Neepawa Ballers proud to represent the community on and off the court Team of local all-stars participate in Brandon Tournament

By Eoin Devereux Neepawa Banner & Press

Some of the best hoopers from the Neepawa Ballers Basketball League recently headed down the road to Brandon to showcase their skills, and more importantly the spirit of Neepawa. A team consisting of around a dozen participants in our local league were invited to the tournament, which was played on Feb. 25 and 26.

Rafael Flores Jr. organized the team after receiving the invitation a few weeks earlier. He said while it was a little bit of short notice to get everything together, they were still very honoured to receive the invite. He added they feel as though they did represent the town in a positive way.

“We were invited to participate in their mini tournament. [It was] short notice for us like maybe just two weeks, [so] we don’t have much preparation for practice because we don’t have any time. [However] it was still a lot of fun to be invited and to play,” said Flores. “For us, it was not only about winning, it’s also how you play the game. We wanted to go and represent our beloved town, Neepawa. It’s like our heritage; you play representing your own town back in the Philippines.”

Flores Jr. said the team played a pair of games over the weekend, and though they didn’t come away with a victory, they’re still very proud of how they showcased the local talent.

“They witness that there are some good players in Neepawa. Some Filipino players and some Canadians there from Neepawa representing the community,” Flores stated.

As for participating in the event again, Flores Jr. said it’s something they are very much open to.

“I’ve already had my teammates asking if we can have like, once a month, have training or practice [as a team]. And we are also planning to make [two pairs of] jerseys, because that jersey we were using was from other players that we borrowed. We want to represent Neepawa.”