While most of his George McDougall classmates were playing basketball for fun during the lunch hour, June 15, Ryan Morck was preparing for something bigger.
The 6’6” Grade 9 student was enjoying his final lunch break of the school year with his friends, but will soon change his focus to becoming a member of Team Alberta for the National Midget Basketball Championship in Toronto.
The tournament, to be held Aug. 1-7, will be the first chance for Morck to represent his province and he said it would be an exciting opportunity.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “I played at the (Alberta) summer games in Peace River last summer, so I’ve got a bit of taste for a big event, but this will be completely different. It’s going to be a lot fun.”
The team will come together in early July for a series of four-day practice sessions in Calgary and Edmonton, followed by warm-up tournaments in Regina and Montana. It will be a tough, truncated schedule, but Morck said the coaches have all players on a regimented training program.
The strength of his game is based around his height, Morck said.
“My inside shot and my ability to post-up is probably what the coaching staff saw in me,” said the 15-year-old. “I’ve also been playing a lot recently and with the workout plan they’ve given us, all of the guys should be ready.”
Having the team of 12, which was finalized in mid-May, come together for several weeks before the big tournament will be a huge bonus as well, Morck said.
“I think that is very important,” he said. “It will give all the guys a chance to get used to each on the court and develop some chemistry.”
Following the national tournament in Toronto, Morck will enter his Grade 10 year at George McDougall, but said he won’t attempt to make the transition from junior boys basketball to the senior level, as he wants to spend another year with the familiar coaching staff.
“I really enjoy the coaches I have now,” he said.
“Plus, I’ll still have two more years left.”
