On the surface, Wednesday morning’s match-up pitting Heiltsuk Nation of Bella Bella against the boys from VanCity may have suggested a small-town/big-town rivalry, but on closer inspection it illustrated just how complex the picture is for young First Nations athletes in the province.
For Heiltsuk coach Gordon Gladstone, the drawback is the size of the talent pool.
“We have about 1,300 people in Bella Bella, year-round,” Gladstone said.
“That swells to about 2,400 in the summertime, with the fishing and forestry workforce. The population is about 90 per cent First Nations.”
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Bella Bella Community School goes from K through Grade 12. And therein lies one advantage, Gladstone explained. The Heiltsuk roster is virtually interchangeable with the high school squad. One non-aboriginal player started the past season but dropped out.
“I also coach the high school team. We were 11th in the B.C. single-A championships this year. But we play mostly AA teams,” he said.
For first-year VanCity coach Jamie Ross, who is himself a member of Haisla First Nation from Port Simpson, the picture is much different.
“My players come from about five or six different nations. Mostly, they play at Britannia High School, and we practice twice a week at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Center,” Ross said.
Most of the VanCity players play on high school teams, but the All Native roster includes a few youngsters like five-foot-two Elijah MacMillan, 11, who logged some game time in the final quarter of what proved to be a 62-29 loss.
For the Heiltsuk Nation team, that sense of drawing from a single community is reflected in their play on the court. From the opening tip-off, the Bella Bella boys went on the attack, running up a 9-0 lead before VanCity was able to find the basket.
The first half featured stand-out performances by veteran Graylon Martin, who actually plays his high school ball at AAA Mount Douglas in Victoria, and the Gladstone brothers, Jordan, 13, and Gary, 14.
Jordan and Gary are sons of Heiltsuk manager Charles Gladstone, and it is obvious that both youngsters earned their starting positions. The brothers led their team in scoring over the first half, which ended 38-16.
Watching the teams in action, it is hard to believe one side is outscoring the other by a 2:1 ratio. Prior to the game, former VanCity coach Mark Crayton said the club emphasizes a strong defence, and as the game unfolds, it is hard to disagree: the VanCity players have all the fundamentals and make all the right moves and play well positionally.
But when it comes to putting on the finish and making the shot, the Bella Bella boys are able to keep them off-balance, and VanCity are unable to get into good shooting position.
By contrast, the Heiltsuk approach is fluid and hinges on spending countless hours on the court together; show them an opening and they shift into the transition game as if they’re all wired together, from the starters down to the bench.
Over the second half, it’s time for Heiltsuk Howard Duncan to shine. Duncan spent two seasons with VanCity when he lived in Vancouver, and the VanCity supporters put up a chant of “How-ie, How-ie,” whenever he picks up the ball.
Guard James Hill, nicknamed “mini-Rambo,” also steps it up a notch, leading his club with a pair of three-pointers and two from the free-throw line over the half. After the club takes a 47-22 lead into the final period, coach Gladstone sends out stocky Jeff Brown, who responds with a pair of stylish three-pointers to put the finish to a game that was never in doubt.
