WESTLOCK – Westlock’s Zach Basisty will join a roster of western Canadian athletes in their quest for a World Junior Lacrosse Championship (WJLC) title next weekend in Winnipeg.
The 18-year-old Basisty is in fact the youngest member of Canada West, a collection 20 junior-aged lacrosse players from B.C. to Manitoba who’ll complete against Canada East at the International Indoor Junior Lacrosse (IIJL) World Junior Championship taking place Aug. 12-14 in Winnipeg at the Canada Life Centre (formerly Bell MTS Place).
Collectively, Canada East and Canada West will feature 40 players from seven different provinces, two Junior ‘B’ leagues, all three Junior ‘A’ leagues, five National Lacrosse League players and 16 collegiate players from across the NCAA (Div. I, II and III) and the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association.
Basisty, who graduated from R.F. Staples School in June and has been suiting up for the St. Albert Miners in the Rocky Mountain Junior ‘A’ Lacrosse League (RMJALL) this summer, said he’s excited to hit the floor at the three-day, three-game event which will be broadcast live nationally on TSN. Basisty is the only player on the team who lives north of St. Albert and is one of only seven Albertans on the 20-man Canada West squad.
“It’s an honour to be able to have the Maple Leaf on your chest. It’s a dream and to be the youngest there, it’s such an honour,” said Basisty, who flies out to Winnipeg Aug. 9 and will get into a couple of practices before the games begin Thursday.
“I want to thank my coaches, friends, family and my teammates for all their support.”
Due to COVID-19 the event has been scaled back to the two teams and there won’t be any fans in the stands. To make the team, Basisty attended a try-out in Saskatoon back in January 2020.
“The coaches have been watching me play since that try-out and were impressed and they made a call. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” said Basisty, who’s no stranger to high-level lacrosse and has played for Team Alberta in past summers.
From one championship to another
Following the WJLC, Basisty will wing his way home and join the Miners for their RMJALL playoff run. The four-team league includes the Miners, Saskatoon Swat, Okotoks Raiders and the Calgary Mountaineers.
“We were fortunate to have a 10-game season this year, plus playoffs, which run Aug. 12-15. I’ll miss the first three games of the playoff and then be back for the finals, which I think our team will make as we’re pretty deep this year,” he noted.
After the RMJALL season is concluded, Basisty said that due to COVID-19, he’ll be taking a break and plans to work and continue training this fall.
He does know that there’ll be plenty of scouts watching the WJLC and he’d like to parlay his performance there into either an NLL contract or NCAA scholarship.
“There’ll be a lot of (NLL) scouts, a couple of coaches and some GMs there so it’s a big opportunity,” he added. “And over this next year I’ll keep talking to colleges and see where the best fit is.”
WJLC backgrounder
The WJLC is an IIJL event founded in 2015 as an annual box lacrosse world championship for players 20 years of age and younger.
The 2021 version will be decided in a three-game cumulative series, while next year it will
return to a full schedule with nine nations.
The Canada East bench will have a familiar face leading the charge with Jeff Dowling returning for his fifth World Juniors.
"The previous two World Junior Canada rosters (2018 and 2019) were built with solid goaltending, athletic defenders, and unselfish offensive players." said Dowling. "We've continued with that mold for Canada East team, and know Canada West is similarly built, so we expect to see very fast paced games.”
Meanwhile, Canada West will be led by two-time National Lacrosse League (NLL) general manager of the year Marty O'Neill.
"This will be a welcomed event given that the past few years have taken away opportunities for these players to display their talents." said O'Neill. "Personally, I'm looking forward to helping them put the best foot forward to show what they can do on a big stage."
For more on the event visit www.2021WJLC.com or check out their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.
