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Mînî Thnî basketball clinic showcases new hoops, up-and-coming talent

While most don’t associate (Mînî Thnî) Morley or the Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation sports community with basketball, some are hoping to shake up the game and put the First Nation on the map.

STONEY NAKODA – Ball is life, or at least it should be.

While most don’t associate (Mînî Thnî) Morley or the Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation sports community with basketball, some are hoping to shake up the game and put the First Nation on the map.

“For me, that’s my main goal – community building,” said Stoney Tribal councillor Jordie Mark, of Chiniki First Nation. “It’s about building something for everyone, but my focus has always been kids.

“Sports helped me a lot and kept me out of trouble as a kid, it shaped who I am. I played anything I could get my hands on – football, baseball, volleyball … but basketball was always my favourite.”

Mark, a former social worker who coaches boys’ junior varsity basketball at Canmore Collegiate High School, where his son, Jonah Chiniquay plays on the team, recently helped to acquire two new basketball hoops for community use at the Morley Gymnasium.

The new-to-the-gym hoops got their first taste of Mînî Thnî talent, eating layups, jump shots, and free throws in an instructional clinic hosted by Tony Tan, founder and general manager of Calgary's United Storm Basketball club, on Saturday (Dec. 3).

The hoops were acquired through the club, which was trying to sell some equipment after leaving Calgary’s CSB Athletic Centre, where the Storm – including Chiniquay, a club member – used to train. The club currently trains out of Seven Chief Sportsplex in Tsuut’ina First Nation.

The nets’ new home at the Morley gym is not one known for basketball, or for the last few decades, sporting events in general. The former hoops were dated and dusty, where most of the athletics action in Mînî Thnî is found next door at the arena or the two local schools nearby.

The community has made a name for itself on the hockey, volleyball, softball and rodeo scenes. Morley Community School’s junior and senior girls’ and boys’ volleyball teams, in particular, consistently return home from tournaments with gold and silver medals around their necks.

But Chiniquay is proving the ballers in Stoney Nakoda are not to be overlooked. In August, he was part of Siksika’s gold medal winning U15 squad at the 2022 Alberta Indigenous Games.

In July 2023, he’ll compete at the North American Indigenous Games in Kjipuktuk (Halifax) as part of Team Alberta.

“I don’t think anyone from our Nation has gone this far in basketball,” said Mark. “As far as I know, my son is the first.

“When I was about his age, I tried out for the games and I got cut.”

Watching his son come into his own on the court has inspired Mark to promote the sport in their community, where many have not had the same opportunities to train at the level Chiniquay has.

“We drive into the city four times out of the week – practices, games, training,” said Mark. “I want to bring that back here so that other people can experience that. Not just with basketball, but other sports, too.

“That’s where I’ve been leaning these past few years, I want to shift my focus back to my roots and helping kids.”

As long as there is interest, Mark aims to utilize the Morley gym at least once a week for after school drop-in sessions, something he said has been missing in the community for far too long.

If the basketball clinic was any indication – kids and parents in attendance were asking when the next one would be held – there is a clear desire for more healthy, accessible, youth-oriented activities in Mînî Thnî.

“This is just the beginning,” said Tan. “We’re already talking about planning the next one. We were waiting to get the hoops in here to get everybody excited, and now we have a space that we can work with – safe, warm and clean.”

Tan, who is no stranger to offering basketball clinics in First Nations communities, knows the importance of offering Indigenous youth opportunities to play.

“Most clubs, kids will go to them, seeking them out,” said Tan. “With Indigenous communities, sometimes you have to do a little more work to show them that there is opportunity for them, that they can do it and they can be great at it.

“You just have to be committed, and that’s all it takes. There’s always been a lot of talent in these communities, we just need to tap into that and show them, and make sports more accessible.”

Jace Young, who plays for the MCS Mustangs senior boys’ basketball team, said he appreciated the chance to learn more about the sport and train outside of school, without having to travel to the city or elsewhere.

“I learned a lot actually,” he said of the clinic. “I learned how to shoot better, and it was really cool to be able to host something like this in Morley.”

Chiniquay, too, is eager to see the sports community grow in his hometown.

“I want to keep doing this so more kids can play and fall in love with basketball, volleyball, whatever sport they’re interested in.”

To really put Stoney Nakoda First Nation on the map and showcase its up-and-coming talent, Mark said he might try to make a bid to host the annual Treaty 7 sports tournament between area First Nations in Morley, typically held at the end of January.

“We have this pretty legit looking gym now, whereas before it didn’t really look like much,” he said. “I think that would be a great time to show others from within our community and outside of it, what we have to offer.”


The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.

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