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April 15, 2021Ba’ag Playing Stellar Basketball During Pandemic
It has been challenging for the Ba’ag basketball program to find gyms or outdoor courts to practice on for much of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the team’s spirit has soared like an eagle as they have played on and prepared the class of 2024 group for high school basketball.
Ba’ag consists of four teams: Varsity, Junior Varsity (10 freshmen playing up), Freshman and Eighth Grade.
Recently, Ba’ag has been playing in a variety of Native American circuit tournaments. The eighth-grade team went undefeated for an entire weekend and came ready to play every game, according to coaches. The JV/Varsity team were Showcase Champions, with eight freshmen and one eighth-grader on the team, and they played players who were juniors and seniors in their division. The Varsity team recently went 3-1 and took the loss in a championship game, ending up in second place.
Up next for Ba’ag are tournaments in Phoenix on May 22-23; Oklahoma City April 30–May 2; preparation for the NABI tournament July 11-18; and games in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 25–27.
The teams are currently seeking local fundraising with food sales and raffles to help fund expenses.
Ba’ag is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which focuses on youth sports. Seventy-five percent of the boys in the program are Native American. You can follow the team’s journey on Instagram @salt_river_baag.