While the Hoopla 2024 Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association basketball championship has been cancelled, teams from throughout the province will have a chance to play for medals based on their seeding during a one-day tournament running all day Saturday at gyms throughout the city.
More to come, and here is the press release from the SHSAA announcing the cancellation.
SHSAA Press Release
As of 3 pm this afternoon, there has been no notice that sanctions (being implemented at midnight) will be removed. Due to the withdrawal of extra-curricular on Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22, all SHSAA activities are cancelled on those dates.
Through discussions with both groups involved in the negotiations, SHSAA was unable to determine if there would be any immediate solution to the impasse; therefore, it is with regret that HOOPLA 2024 is cancelled.
The Board of Directors is extremely saddened by the outcome. For over 75 years of operation, teacher volunteers, with the support of our members, the School Boards of Saskatchewan, have been the backbone of our Association. We are extremely grateful for volunteer coaches that drive school sport. As individuals that live school sport every day, the SHSAA Board members are fully aware of the disappointment that exists amongst our student-athletes and coaches.
As Saturday, March 23 is the final day of the SHSAA basketball season, teams that qualified for HOOPLA 2024 are invited to participate in a one-day Provincial Basketball Championship in Moose Jaw. Each team involved in this celebration of high school basketball will play one game (against an opponent based on their seeding) and are encouraged to take in the atmosphere by cheering on other teams.
For those who value the philosophy of school sport, the last few days have continued to provide examples of opportunities for students to develop life skills through a school sport environment. As students have endured the unrest, they demonstrated many of the qualities that their coaches have tried to nurture in an educational athletic setting. We have also been made aware of many situations where teams have come together to cope and support each other through the disappointment. Our school sport coaches are phenomenal individuals that continue to help student-athletes develop skills to prepare them for whatever their future may hold.
We look forward to celebrating high school sport and bringing closure to the high school basketball season on Saturday.
