After a successful pilot effort in the summer, Winnipeg Wesmen women's basketball and Wesmen Athletics have announced a Junior Wesmen program will launch in time for play during the 2024-25 club season.
The Junior Wesmen girls teams were reintroduced this summer and competed in two Prairie Elite Basketball League tournaments in Regina and Calgary. The Junior Wesmen will now launch two teams for 2024-25, a 15U group (born 2010 or later) and a 17U group (born 2008 or 2009). The 17U group will include up to five over-age athletes born in 2007 who will be selected by invitation only.
Michael Tan will be the head coach of the 17U squad and will be assisted by Tianna Mighty and Zeralyn Panesa. Breanne Scott will head up the 15U side with former Wesmen Faith Hezekiah serving as an assistant.
The program will offer youth in Manitoba high-performance training in a fun and competitive environment. Our program is focused on the appropriate development of the mental and physical skills required for the game of basketball.
The Junior Wesmen will train three times per week at the University of Winnipeg Duckworth Centre. The program runs from September until the end of May but will take a break for the school basketball season from December to March. Optional training once a week will be offered during this time.
In the fall, Junior Wesmen teams will compete in the Peg City League as well as local exhibition games and will travel for one tournament in Canada. In the spring, they will travel to compete in up to four weekend tournaments as part of the Prairie Elite Basketball League (PEBL). PEBL tournaments are held in Regina, Calgary, Saskatoon, and Edmonton. Teams will also participate in Basketball Manitoba's Club Championships.
This program also offers the unique opportunity for crossover events with the Wesmen university women's team, including guest coaching by university athletes and coaches, invitations to sit-in on a university team practice, game-day events for Junior Wesmen families, and more.
Tryout dates and registration will be announced this summer.
If you have any questions, please contact Alyssa Cox at al.cox@uwinnipeg.ca.