Free summer basketball league rebounds after 2-year pandemic hiatus

Faqrudin Ali says he got "stuck on" summer league basketball when he was a kid, following in his older brother's footsteps. Now Coach Turtle, as the kids call him, has seen generations of players move on and grow thanks to the free league over the decade he's been giving pointers.

That is until COVID put the games on hold.

"It's been really tough, just seeing the kids not play for two years," he said. "Not only on their physical aspect, but mentally, emotionally."

So, when the league's co-ordinator announced summer league was back this year, the reaction was swift.

"Once he said, 'Hey, boys the summer league is back,' all the kids got happy — everybody was happy," said Ali, who coaches for the Bellevue team in the Caldwell neighbourhood.

Players in the free youth league have their costs, including transportation to games, covered by the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, which runs some teams out of their clubhouses.

Others, including powerhouse teams like Ritchie, Ramsey and Bellevue are connected to community housing neighbourhoods.

For Kian Nejad, who also played when he was a kid and now oversees the league, it was a relief to be able to finally tell the kids games were back this year.

"It is the talk of the town. The one thing that kids talk about is summer league," he joked, adding it was difficult to explain to the 17- and 18-year-olds that the pandemic made them lose out on those last years of play.

"I can see in their eyes genuinely when they're asking me, 'Can I play?' I'm like, 'No, you're too old'.... You could feel true hurt in their eyes."

Nejad notes the league is especially important for those who might not have the means to play organized sports.

"I think it's a life-changing thing for some kids here," he