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Chilliwack athletes to compete at wheelchair basketball junior nationals

Ben Hagkull and Keaton McEachern are on the 13-player roster heading to PEI for the 8-team tourney
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Chilliwack’s Ben Hagkull, seen here at a Wheelchair Basketball Canada camp, will represent B.C. at junior nationals running June 10-12 in PEI. (Wheelchair Basketball Canada photo)

Two Chilliwackians are among the 13 athletes representing B.C. at the wheelchair basketball Junior National Tournament.

Ben Hagkull and Keaton McEachern are in Charlottetown, PEI, now for the event which runs June 10-12.

For Hagkull, it’s another chance to don Team B.C. colours at a high-level tourney. The Chilliwack Secondary grad played for Team B.C. at the 2015 and 2019 Canada Winter Games. While head coach Simon Cass will look to Hagkull for veteran leadership, he’ll look to McEachern for excitement and energy.

“We think this group has the chance to be very competitive if we execute our fundamentals well and can avoid distractions,” the coach noted. “We are very proud of our entire pool for the work they’ve done through the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are very excited to finally get the chance to compete with our friends from across the country.”

The eight team field at junior nationals includes B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec joined by a pair of teams from Atlantic Canada. One squad combines players from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia while the other brings together talent from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Junior nationals take place every four years, acting as a seeding tournament for the Canada Games.

For more tournament info, visit wheelchairbasketball.ca/event/junior-championships/

RELATED: Chilliwack’s Ben Hagkull helps B.C. Royals win bronze at nationals

RELATED: Wheelchair basketball’s Ben Hagkull inspires Cheam elementary school students


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Eric Welsh

About the Author: Eric Welsh

I joined the Chilliwack Progress in 2007, originally hired as a sports reporter.
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