Thirty-two teams from across the province, including three from Saskatchewan filled up the Ralph Klein Centre April 15-17 for a tournament hosted by the Edmonton-based Swoosh Canada Basketball Club.
Ron Hopkins is the director of basketball for the club. He is also an assistant coach for The King's University College Eagles in the ACAC.
He said Olds was picked as a location because it would allow both Edmonton and Calgary clubs to meet.
"Mostly it's about the convenience and the college is second to none, to be honest," Hopkins said.
Hopkins said this was an early-season tournament to get clubs warmed up.
He said Swoosh has another tournament planned for May 13-15 in Olds. That one is expected to host 48 club teams.
Swoosh fields teams for kids from U-12 to U-17. Hopkins sees the club's mandate as providing opportunities for players who fly under the radar and don't get noticed right away by college coaches.
"We're not out to just help the best players. We're out to help any player. If you have a dream or aspirations to go anywhere, we're going to give you the opportunity to do it," he said.
The talent in Alberta, he believes, is stronger than people give it credit for.
"I think that our best teams can compete with anybody's best team. We can compete with Ontario. We can compete with B.C.," he said. "Actually, when we go down to the States, we always have a winning record when we come back."
