Basketball in Manitoba soars to new heights in 2023

This year has proven to be a slam dunk for the sport of basketball in the Prairies, as more and more Manitobans are picking up a ball and hitting the courts.

Basketball Manitoba has seen a 23 per cent increase in participation over the past year. Adult basketball saw the biggest jump with a 30 per cent increase in registered teams, while youth basketball saw an increase of between 15 and 26 per cent.

Adam Wedlake, executive director of Basketball Manitoba, feels it’s no coincidence this leap in participation comes in the same year that pro basketball returned to the province.

“We saw about a 10-12 per cent increase in participation back in 2019 when the Raptors won their championship. The fact that we now have a pro team here in Winnipeg four years later with the Winnipeg Sea Bears has brought it full circle and now we are seeing nearly three times that growth,” said Wedlake.

In addition to the Sea Bears, Wedlake credits Canada’s success on the international stage as another factor attracting more Manitobans to the sport.

Winnipeg needs more basketball facilities: Basketball Manitoba

But as interest in the sport grows, so too does the demand on facilities.

“As much as we like to herald the 25-30 per cent growth year over year, we don’t have that same percentage of gyms available,” said Wedlake.

Wedlake says their facilities at Sport Manitoba are booked up a year in advance and estimates the city could use 10 more gyms like it to keep up with demand.

And it’s not just the facilities feeling the strain. The need for coaches and referees has never been greater.

“The convener finds the coaches, trying to find volunteers, oftentimes parents, Manitoba Basketball does a good job offering training, we offer our coaching training, so they have some idea of what to expect when walking into a WMBA gym, but other than that it’s beating the bushes,” said Terry Wolowiec, president of Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association (WMBA)

Reid Kenyon, president of the Manitoba Association of Basketball Officials, adds: “We are pulled in many different directions, so as we see these numbers rising it’s made us come to the attention of the importance of retaining our officials but also changing the way we recruit new officials to service these leagues.”

Reinforcements, however, appear to be on the way, as the Manitoba Association of Basketball Officials saw the number of junior officials double in the past year.