It was a slam dunk Thursday night at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
Community members, former players and officials were at the venue on October 17 for an event hosted by the Lethbridge Sport Council, celebrating the history of basketball in southern Alberta.
Attendees had the opportunity to meet Ken Hamilton, who was a referee for over 25 years and has spent the last year and a half collecting historical information and photos for his book series, Southern Alberta Basketball – A History in Pictures.
He had previously published a book about his 30-plus years working in corrections, when it was suggested he write about basketball and his experiences as an official of the game.
“I just kept thinking that southern Alberta’s got such a long and rich heritage in basketball, and I’ve never seen anything done about it so I said, ‘I can do that’, thinking I’d do it in three simple books,” Hamilton says, noting it grew to be more than three books. “Series one is nine books and series two will be six or seven more.”
The books tell the story of basketball in communities like Lethbridge, Raymond, Magrath and Cardston.
The Thursday night gathering also served to build excitement about the upcoming Western Slam event. Four NCAA Division 1 teams will be at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena from November 28 to 30. Athletes will compete in six games over three days.
Executive director of the Lethbridge Sport Council, Susan Eymann says basketball is popular in the region, but she hopes the Western Slam can build even more interest.
“It’s fantastic that Division 1 teams are coming to Lethbridge,” she remarks.
“The entire region is such a basketball region and there is such a rich history but there’s so much potential for more basketball [and] not just the traditional [gameplay] but 3×3 as well, as we can see with the Olympians that have here in town [Team Canada members Paige Crozon and Kacie Bosch].”
Teams competing during the Western Slam include the Kennesaw State Owls, Towson University Tigers, UC Irvine Anteaters and the Kent State Golden Flashes.
Hamilton believes most basketball fans in southern Alberta might have had the opportunity to attend an NCAA Division 1 game. “It’s a whole different situation than anything we’ve seen around here.”
On Thursday night, current and former Team Canada players were recognized for their efforts on the court, including Tim Tollestrup, Phil Tollestrup, Ross Bekkering, Perry Mirkovich, Shawna (Molcak) Kolaczek, Al Williams, Paige Crozon and Kacie Bosch.
READ MORE: Lethbridge’s Paige Crozon humbled by support following Olympics experience
