commitee. A massive thank you to both men for coming out and speaking at our Championship Event.
          John Buis, RCMP Staff Sergeant and President of Basketball BC, threw up the opening tip off for the game against the VPD. The first half of the game was tight. The Night Hoops girls were hitting jumpers and the fellas were rebounding hard and running the floor. The second half opened up, Constable Carino started nailing threes and there were several dunks from both teams. The VPD pulled out the victory but, again, it was a great experience for all involved. Thank you to the VPD for continuing to support the Night Hoops program and the youth in our communities.

          The 2nd game saw the Strathcona Junior Girls attempt to repeat as Champs. They squared off against a determined Langara Family YMCA team that had ended Strath's two year winning streak earlier this season. The well-coached Strath team was ready this time and had gotten used to playing in high pressure games. They played a lock down defense and cruised to a convincing victory. Congrats go to the Strath girls on another Championship; to Babita Gill of Langara for winning Outstanding Coach of the Year; to Julia Huck of Langara for winning the Player Leadership Award; to Langara for being the Most Sportsmanlike team; and to Ron Suzuki for being recognized with a Special Merit Award for his incredible support of the Night Hoops program and the Girls Division. To all players, coaches, referees, volunteers and staff, you did an excellent job to keep our Girls Division going strong.
          The Junior Boys finals also featured a Strathcona team trying to repeat. The Junior Boys from Edmonds CS had other ideas. In their sophomore season, the Edmonds boys showed that athletic ability at every position is almost impossible to match up with. This allowed them to turn up the full court pressure and lock it down in the half court. Congratulations to Edmonds on an impressive 11-1 season that finished with the 2010 Night Hoops Championship. Recognized at half-time were David Knight of Champlain Heights for winning the Outstanding Coach of the Year award; Kitsilano CC for Most Sportsmanlike Team; and to Dawson Perron for capturing the Leadership Award.
          The Senior Boys final was one of the most intense and exciting games in Night Hoops history. Champlain Heights entered the finals heavily favoured to win. They rolled through the regular season with a 9-0 record and their Coach Yash Zandiyeh was fresh off a Championship last year. They looked unbeatable all year. Despite all that, Ray-Cam was not about to back down. There were incredible matchups at every position. Champlain came out amped up, pounded the ball into the paint, got to the free throw line, and got a first half lead. At half-time, Bruce Komakech, Ashauti Hogan and the VT dunk crew put on an above the rim show. In the second half Ray-Cam turned up the pressure and chipped away at the lead. With under a minute to go and Champlain protecting a 1 point lead, Ray-Cam ran a pick and roll with Semir Ibrahim and Osato Obaseki. It lead to a wide open shot for Semir that rimmed out but while all the defense had their attention on the shooter, Anthony Booth slipped to the weak side, snagged the offensive rebound and hit the put-back for a stunning 1 point victory. Thank you to both teams for such an exciting final. Night Hoops would also like to recognize Aman Jhutti from Kerrisdale for winning the Outstanding Coach Award; Britannia Senior Boys for winning Most Sportsmanlike Team; and to Martin Appiah of Marpole for winning the Player Leadership Award. That capped another sensational Championship Event! See you all next year.