Chatting with Peacock Toilers senior Luke Andrews after their win in the 4A boys regional high school basketball playdown this past weekend showed just how much getting to Hoopla 2024 meant to the Grade 12 forward.
Answering questions with a huge grin, Andrews laid out in no uncertain terms what the event meant to himself and his teammates, especially to have a chance to play right here in Moose Jaw.
The final question of the interview changed all that. Asked what it would be like to see the event cancelled due to the ongoing collective bargaining impasse between the Saskatchewan Teacher’s Federation and the Saskatchewan Government, Andrews immediately looked utterly crestfallen.
“Oh man, that really sucks, I’d be really bummed out,” he said. “All the seniors, we’ve put our heart and dedication into this game, and for our final games of of our season to be over just like that… I’ll be really upset. It wouldn’t be good at all if it gets cancelled.”
MooseJawToday.com asked the same question to each of the players and coaches we chatted with over the regional championship weekend, and here is a sampling of their responses.
The Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA) has given a deadline of 3 p.m. Wednesday for the job impasse to be solved, otherwise the STF withdrawal of extracurricular services on Thursday and Friday will lead to the cancellation of the event.
Kate Waldenberger, Grade 12 Vanier Spirits
“I support the teachers, my mom is a teacher and I see that angle too. It’s difficult, I wouldn’t want to have to make those decisions, they’re tough decisions to make.
“There’s been a lot of effort that’s been put into the planning of Hoopla and what it means to the province, and I think it would be a shame for it to be cancelled with all these teams working towards it.
“With a lot of small-town teams, this is all they work towards. They don’t have a city final, Hoopla is what they play for and I think it would be a shame if that didn’t happen.”
Troy Setter, head coach Peacock Toilers boys
“To me, it’s all about the kids. Everyone has put in so much hard work and it would suck for the players. I understand the conflict and it’s just unfortunate that we’re at this point I just hope that they can somehow work things out and we can play (next weekend).”
Barry Seaborn, head coach Central Cyclones boys
“It’s always very exciting and it would be really tough to lose, but I understand. I feel bad for the teachers and I just wish (job action) would go away for a week. It’s sad to see kids miss out on this stuff… it’s not just a basketball tournament, it some of the biggest memories these kids will have.
"My other son’s (Briercrest Clippers standout Riley Seaborn) friends come over and they still talk about Hoopla. It’s not a tournament in Regina or something, it’s one of the biggest things for these kids. I remember playing in it in 1989 in my last year and it means so much to everyone involved, and hopefully they can work something out."
Megan Dusomme, Grade 12 Central Cyclones girls
“I’ll be really upset, because is basically what we’ve played the whole year for and to lose it at the end is really tough.”
Brendan Fedoski, head coach Peacock Toilers girls
“If it’s cancelled, it is what it is, it’s completely out of my control. We’re just going to take it one day at a time and celebrate our moment right now because this has been hard work to get to this point and hopefully we can continue next weekend.”
Rylee Miskiman, Grade 12 Central Cyclones girls
"Everything that we’ve practiced for and done has led up to Hoopla so if it’s cancelled it really sucks especially since we’ve made it this far. It would suck for us not to be able to play in it."
Tanya McLean, head coach Central Cyclones girls
"If it gets cancelled we’ll be really disappointed. It’s out of our hands, and now that we’ve made it and could play in it… I don’t think anyone thought we’d be there and now to have a chance to play in Hoopla is amazing. We’ll keep our fingers crossed."
Taylor Craik, Grade 12 Peacock Toilers girls
"We play every game like it’s our last game and we don’t know what the future holds, so we have high hopes that it happens. But if it doesn’t there’s nothing that we can do and only so much that our coaches can do. We’re just working with what we have and we’re appreciative of every game we’ve had so far."
