It’s been a long time coming, but the Ballenas Whalers senior boys basketball team is finally getting its season underway.
With the football and volleyball teams making long runs in their respective seasons, the Whalers basketball program got off to a late start, much later than the majority of schools in their league and across the province.
Head coach Kevin McMillen said he is excited and relieved that the season is finally taking shape, with practices underway and games on the horizon.
“This is the latest I’ve been a part of a season starting, by far,” McMillen said.
“We’ve just been waiting and waiting for the other seasons to finish up so we can get going. It’s going to be interesting to see what we can get done with how far behind the other teams we are.”
The Whalers senior boys are in action today at the Totem Tournament, hosted by ADSS (Port Alberni). It’s going to be a good test for the Whalers, who are hoping to make their mark in the 60th installment of the annual tournament.
“We’re looking forward to being a part of it,” McMillen said.
“The Totem Tournament is a big part of basketball on Vancouver Island and it’s got a lot of history. We just want to have a good showing and be able to compete out there. We’re young, we only have three Grade 12s on the team but it’s an athletic group of kids, so we’ll see what we can do.”