The opening tip of the inaugural “2015 NO REGRETS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT” is fast approaching as high school teams across the Province continue to prepare for the upcoming basketball season. The tournament committee has been overwhelmed by the positive responses from the basketball community who are very supportive of the concept. Flights and hotels have been booked, gyms are being readied, players and coaches continue to prepare and we look forward to games commencing on December 10th. Five “school spirit” games are scheduled for Day one, including a special appearance by Crazy P !

Both the Girls and Boys divisions promise to be very competitive tournaments and we wish all the teams good luck!

GIRLS DIVISION

The Girls Division of No Regrets 2015 promises to be extremely competitive. Pre-season rankings have just been released and we have 4 of the Top 10 AAA girls teams in B.C. competing as well as one Honourable Mention team. The McMath Wildcats are ranked 2nd in the Province and will be the favourite heading into the weekend and as a result they are considered the tournament favourite. "It's so early in the season, it's really hard to know what to expect. I know we've been preparing pretty hard but there is a really good group of teams in the tournament...we will be more focused on how we play..." says McMath coach Paul Jones.

Charles Best, Panorama Ridge and Handsworth are also ranked in the Top Ten so it seems clear that there will be no easy route to the Tournament Final. South Kamloops, Holy Cross, Argyle and Carson Graham round out the draw on the girls side and all of these schools have very strong and deep basketball traditions.

“Knowing the significant contributions the Quinn Keast Foundation has made to the basketball community both on the North Shore and across the province, our players, managers, and coaches are excited and honoured to participate in the first No Regrets tournament this year”-Kelsey Blair, coach of the Argyle Varsity Girls team.

BOYS DIVISION

The Boys Division of ‘No Regrets’ 2015 is rich in talent and diversity. Once again we will see a great cross-section of teams competing from 3 of the 4 tiers of BC High School Basketball. There will be a strong contingent of schools from the Lower Mainland and well as schools from around the province and Alberta. Best of all, we will see whole slew of strong basketball programs with some of the best high school coaches around.

Western Canada (Calgary) is a program with strong basketball tradition and they have done well at the NSIT the last couple of times they have made the trip. Keep your eye on Charles Hays (Prince Rupert) whose senior post Justin McChesney at 6’10” will make an impression on more than just the recruiters. Charles Hays is sporting a #5 pre-season 3A ranking in B.C. Vancouver’s Charles Tupper (hon. mention 3A) traditionally is a team that is greater than the sum of the parts and always performs with energy and dangerous 3-point shooting.

The West Vancouver Highlanders have established themselves as an early favourite on the North Shore with a pre-season #9 ranking in B.C. 4A. North Shore teams Handsworth, Argyle and Carson Graham earned good experience in the Howe Sound Playoffs last year with young teams. 2A schools Collingwood and Seycove round out the participants from the North Shore with Collingwood being ranked #3 among 2A schools.

Jeff Gourley, coach of the Charles Tupper Tigers, said ”we are so pleased to see The Quinn Keast Foundation pick up the torch and continue the rich tradition of one of the premier high school basketball events in the province of BC in December. The Quinn Keast Foundation, with their meaningful philosophy for young student athletes have served not only the North Shore, but East Vancouver and the province as a whole over the past 9 years through equipment, scholarships and what I think is most important – Quinn’s message of “No Regrets”.

And this from the legendary Rich Goulet of Pitt Meadows: “I come to this tournament because I love the North Shore hospitality and the many hours of work put in by Larry Donohoe and Blair Shier. The well-run tournament is a mecca for competition for good teams in the province and a really good barometer of how our team competes against the best competition available. Being early in the year, the tournament always give us a good chance to see whether the things we have been working on in practice can translate into game situations. The tournament now has the even greater distinction of being aligned with one of the great causes in the province - the Quinn Keast Foundation.”

2015 Tournament Outlook