A referee patiently pauses the action so little fingers can tie up little laces and there is a supernatural feeling in the gym that the Ancestors are watching with happy eyes.
Pull up a seat. Leave the past at the door. Only water, sports drinks and smiles allowed beyond this point.
This is co-ed U10 rez ball on the court at the 2026 Junior All Native Tournament (JANT).
This is the future of Indigenous youth basketball in British Columbia, and it shines with opportunity. These babies are receiving all the supports their grandparents never did, plus there’s a pizza party.
“When I was having a rough day, I went to the U10 gym and all my issues went away,” said Dylan Kular, Vancouver Bandits team president and JANT co-host.
“Those kids are playing so free and having fun and the parents were also that way. It was just about fun. And that is the goal. To make sure that kids make it to U17,” said Kular.
When the Vancouver Bandits professional basketball team, Kwantlen First Nation and Vancity Nation took over the JANT hosting duties, Kular says they set out to create a “legacy” for the tournament with the goal of bringing people together.
“I think for the most part we achieved that goal and shined a spotlight on the youth,” said Kular, humbly.
Finals day on March 20 was the highest attended championship day on record with 2,400 spectators strolling through the Langley Events Centre. CFNR Network had 373,000 total viewers tune-in to the livestreams, making the 50th anniversary JANT the most-watched JANT in history, and Kular says nearly 10,000 people and 2,000 players travelled to Langley for the event.
“Hotels sold out. This is a major event. On our social media channels, we had over five million impressions,” said Kular.
Shannon-Rose Vickers manages the U10 Vancity Vanguards, a mix team of west coast Indigenous players, Cree, Mohawk and other nations from across Turtle Island. As her littles dove into a hard-earned pizza party at Yorkson Creek Middle School in Langley, Vickers shared that the Vanguards didn’t even really know what a game was before they ran onto the court at JANT.
“This is their very first experience outside of the few practices we had,” she said.
“It takes so much guts. It takes so much bravery,” said Vickers. “These little ones stepping into crowds like that where people are roaring and cheering, I really admire their bravery and tenacity. It’s moving. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Lil’wat Nation, located just north of Pemberton, B.C., brought two U10 squads to Langley for the five-day hoop tournament.
“This is our shortest drive we’ve ever done to JANT,” said coach Bah Boyz, also known as Bradley Peters.
“We’re bringing back basketball. It’s been mostly soccer on our rez. JANT is a good way to bring it back for the kids; to start younger and develop more and enjoy the game,” said Peters, adding that his grandson and his daughter play on the same U10 team.
He said they fundraised all year for the trip, with raffles and bingos plus support from the band, and had enough spare cash to treat the kids to something fun as a team after the tournament wrapped.
“I’m happy that we came to have fun. It’s all about the experience, for sure. I think they liked the adventure and just getting out of the rez,” said Peters.
Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Itty Bitty Ballers U10 coach Tyson Touchie said he was happy for all the Nuu-chah-nulth teams.
“We are representing,” said Touchie.
For the second year in a row, his Itty Bitties went undefeated in the U10 round robin.
“The Itties, man. They got challenged in the end by Haida and they stepped up and did their Itty Bitty thing. We are super stoked about them,” said Touchie, who also coached the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Ravens U13 girls to a top two finish.
He shared his secret for developing players:
“You want to develop fundamentals and keep them coming out to the gym and making it fun. That’s the secret,” said Touchie.
“I only have two rules: just be respectful and just play ball. These are the only two rules, always. And it permeates through their development,” he said.
Nations are already planning for next year when JANT heads north to Prince George.
