While she has only just turned 13, Brandee-Lynn Quewezance is determined to play basketball at the college level, and she has earned a chance to showcase her talents this summer at the North American Indigenous Games.
The young Mowachaht-Muchalaht member is currently in Grade 8 at Nanaimo District Senior Secondary, where she plays point guard on the junior team.
Last year, Brandee-Lynn played her first All-Native tournament, and it has opened up a whole new range of opportunities. She joined a number of girls who were invited to attend tryout camps for Team BC at the U-14, U-16 and U-19 levels, including Shania Sabbas, who was ultimately selected for the U-19 squad.
“I was a pickup player with the Hesquiaht Storm, with Shania and all the other girls that made Team BC. I played in one tournament at John Barsby [Secondary School],” she said.
When Team BC sent out the invitations last fall, Brandee-Lynn jumped at the opportunity.
“First, we had a tryout camp in October in Port Alberni. Then after that, we went to the Team BC camp in Langley. The U-14s went to a different camp from the U-19s.”
For Brandee-Lynn, Langley was a daunting challenge, and she admits to being unsure of herself – at first.
But basketball is her game. She says she knew that almost as soon as her dad, Ryan, started teaching her the game when she was in Grade 5 (“That’s when it all started…”).
In Langley, the coaches put the girls through the standard drills, running, dribbling, passing and shooting. For Brandee-Lynn, sinking a basket is a magical experience.
“When I shoot, I feel it’s something I want to do for the rest of my life,” she said. “My dad always brought me up to [Vancouver Island University] to watch the girls play. That inspires me to want to play at that level.”
Earning a slot in the Team BC squad represents one more step up the ladder. Langley proved to be a real confidence-booster, she said.
“Once I did it, I felt I could do anything.”
NAIG 2014 takes place in Regina, Saskatchewan. Ryan Quewezance was born in YellowQuill, SK and played basketball at the University of Regina. He has played ball, when the opportunity presents, ever since.
“It’s pretty great. She’s taking me back to my home city,” he said.
Ryan said while it is inspiring to see his daughter embrace basketball, with all it has to offer, Brandee-Lynn has also devoted a lot of energy into exploring her heritage.
“She’s been into it since she was a little girl. It hasn’t always been easy, living in an urban centre, but she is bringing us all to it.”
“I just got back from a potlatch last night [Feb. 22], and every Monday night, I go to Culture Night at my old elementary school. My parents get me involved in that stuff,” Brandee-Lynn said.
While the event takes place in Snuneymuxw traditional territory, Cultural Night is actually organized by Nuu-chah-nulth members living in Nanaimo, Ryan said.
The potlatch took place in Gold River.
“The whole family gets together to sing and dance and to eat. I think it went 18 hours,” Brandee-Lynn said.
For Brandee-Lynn, the goal is to work on her skills through the rest of the high school season, in preparation for NAIG. While the Langley evaluation camp identified candidates with the best skill sets, there wasn’t a lot of time to work on playing as a team, she said.
“We’re going to the Team BC camp in Langley in May. That’s where they’re going to figure all that out.”
