Basketball has wrapped up for all Mountain View Broncos club basketball program teams.
This was the third year of operation for the club, which practises mainly at the Ralph Klein Centre in Olds but has players from throughout the county.
The club ran seven teams this year: U-13 girls and boys, U-15 girls (two teams) and boys and U-17 girls and boys. In total 86 players hit the hardwood for the Broncos.
The Broncos hosted a tournament in mid-June in Didsbury and Olds that featured many out-of-town teams challenging the local players.
"The tournament was great," said treasurer Ed Furst. "We had fierce competition in the U-15 girls' and U-15 boys' divisions especially. We had teams coming from all over the province, so you never know how they are going to stack up against each other."
Broncos teams finished first in the U-13 girls' and U-17 girls' divisions. Other division winners were: U-15 boys - Edmonton Grads; U-15 girls' first tier - Red Jacket Premier 2 (Cochrane) and U-15 girls' second tier - Lloyminster Renegades.
Furst said the teams were all very active this season playing in four tournaments each plus some teams entered leagues this year.
"The U-13 and U-15 girls played in a league in Red Deer, while the U-17 boys played in a Calgary league," he said. "A highlight this year was going to Kamloops for the May 24-26 weekend tournament. Another highlight was hosting our own tournaments in April and June. It's great to be on the club ball radar now. Other teams know we are here, and we are getting calls for tournaments and games."
Furst said that there are many benefits for players playing club baskeball in the off-season.
"It is really helpful for high school players in the building of their skills," he said. "Club players take their skills and extra experience with high level coaching back to their school teams next season. Local school teams benefit from players who have had extra experience on the court, giving the players and team great confidence and tools for the game."
Furst said it's also great to see friendships develop between players from different schools and areas.
"You see them talking and interacting more during high school games because they are all friends from club ball," he said.
