MISSION — The last time Lanny McHugh made his way to the Basketball Against Alcohol and Drugs (BAAD) Tournament from Alberta, Canada, it was 2004 and his father, Ira, was his coach. Now a coach himself, he brought his sons to play in the BAAD Tournament.
The tournament joins basketball and alcohol and drug prevention classes to inform young players of the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. Teams from across the region, in this case the continent, compete.
Lanny, sporting his tournament shirt from 22 years ago, recalled the experience all that time ago, on March 24 at Nixywàaii Community School.
“From what I remember, we had such an awesome time here, and I’ve been searching for this tournament for years now,” he said, “and I found my old Umatilla shirt tucked away, so I started searching and finally found the announcement on the site.”
Lanny brought his two sons, Lanayson and Lawrenzo, to play in the tournament that his father brought him to 22 years ago.
“I’m the driver now, though; he’s the coach,” Ira said.
The McHughs made their journey from the Siksika Nation in southern Alberta, travelling for 12 hours to compete in the tournament Lanny had fond memories of.
“It has always been an awesome tournament. The experience has been great, the hospitality and the sessions, too,” Lanny said. “The Youth Health Sessions they provide definitely help them learn a lot of good things.”
To be eligible to compete in the tournament, all teams are required to participate in Prevention Awareness sessions after their first game. The classes utilize special guests and activities to educate players about the dangers alcohol and drug abuse pose.
After competing in their own March Madness tournament on March 21, Lanny’s Blackfoot team arrived late Sunday night.
“It was a tough schedule for us,” he said. “Our boys played four games yesterday and then they had to play at 9:00 this morning. A good couple of battles here, but we definitely had fun though.”
Lanny said he was happy to find out that 22 years after he played in the BAAD Tournament, it’s still going strong.
“I’d been wondering for a few years where this tournament had been and if it was still going. Come to find out, it’s been happening every year since, so it’s definitely awesome to be back out here,” he said.
