Atlantic University Sport basketball championships tip-off
![AUS basketball championship The Atlantic University Sport basketball championships start in Halifax on Feb. 23, 2024. (CTV News)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/2/23/aus-basketball-championship-1-6780981-1708713377672.jpg)
Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men’s and women’s Basketball Championships are underway in Halifax.
Dalhousie University Tigers player Jaden Parker is back in this tournament for the second straight year.
“It was the first time in a venue like this, in a venue this big. It gives you energy that you never had before,” said Parker, who along with other athletes, will be playing in front of a lot of people.
“Our average is about 18,000 (people) for the weekend,” said AUS President and Executive Director, Phil Currie.
For many fans, this is a can’t-miss weekend of basketball.
“Our family has been coming to the AUS for 30 years or more,” said Leon MacLellan. “We always have a great time here.”
The event promises to be a pressure-packed basketball showcase to cap a long season of competition.
“You have to rely on your preparation and in fact that they are ready for this moment,” said Erin McAleenan, head coach of the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds Women’s Basketball team. “Once the ball goes up, it’s just another basketball game.”
More than just the chance of win a championship, this entire weekend also offers student athletes a memorable early life experience.
“It is unreal,” said Parker. “You come here, the game starts, and you can really feel the energy in the stands. It’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else.”
AUS is the only conference in the country that combines the women’s and men’s championships on the same weekend, in the same venue.
“To be able to bring student athletes into a venue like Scotiabank Centre and highlight them and their abilities on a court is amazing,” said Currie.
The event will take place all weekend in Halifax, with both the men’s and women’s championship final games scheduled for Sunday.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6963806.1721000812!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Trudeau says he spoke with Trump after shooting, condemned political violence
The Prime Minister's office says Justin Trudeau spoke this afternoon with former president Donald Trump in the wake of a deadly shooting at one of his campaign rallies on Saturday.
DEVELOPING What we know about the 20-year-old man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump
The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., as the suspect in Saturday's attempted assassination of former U.S. president Donald Trump at a campaign rally.
UBC investigating professor’s social media post following Trump assassination attempt
The University of British Columbia is investigating a now-deleted social media post from one of its faculty members that appeared to be wishing an assassination attempt on Donald Trump had been successful.
Biden warns of election-year rhetoric, saying 'it's time to cool it down'
U.S. President Joe Biden warned Sunday of the risks of political violence in the U.S. after Saturday’s attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump, saying, 'It's time to cool it down.'
What an ex-FBI agent noticed in the aftermath of Donald Trump rally shooting
An apparent assassination attempt has many questioning how a shooting that wounded former U.S. president Donald Trump was even possible.
LCBO reverses plan to open select stores on Friday as strike continues
The LCBO has reversed its plan to open select stores on Friday as retail workers continue to strike across the province, according to a statement from the Crown corporation on Sunday.
Obituary Shannen Doherty, '90210' actress, dies at 53, People magazine reports
American actor Shannen Doherty, best known for her role as high school student Brenda Walsh on hit 1990s television drama 'Beverly Hills, 90210,' has died at age 53 following a years-long battle with cancer.
Read the letter from Melania Trump responding to attempted assassination of Donald Trump
Former first lady Melania Trump issued her first public response since her husband, former President Donald Trump, was injured in a shooting at one of his rallies on Saturday.
Spain beats England 2-1 to win record fourth European Championship title
Spain is the king of European soccer for a record fourth time. For England, it's another agonizing near-miss in the team's decades-long tale of underachievement.