Tournament Background

The storied North Shore Invitational Basketball Tournament, which saw the likes of Steve Nash and Robert Sacré over its 25 years, morphed into the ‘No Regrets’ Tournament in 2015. Under the guidance of the Tournament Committee of the Quinn Keast Foundation, the tournament includes a 16 team boys’ bracket and an 8 team girls’ bracket. For the last 12 years, the QKF has hosted basketball games, built outdoor courts, and awarded scholarships to numerous high school students, all while taking the ‘No Regrets’ approach. The tournament has welcomed teams from Prince Rupert, Calgary, Kamloops, Salmon Arm and in 2018, from Saskatchewan and Sydney, Australia. 

The ‘No Regrets’ Tournament has a strong community presence and uses its online and social media present to include game stories, photos and commentary. In the four North Shore gyms used by the Tournament there are dance teams, mascots, and pep rallies ensuring that the North Shore is involved and students, parents and the general public are excited about the high level of basketball being represented. And, of course, the QKF presents scholarships rewarding the player recipients for their dedication and passion for their sport.  

The goal of the ‘No Regrets’ Tournament is to provide a memorable experience for all participants. British Columbia is known for its amazing basketball tournaments, so our goal is to leave the student-athletes with great memories and an eagerness to return the following year, while spreading the mantra of "No Regrets" and its relevance to BC basketball. This simple saying is something that many of us have lived our lives by over the last decade and truly believe it is a message worth spreading. With terrible losses, like the passing of a great person such as Quinn Keast, comes great motivation to be better. With the inspiration of Quinn's story by our side, the No Regrets Basketball Tournament Committee is both proud and excited to bring this special event to our local gyms for many years to come. 

 We thank everyone that has helped us make our vision for this tournament a reality through sponsoring the events.

 No Regrets. 

Tournament Committee

 Tom Keast

Tom is president of the Quinn Keast Foundation and Managing Partner of the law firm of Watson Goepel LLP. He is a basketball fan, former rugby player and now cyclist, golfer and choir member.

Jan Keast

Jan is a director of the Quinn Keast Foundation. Two years ago, Jan moved to the beaches of the Sunshine Coast and enjoys volunteering for Linwood House in Robert's Creek. 

Jamie Keast

Basketball coach and graduate of Handsworth Secondary, Jamie is now a math teacher with the West Vancouver School District and is a director of the Quinn Keast Foundation. 

Blair Shier

Blair played for Bishops University and the University of Western Ontario and has coached for many years. He is now an avid yogi and photographer. He is also a director of the Quinn Keast Foundation.

Larry Donohoe

Larry is one of the hardest working community volunteers on the North Shore, having coached football and basketball at various levels at Carson Graham for in excess of 35 years. Larry was the Tournament Director for the North Shore Invitational Tournament for 21 years. 

Scott Leigh

Teammate and close friend of Quinn while at Handsworth, Scott played four years at the University of Alberta and is now a lawyer at Digby Leigh & Co. 

Andy Wong

Andy has coached on the North Shore for the past decade and is currently the Senior Boys Basketball coach for the Collingwood Cavaliers. He has coached five North Shore championship teams and led his 2016 Sr. Boys team to a AA provincial championship. When not on the court, Andy can be found teaching and tutoring high school math. 

Cameron Nelson

Cameron coached at Carson Graham for over 10 years and is currently coaching the Senior Girls Basketball team at Handsworth Secondary. He has taken two teams to the AAA Girls Provincial Tournament and been on multiple Crehan Cup runs.

Steven Pace

Steve is a science teacher and former athletic director at Handsworth Secondary School.  Since arriving at Handsworth in 2017, Steve has been involved with the No Regrets tournament and has coached and sponsored many teams including basketball, ultimate, and volleyball. 

No Regrets: The Philosophy

The expression of having ‘no regrets’ is neither new nor revolutionary, but its simplicity is compelling It acts as a lighthouse for when seas are both stormy and calm. In athletics it has a powerful presence among those who choose to commit themselves to sport, not for the tangible rewards, which may only come to a few, but for the personal development that follows from making thoughtful, principled choices and not revisiting that wisdom when events change and evolve.

The Quinn Keast Foundation was established in 2006 to recognize the special qualities in student-athletes that were manifested in Quinn’s approach to life and to his passion for basketball. Quinn had the privilege of playing for British Columbia in his high school years at Handsworth Secondary in North Vancouver and of being on the winning team and ‘Player of the Final Game’ in the 2006 AAA provincial championship. He willed himself to excel and, in the last two years of high school, kept a diary of his thoughts and experiences. That diary shows the evolution of someone who had an extraordinary will to succeed as an athlete and as a person. In the summer before his Grade 12 year he wrote that he wanted to live life to the fullest, work hard at everything he did and love lots. In doing so he vowed to have NO REGRETS.

It is a simple message but complicated by the forces that buffet each of us every day. It will hold you steady to your task and with the comfort that you have done your best at all times. There can be no surer path to personal fulfillment than to be able to say that you have no regrets about what you have done and how you have gone about doing it.

No regrets: thoughtful, principled choices and unconditional commitment. No second guessing.

Quinn Keast Foundation

Quinn Keast was born on March 3, 1988 along with his twin sister Jamie. Growing up, he played hockey, soccer, baseball and basketball. Quinn was a fine young man that excelled in all his sports, his favorite being basketball. His biggest dream in his graduation year was to win the provincial championship. This dream came true to him in March of 2006, when he led the Handsworth Royals to their first ever final win. Quinn was the MVP of the final game, and won all stars throughout the tournament.

As a son, Quinn was always very close to his family. There was no good, or bad, thought left unsaid. He treasured the time that he had with them. As a brother, Quinn and Jamie were very close. They shared friends, memories, laughs, and basketballs. They did most things together, and always looked out for one another.As a friend, Quinn was loyal and compassionate. He never took advantage of the time he had with his friends, and he lived his life with no regrets.

In Quinn's journal, he wrote that he wanted to make grade 12 the best year of his life. On June 10, the night of Handsworth's dinner and dance to celebrate graduation, Quinn danced with his mom and Jamie with her dad. Quinn told mom that this was the greatest night of his life and how much he loved his family. He truly did live with no regrets.  An hour later he was gone from our lives.

When something like this happens, there is no answer. One seeks for answers and explanations, but finds none. For some it takes a lifetime to leave an everlasting impression. It takes a lifetime to teach and acquire dedication, determination, passion and grace. It takes a lifetime. Quinn only needed 18 years. He did all of this. He left an everlasting impression on thousands. He taught everyone that nothing should be left unsaid, and therefore you should live with no regrets.   

From this, the Quinn Keast Foundation arose.