'The campus is abuzz': Mount Allison hosting national basketball championship

The quest for a title tipped off Wednesday afternoon on the floor of McCormack Gymnasium in Sackville, N.B.

For the first time ever, Mount Allison University is playing host to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball National Championship.

Eight university and college teams from British Columbia to Nova Scotia are participating.

Tournament chair, and former Mounties basketball player, Norval McConnell said the national event raises the profile for the school.

“That's the big thing. Mount A is not traditionally seen as an athletic school so we're hosting the national championships. We had the women's (championships) in 2018. It lead to the renovation of the gym,” said McConnell.

The university spent approximately $5.5 million to refurbish the gymnasium over the past few years.

Mount Allison director of athletics and recreation Jacques Bellefleur said everything was upgraded.

“From the ventilation system to the lights to the wall panels. All the baskets are new, all the rims are new. The floor of course is brand new,” said Bellefleur.

Mount Allison is known nationally as being one of the better academic schools in the entire country, but it does attract top student athletes as well.

“Being able to juggle both the academics and the athletics side of it really helps also in the classroom,” said Bellefleur. “These are young student athletes that come to us with very busy schedules and they're used to that.”

It may not have the same lustre as the U-Sports men's final eight, but it means the world to the home team.

“This tournament rotates around the country, but it doesn't come back east all that often and it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them,” said Mount Allison assistant coach Dave Tingley. “They're never going to get a chance to play in front of this big of a crowd with this much on the line.”

Sackville is only two hours away from Halifax, so families could easily make the trip for Wednesday’s Mount Saint Vincent University game against the Humber College Hawks of Toronto.

Lori Matheson and her family came to see her son Isaac, a starting point-guard for the Mystics.

“It's really exciting that we can all be here to support him. It's nice for it to be so close to home this year,” said Matheson.

With just 2,300 students, Mount Allison has the smallest enrollment of the eight teams at the tournament.

To put things into perspective, Humber College has 43,000 students.

Hosting a major event for a small school has created a lot of excitement.

“The campus is abuzz, yeah,” said Tingley. “This place is going to be packed tonight and it’s going to be a lot of fun for the guys.”

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