BRIT is back: Western Canada’s premiere high school basketball tournament returns for 53rd year

The Bedford Road Invitational Tournament (BRIT) is back for it’s 53rd year, after the pandemic forced it into a two-year hiatus.

“It's it's amazing being back here,” said Bedford Road Redhawks head coach Eric Fahie.

“It was obviously long years during those pandemic times, we wish we could have had it, but this year I really think BRIT’s coming back stronger than ever.”

Players on the Redhawks will be experiencing playing in the tournament for the first time, with twelfth graders only able to watch the last time it was played in 2020.

“I feel like we're a team that definitely can compete,” said shooting guard Harshan Natt.

“We've put the time in. We’ve got the skill for it for sure, and well, I don't want to say anything, but I feel like we're going to win some games this time.”

Organizers say months of work has been put in to make the comeback edition of BRIT a memorable one.

“Oh my gosh, so much work,” said BRIT hostess Weixi Zhang.

“All of the organizers, the teachers, the students, the volunteers and the BRIT hostesses, the team hostesses and even the players and the coaches, we’re all just like running around getting things done and just hoping everyone has a good time.”

“Myself and some of the other BRIT committee were here over the Christmas break, and we spent a day where we hung all the new banners,” said Fahie.

“It's a process of probably three or four months where we need to kind of paint them, design them.”

On top of the official tournament schedule, there will be a pep rally, dance crews, skills competitions and a youth 3-on-3 tournament.

The Bedford Road senior girls team is on the floor at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, with the senior boys team officially tipping things off at 2:30 p.m..

12 teams are participating, including;

• Collingwood School - Vancouver, BC
• Elgin Park Secondary School - Surrey, BC
• Raymond High School - Raymond, AB
• St. Francis Xavier High School - Edmonton, AB
• Vincent Massey Collegiate - Winnipeg, MB
• Carlton Comprehensive - Prince Albert, SK
• Martin Collegiate - Regina, SK
• Michael Riffel High School - Regina, SK
• Holy Cross High School - Saskatoon, SK
• St. Joseph High School - Saskatoon, SK
• Walter Murray Collegiate - Saskatoon, SK
• Bedford Road Collegiate - Saskatoon, SK

“I feel like everyone's got to come and experience it,” said Natt.

“You step through the gym, you'll know what I'm talking about. There's an energy in this gym, and yeah, come pack the gym. Let's have a lot of fun.”