Treaty 8 basketball coach thanks Indigenous basketball championship teams

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Team Noosik (left) and the Ahousaht Eagles welcomed players from northeast B.C. at the junior all-native basketball tournament in Langley. (Photos submitted by Cedar Wechlin)

LANGLEY, B.C. — Though they were unable to send a team, one basketball coach from northeast B.C. expressed gratitude that players were able to compete at a youth Indigenous basketball championship.

Cedar Wechlin, who founded the Treaty 8 Bison basketball team and took a squad down to the Junior All-Native Tournament (JANT), did not field a team in 2026 due to a shortage of players.

Wechlin, however, made the trip with two U-17 players from the region: Brody Pilgrim from Tumbler Ridge and Fort Nelson’s Kallik Beattie.

Brody Pilgrim from Tumbler Ridge attended the JANT tournament in 2026. (Submitted by Cedar Wechlin)

Wechlin took to Facebook on Wednesday, March 18th to thank the clubs they represented, the Ahousaht Eagles from Vancouver Island and team Noosik from Laxgalts’ap in the Nass River valley.

Noosik lost their first game on Monday, March 16th, but rallied to win four games in a row over the next two days. They lost to the Strike Force from Lax Kw’alaams near Prince Rupert by a score of 75-63 on Thursday, March 19th.

Meanwhile, the Eagles were eliminated from the competition with two losses.

“I want to take a moment to honour and express deep gratitude to the Noosik family and my Ahousaht Eagles family for opening their teams and hearts to my players,” Wechlin wrote on Facebook.

“The medicine you shared through basketball, community and your family’s hospitality is something that will stay with these young men far beyond the court.”