Basketball Tournament Remembers the late Kevin Moccasin

Saskatoon, SK –  The 10th Anniversary Kevin Moccasin Memorial Basketball Tournament was held this past weekend at the White Buffalo Youth Lodge and brought together those who knew the late basketball player and others who didn’t.

But for the ten teams from across Canada who competed in the tournament, it was a chance to honour the late basketball player who had so much potential.

Michael Linklater, who was Kevin Moccasin’s best friend growing up, took some time out to share Kevin’s life and love for the game of basketball. Linklater first met Moccasin in elementary school in grade four. They also discovered and developed a love for basketball together and would play for hours at the old St. Mary’s School in Saskatoon.

Linklater described Kevin as, “a warm cheerful spirit always with a smile on his face and a protector over friends and family”.

The tournament was originally held annually during the first four years after Moccasin’s passing, which Linklater says, “was to honour first nations traditions of the four directions, four seasons, four cycles of life.”

Linklater and organizers decided to bring back the popular tournament to commemorate almost 10-years since Kevin Moccasin’s passing while using basketball as a way to keep his spirit alive.

Story and Photos by Trina Kingfisher 

Photos cannot be republished  without the permission of RezX Magazine.