While the Cree Nation Elite had to back out of the fourth annual Battle for Turtle Island (BFTI) in Winnipeg, Eeyou Istchee was represented by Keenan Nottaway at one of Canada’s premier all-Indigenous tournaments.
While British Columbia hosts larger competitions – the week-long All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert recently held its 66th edition – BFTI is becoming increasingly popular. This year’s tournament held May 15-17 drew winning teams from North Dakota and Burnaby, BC. Another eastern team from the Mi’kmaq Nation was a late cancellation.
Lenard Monkman, one of the event’s five organizers, is a strong believer in the power of sports to change lives. Playing with a team composed of players from Winnipeg’s North End, Monkman aimed to make BFTI as accessible as possible, giving back to the sport that has gotten him through tough times.
“The goal is to create holistic well-being for individuals and communities,” he said. “There’s an absence of hope sometimes so this creates an environment that people look forward to. If one person from each team goes back home to coach youth, that creates a real ripple effect across different communities.”
With adult and youth divisions for men and women, BFTI is developing a supportive community where youth witness the pace of higher-level play while veterans may provide mentorship and advancement opportunities.
The Cree Nation Elite was formed by William Icebound and Nolan Gunner, with nine players selected from across Eeyou Istchee and one from Fort Albany First Nation. Due to financial constraints, the team was forced to announce its withdrawal two weeks before the BFTI but promised to bring the team there next year.
“We reached as many sponsors as we could but I understand it was a tight schedule,” explained Icebound. “We’ll try to have a wider window next year. Basketball has fallen in decline this past year. Tournaments throughout Eeyou Istchee were either delayed or cancelled because of a lack of registrations and different factors. We’re hoping to bring back popularity to basketball.”
Nottaway was invited to join the team by childhood friend and point guard Eli Salt, who grew up in Pikogan before moving to Waskaganish. The 7’2” player was able to jump to a “free agent” team formed at the last minute to attend his first out-of-province tournament. His mother and brothers were along for the 19-hour drive.
“When Keenan found out the Cree Nation Elite weren’t going, he knew he had to go to Winnipeg,” shared mother Tanya Nottaway. “He said I feel this is a door opening for more opportunities – that’s when I pushed myself, asking for sponsorships. We were able to go with that help.”
After rejecting high school coaches in Amos eager to recruit him due to his height, the 22-year-old only started playing seriously last year. Tanya said they knew he was meant for basketball but he wasn’t ready at age 13. Excited to get some exposure out of the reserve, Keenan was certainly noticed at BFTI.
He said it was an honour to play alongside 63-year-old Terry Garrow from Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, who is an inductee of the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame. Garrow’s contacts in Winnipeg were so enthused by Keenan’s potential that they plan to fly him back this summer for one-on-one training.
“A local coach said we need to get this kid back here,” said Monkman. “There are scouts who come watch every year from universities in the region and I know people from Terry’s group were so excited for him to train in Winnipeg with high-level trainers and coaches.”
A full-time move to join a team in the prairie city is possible. Beaming with pride for her son’s achievements, Tanya said Keenan “didn’t want to leave the place – it was where he belongs.”
Keenan’s not the only Cree with hoop dreams reaching impressive heights. Mistissini’s Nolan Gunner and Emery Matoush have played in numerous invitational tournaments throughout North America.
While basketball in the Cree Nation is sometimes limited by the popularity of hockey, broomball and increasingly volleyball, the sport is thriving in Mistissini. This year, the community’s high school team became the first Cree team in the RSEQ, Quebec’s regional school league, winning silver medals in the finals.
“It was an amazing season for us,” said coach Sam St-Martin. “We came back from an 11-point deficit in the semi-final to force the overtime, beating the number-one team. That was the highlight of the season for me, watching our players giving their all and getting the result.”
Joining the Saguenay league, which also included a team from the Mashteuiatsh First Nation, the Mistissini Screaming Eagles sometimes left before the break of dawn to travel over six hours for afternoon games on weekends. While power forward Lincoln Petawabano said it was challenging to compete after not stretching for so many hours, he was proud of their teamwork and sportsmanship.
“It was fun to finally see what it’s like to play competitively, having the chance to learn and grow with my teammates,” said Petawabano. “It was a lot faster than the Cree Nation tournaments. A little more competitive. I can’t wait to do it again next year.”
Audrey Matoush held her own as the team’s only girl and has earned an athletic scholarship to play Division 1 basketball at a Montreal school this fall. St-Martin suggested that all his players have the potential to play college ball. Meanwhile, the Cree Nation Elite will regroup for next year’s BFTI, hoping to inspire hoop dreams across Eeyou Istchee.
“I’m trying to get every community together to enjoy the sport of basketball,” said Icebound. “That’s personally my main goal. If it does get big enough, we could host tryouts like the broomball and hockey teams do.”