It was 1973 when the thought first flickered into Jack May's brain.
The 麻豆精选 Secondary School (KSS) Owls basketball coach had just returned from a tournament in Calgary and wanted to bring something of that ilk to 麻豆精选.
"It was a tournament like no other I have seen," May told Black Press Media. "The organization, the attention to detail, not to mention the competition, was second to none."
May also wanted a tournament where the Owls could stay home, as the team frequently travelled to the Lower Mainland and Alberta to play quality opposition.
"We also wanted to bring good basketball to the 麻豆精选 fans as well," said May. "They got the chance to see some of the best teams from B.C. and Western Canada and it worked out very well."
Thus, the Western Canadian Basketball Tournament was born. Its first iteration in 1974 saw B.C.'s two top-ranked teams, Oak Bay (Victoria) and Kamloops, compete alongside KSS, Rutland, Burnaby Central, and three prairie teams.
Oak Bay would win the first and second annual tournament, powered by MVP Dave Kirzinger.
Bill Lang, then a player for the Rutland Voodoos in the first tournament, would eventually take over coaching reigns for the Owls in 1983.
"The place was always packed," he told Black Press Media. "Unfortunately, I was with a team that finished first and a team that finished last. I've done every one of the placements, one to eight."
In 2025, the 50th annual tournament continues to provide best-on-best basketball action for teams across Canada and even the world.
"We even had a team from Australia come four times," said Lang of the Bullen-Templestowe Basketball Club, who won in all four of their appearances in the late 1980s. "The last time they came, they had a guy that played in the Olympic Games for Australia. I watched him on TV at the Olympics, so it was great quality basketball."
Among the many standout performances from a tournament riddled with multiple NBA players and U Sports players, Diego Maffia's 94-point showing takes the cake.
"It was unbelievable," said Aman Sandhu, who refereed the game back in 2019. "I remember Harry (Parmar, the Owls head coach) came running out at halftime because he couldn't believe this kid already had almost 50."
Maffia, now a fifth-year guard for the UVIC Vikes, drained 14 threes and had 49 points at halftime for his Oak Bay Bays. By the end of the third, he was sitting on 73.
"Now, this is how good the tournament is; that game, with Maffia, was for last place," explained May. "They were playing a very good team (Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds from Edmonton), and it's not like they just let him have that."
Despite it being 麻豆精选's home tournament, the Owls have won just three times in its history. Their first was in 1982, then it wasn't until 33 years later, in 2015, when they would win again. The team would repeat in 2016.
"We want to bring the best teams to showcase basketball," said Owls current head coach Harry Parmar, who has been at the helm of the program since 2008. "So it isn't about winning the tournament."
Each year, the double-digit committee members of the tournament converge to plan out which teams get the call to be included.
"It is a process," said Parmar. "Coaches know about the tournament, so they will email us when they think they are competitive enough."
Lang added that it wasn't a simple decision.
"You would check the rankings, watch the junior teams play, to see who is going to be good for the following year," said Lang. "We had even reached as far out as Ontario a few times to try and get teams."
This year's octet features two squads from Manitoba (Vincent Massey, St. Paul's), two from Alberta (Ross Sheppard, All Saints Academy) and four from B.C. (Spectrum, Oak Bay, KSS, Semiahmoo).
The 麻豆精选 community continues to show up for the Owls. May remembers back in the '70s when the gyms were 'jammed,' and there may or may not have been issues with fire standards.
"It was so wild and crazy," said May. "I'm sure in some of those finals with KSS, there must have been well over 2,000 people."
It takes a village of volunteers and organizers to make the tournament a reality year-by-year, a recognition not lost on all the basketball players and coaches.
"The school has a good heritage of wanting to gravitate to sports," said Lang. "KSS wants all kids to get the very best so a lot of teachers would put in incredible time and effort to make sure that is the case."
May explained that the staff at the school pour their heart and soul into making the three-day event a reality.
"They put their life into it, working hard all year," said May. "The kids love it, the community loves it, and it has been a good run."
When asked if he could see the tournament last another 50 years, May joked that he wouldn't be around for that.
"But I'm sure that can happen with the community's effort here."
