Boys Varsity Basketball Team head to Yokohama for the WJAA basketball tournament

Words by Toshi Gotoda; Photos by Nozomi Ide and Coach Albert

On the 11th of January 2024, both the girls' and the boys' varsity basketball teams headed off to the WJAA (Western Japan Athletic Association) basketball tournament hosted at Yokohama International School (YIS), located in the Kanto region of Japan. After walking through the school send-off to the sound of cheering fans, both teams boarded their plane to Tokyo. By the time the Huskies reached YIS, the sky had already turned dark. Exhausted and excited, the Huskies went to sleep in hopes of winning some games the following day.

How it started

The tournament started off with the boys going against the host school: Yokohama International School. The game was very tight, with both teams trading baskets, in desperate need to take the lead.

As a member of the basketball team, Theodore Brennan stated: “It was the first game of the tournament, and the game was extremely close. We were fighting back and forth for the lead, and it was really tense and exciting.”

The game unfortunately ended in a close loss, but the Huskies were able to start the tournament strong and leave a good impression on the other teams competing in the tournament.

The following 2 games against Canadian Academy and Senri Osaka International School started off well for the Huskies but both games ended in vexation as the Huskies struggled to secure a win. 

As reflected by the team captain, Garyu Ide: “We have to be a team that can keep the lead to win next year.” 

How it ended

Having lost all of the games since the start of the tournament, the boys were exhausted, both mentally and physically. The final game was played against Nagoya International School, which again was an extremely nerve-racking game. Buckets were scored here and there, and for the most of it the points were equal, and the game could have gone either way. 

In the end, after a long tournament, the Huskies fought through until the very end, and the final buzzer declared Hokkaido International School victorious against Nagoya International School. A mixed emotion of frustration, relief, and happiness surrounded the players as the Huskies lined up to shake hands with those of Nagoya International School. 

The awards ceremony took place, in which team captain Garyu Ide won the MVP for the Hokkaido International School varsity boys team! 

After the very tiring days of the tournament full of action, excitement, and joy, the Huskies rode the bus to Haneda and made their way back to Sapporo.

Although the varsity boys could not reach for gold in this tournament, most games were very close because everyone tried their very best to make a contribution to the team. Prior to the tournament, the team went against some of the local teams here in Sapporo, and it would be wrong to not mention the amount of progress the team has made within the few weeks before the tournament. 

At the moment, most members are shifting their goals to the next season, with team center Theodore Brennan stating: “I think all of our goals next season is to win it all” and team captain Garyu Ide mentioning that he would like to “Win, get that trophy”. 

Finally, this tournament would not have been possible without the help of Mr. Rankin, Ms. Nozomi Ide, Ms. Akiko Gotoda, Coach Albert, and the team captain himself, Garyu Ide, who have all helped organize practice games, support the team, and have faith in the 2023-2024 season varsity boys basketball team. A big thank you to all of the fans who have watched the games live from Sapporo, and with the newcomers of the next basketball season, hopefully, the boys can bring that trophy home!
 

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