12 Okanagan athletes will be on various Team B.C. basketball teams at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games. (2023 North American Indigenous Games/Facebook)

12 Okanagan athletes will be on various Team B.C. basketball teams at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games. (2023 North American Indigenous Games/Facebook)

Okanagan athletes to dunk on the competition at North American Indigenous Games

The North American Indigenous Games are from July 16-23 in Halifax

There’s quite a bit of Okanagan flare on the basketball rosters for the upcoming 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG).

All the rosters were announced on Instagram on Wednesday, July 12, just a couple weeks ahead of the games.

The under-19 men’s team features five players from the Okanagan, the most of any Team BC teams. They are:

  • Peter Waardenburg, West Kelowna;
  • Drew Williams, West Kelowna;
  • Cheveyo Parker, Vernon;
  • Rain Marsden, Keremeos;
  • Kaleb Montgemery-Reid, Cawston.

Meanwhile, the under-19 women’s team has four Okanagan players:

  • Mikkeila Ridsdale, West Kelowna;
  • Tennyson McCarthy, Lake Country;
  • Morgan Eichenberger, Kamloops;
  • Ashtynn Gurnsey, Kamloops.

The team is also managed by Shenise Sigsworth, an alumni of Thompson Rivers University and the school’s women’s basketball program.

For the under-16 boys team, there is Jayden Broadfoot from Kamloops and Maddox Craske from Merritt. The under-14 boys also features another Kamloops native – Waki-Ya Diablo.

The 2023 NAIGs is taking place in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Dartmouth, Millbrook First Nation from July 16-23.

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