Alberta Shooting Stars celebrates 25 years

For a quarter of a century, the Alberta Shooting Stars has been a special part of the basketball community.

In fact, one could say that it has been shining a spotlight for an entire era of the province’s top girls players.

Look no further than this year’s special guest.

The silver anniversary edition of Alberta Shooting Stars will take place Saturday, March 24, at SAIT in Calgary, with seven games featuring junior and high school competitors. The action is tentatively scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m., when the Prospects first take the court, and keeps going until the Seniors hit the hardwood later that afternoon.

 “It’s kind of hard to believe it’s been 25 years,” says Brian Utley, who has organized the event since Day One. “When we did it the first time n 1994 we only had two Senior games and then gradually we (added) the Prospects and just kept growing and growing, and it’s been anywhere between seven and nine games the last several years.”

The evolution of Shooting Stars is perfectly embodied by Leighann Doan Reimer, whose involvement now spans a generation.

One of the greatest players in Canadian university hoops history, with the Calgary Dinos from 1996 to 2001, and a member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame 2018 induction class, Doan Reimer will be speaking at the Shooting Stars banquet on the eve of the event. The next day, she’ll be coaching as her daughter plays in one of the Prospects games.

“She’s one of our former Miss Basketball Alberta award winners, so that’s a big deal for us, we’re really excited about that,” Utley says.

Many of the province’s greatest young athletes have been crowned Miss Basketball Alberta at Shooting Stars. The list of honourees includes WNBA first round draft pick Adut Bulgak of Edmonton, and Chestermere product Jody Bell, a four-year NCAA Division 1 player with the Texas Longhorns. Among the recent winners are Team Alberta alumni Emma Kary, who led the Alberta Pandas in scoring as a second-year student-athlete this season.

This year’s crop of players will undoubtedly feature many that go on to great achievements. But this is even more likely the only time all will be on the same court at the same time.

“Shooting Stars is unique in the country,” says Utley. “As far as we know, it’s the biggest girls high school all-star type of event.

“For Grade 12s, it’s a great way for them to finish off their high school career, and for the younger kids, it’s a great opportunity to be seen by college and university teams.”

Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Please visit albertashootingstars.com for information.