June 3 to 5 marked the 34th annual IndoHoops Canada tournament that featured some of the best Punjabi basketball players from Surrey to the Fraser Valley — but that wasn’t the whole roster. Teams from the United States also made the trip up to be a part of this high-flying tournament. The current organizers of the tournament are Sim Sahi, Surinder Grewal, and Virinder Braich, and have all invested their time into making this tournament a reality. The Cascade was grateful for the opportunity to sit down with the current tournament organizer, Sim Sahi, who chatted about the tournament and dove into its rich history.
The passion and excitement for this tournament continues to be strong amongst its viewers and organizers, and it all starts with the tournament’s history. Sahi explained, “Our first tournament was in 1985. It was run by our local Sikh temple on Ross Street in Vancouver, on their annual sports festival, every Victoria Day weekend.”
When talking to Sahi about his involvement in the tournament, he made it clear that this isn’t his tournament, rather, it’s the community’s. He explained that this tournament serves many purposes, stating “it’s to push the game forward number one, because we’re all basketball fans, but it’s also a way of bringing the community together.”
As The Cascade got to see firsthand, the community’s involvement was more than evident at the tournament. Each venue was filled with fans, parents, community members, as well as all of the volunteers who helped to make this tournament come together.
Although the tournament was originally to be held at two different venues, BC Prep and North Surrey Secondary School, a third was added at the last minute. The kindness of the community and volunteers persevered when the tournament had to reorganize games to be held at Semiahmoo Secondary School after Ajay Singh tore the rim off the backboard and left shattered glass all over the court after going for a monsterous slam dunk.
This year’s tournament featured 15 teams and two divisions — an elite division and a 30 year old plus division. Both divisions provided entertaining and high intensity basketball but we enjoyed watching some of the younger talent show off in the elite division.
There were many teams that stood out in the elite division including The Lads, which featured some of the best players in UFV’s history, including Parm Bains, Navjot Bains, Sukhman Sandhu, and Sukhjot Bains. The team was a force to be reckoned with on the court, blocking shots and scoring at a very efficient rate. As a viewer, it was a real treat to see them back on the same court again, playing with the high level of intensity and team chemistry that the community was used to seeing.
Another team that stood out was I-5, which featured many current and graduating UFV players such as Jordyn Sekhon, Joban Pandher, and Vick Toor. I-5 was able to push the pace with their quicker guards to initiate quick offense and score the ball from a variety of spots on the floor. But the team who ended up winning the tournament was Coast 2 Coast Elite, a squad mostly from San Francisco featuring former NCAA Division 1 player Varun Ram, and shocked the hometown crowd by beating The Lads in the finals 50-42.
The IndoHoops Canada tournament is particularly special to certain members of the Punjabi community, as all players in the tournament are of Punjabi descent. To the players, this tournament is made even more special as many members of our UFV community had a chance to reconnect through the games. Fans were able to see this connection thrive as players from over the past 10 years of UFV history, and current members of the UFV men’s basketball team, shared a moment after the tournament. They were given the opportunity to chat with one another, relive old memories, and come together for a touching group photo. Not only is this tournament special for the players, but also the community and fans, as they get to witness some of the best Punjabi talent that our nation has to offer.
Esher is a second year law & communications student who is invested in sports. When he isn't filming and writing about basketball, he can often be found washing cars or cutting the grass. Esher hopes to one day enter the field of law enforcement and start his own media group.
