Fort St. John Co-op gives Treaty 8 basketball $500 assist to enter Prince George tournament

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Just like the game of basketball, the Treaty 8 basketball team is getting an assist from Fort St. John Co-op.

The co-operative has funded the Bison U-17 team’s $500 entry fee to the second annual Lheidli Classic tournament in Prince George set to take place in November, something revealed in a Facebook post.

 “We believe in investing in the youth,” reads part of the post. “We wish these young athletes the best of luck as they chase their dreams on the court.”

Tournament director Erica McLean said the Treaty 8 Bison’s into the tournament was “exciting.”

She adds that the tournament taking place so close to the Bison’s home base allows the entry of the U-17 team, who will be playing against older men’s squads.

“When we started this tournament last year, the goal was to build relationships with the sport community,” said McLean. “Lheildi is such an ideal location for this, because we can connect with all corners of the province.

“A lot of our Indigenous communities are rural, remote or northern communities. [Support like this shows] how special the communities are in that they really can rally around their athletes.”

Treaty 8 sports director Cedar Wechlin added going to Prince George “provides a chance for continued experience, exposure, team growth and an opportunity to solidify our position in the sport of All Native teams in B.C.” 

The Lheidli Classic basketball tournament will take place from November 14th to 16th and feature ten men’s teams and six women’s teams battling it out in Prince George, hosted by the Lheidli T’enneh at Cedars Christian School and Prince George Secondary School.

More details are available on the event’s Facebook page.