SAIT named host for 2021 basketball nationals
Posted Jan 24, 2020 5:45 pm.
CALGARY (CityNews) – The Men’s Basketball National Championships are coming to Calgary.
The SAIT Trojans alongside the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) announced the polytechnic would host the 2021 National Championship.
“It’s exciting. We’ve been to a few of these the past three years and it’s always a good event and a good experience,” Trojans Head Coach Marty Birky.
The 2021 tournament will take part from March 17-20 in the Trojans main gymnasium located inside the SAIT Campus Center.
“I’m positive the staff at SAIT will put on a great show,” Birky added.
The Trojans Men’s Basketball team set a single-season record for victories last season and finished atop of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) South Division with a record of 20-1.
“SAIT has become one of the premier collegiate basketball programs in the country and its past and current leadership have provided many successful ACAC and CCAA championships,” said Jonathan Lambert, CCAA Men’s Basketball Convenor in a statement.
SAIT would go on to win the ACAC championship and become the first team in 15 years to win three consecutive titles.
The Trojans are no stranger to hosting CCAA championships. The school last hosted the 2014 Cross-Country Championship and the 2005 Women’s Basketball Championship.
“SAIT will unquestionably continue their tradition of high-quality championship hosting by providing an overall outstanding experience that all students and athletes will enjoy,” said Lambert.
During its last three trips to the championships the Trojans came away with a record of 1-2 each year.
During the 2019 Championships, one of the two loses came at the hands to the eventual champions, Vancouver Island University.
The Trojans have still had success at the tournaments despite its records. In each year the Trojans have had a player named to an All-Star team.
In 2017, John Smith made the second All-Star team. In 2018, Gemie Muya would follow in Smith’s footsteps, and Murphy Beya made the All-Canadian team. In 2019, Charlie Conner would make the third straight Trojan to be named to the second All-Star team, and John Smith was named to the All-Canadian Team.
The Trojans currently sit with a record of 9-3 and will look to repeat their previous success and try and qualify for this year’s Championship hosted by Humber College in Etobicoke, ON.
