Bedford Road Invitational Tournament

Last updated
Bedford Road Invitational Tournament
2024 08 19 IMG 5090.JPG
Tournament information
SportBasketball
LocationSaskatoon
Month playedFebruary
Established1968
Host(s)Bedford Road Collegiate - SPS
VenueKelly Bowers Gymnasium
Champions(55th title)
Current champion
St. Francis Xavier High School

The Bedford Road Invitational Tournament (BRIT) is a boy's high school basketball tournaments in Canada. It takes place every January at Bedford Road Collegiate in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The current format has 12 schools take part in the tournament. Some notable alumni of BRIT include Martin Riley, Brent Charleton, Karl Tilleman, John Hatch, Byron Tokarchuk, Eric Mobley, and Robert Sacre.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

The Bedford Road Invitational Tournament, held annually at Bedford Road Collegiate in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is one of Canada's most prestigious high school basketball tournaments.[ citation needed ] Founded in 1968, BRIT originally featured only local Saskatoon high schools before expanding to include teams from across Saskatchewan and beyond.

Expansion and national reach

In 1969, schools from Regina and Weyburn were invited, turning the tournament into a province-wide event. By 1972, out-of-province teams such as Sisler High School from Winnipeg and Calgary's E.P. Scarlett began competing, marking BRIT's transformation into a national tournament.[ citation needed ]

In 1975, the tournament moved from December to its now-traditional January slot.[ citation needed ] Over the late 1970s and early 1980s, teams from British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec began participating regularly. [1] [ failed verification ]

International participation

The first non-Canadian team to participate in BRIT were the New York Gauchos in 1988. The Gauchos were an Amateur Athletic Union club team of students from various high schools rather than a school team, and they dominated the tournament, winning easily. [2] The Castle Hill Kings, also from New York City, participated in 1993. [3]

The first non-North American team, The Scots College from Sydney, Australia, played in the 2004 tournament. [4] They returned for the 2007, 2012, and 2015 tournaments. [5]

Recent developments

The tournament was cancelled for the first time in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [6] The 2022 tournament was cancelled for the same reason. [7] The tournament resumed in 2023. In 2024 the Walter Murray Marauders won the BRIT54 Championship, defeating city rivals Holy Cross in only the third all-Saskatoon final. [8]

Champions

YearSchoolCityProvince
1968 Bedford Road Collegiate SaskatoonSaskatchewan
1969 Sheldon-Williams Collegiate ReginaSaskatchewan
1970Sheldon-Williams CollegiateReginaSaskatchewan
1971 Mount Royal Collegiate SaskatoonSaskatchewan
1972 Sisler High School WinnipegManitoba
1973Sheldon-Williams CollegiateReginaSaskatchewan
1975Sheldon-Williams CollegiateReginaSaskatchewan
1976Sheldon-Williams CollegiateReginaSaskatchewan
1977 Burnaby South Secondary School BurnabyBritish Columbia
1978 Sir Winston Churchill High School CalgaryAlberta
1979 Mennonite Educational Institute ClearbrookBritish Columbia
1980Mennonite Educational InstituteClearbrookBritish Columbia
1981 Bell High School OttawaOntario
1982Bell High SchoolOttawaOntario
1983 St. Pius X High School OttawaOntario
1984 Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School CalgaryAlberta
1985 M.E. LaZerte High School EdmontonAlberta
1986M.E. LaZerte High SchoolEdmontonAlberta
1987 Kelvin High School WinnipegManitoba
1988New York Gauchos (an Amateur Athletic Union club rather than a high school team)New YorkNew York
1989 Windsor Park Collegiate WinnipegManitoba
1990 Walter Murray Collegiate SaskatoonSaskatchewan
1991 Harry Ainlay Composite High School EdmontonAlberta
1992Harry Ainlay Composite High SchoolEdmontonAlberta
1993 Nepean High School OttawaOntario
1994 Pitt Meadows Secondary School Pitt MeadowsBritish Columbia
1995 Bishop Carroll High School CalgaryAlberta
1996M.E. LaZerte High SchoolEdmontonAlberta
1997 Holy Cross High School SaskatoonSaskatchewan
1998 Carson Graham Secondary School North VancouverBritish Columbia
1999 Balfour Collegiate ReginaSaskatchewan
2000 Ross Sheppard High School EdmontonAlberta
2001Ross Sheppard High SchoolEdmontonAlberta
2002 Lester B. Pearson High School CalgaryAlberta
2003 Holy Cross High School SaskatoonSaskatchewan
2004Holy Cross High SchoolSaskatoonSaskatchewan
2005 Handsworth Secondary School North VancouverBritish Columbia
2006Handsworth Secondary SchoolNorth VancouverBritish Columbia
2007Handsworth Secondary SchoolNorth VancouverBritish Columbia
2008 Vancouver College VancouverBritish Columbia
2009Vancouver CollegeVancouverBritish Columbia
2010Pitt Meadows Secondary SchoolPitt MeadowsBritish Columbia
2011 St. George's School VancouverBritish Columbia
2012 The Scots College SydneyNew South Wales
2013Calgary Sir Winston ChurchillCalgaryAlberta
2014 Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School ReginaSaskatchewan
2015Dr. Martin LeBoldus High SchoolReginaSaskatchewan
2016 Archbishop O'Leary Catholic High School EdmontonAlberta
2017 St. Francis Xavier High School EdmontonAlberta
2018Handsworth Secondary SchoolNorth VancouverBritish Columbia
2019 Bishop McNally High School CalgaryAlberta
2020Handsworth Secondary SchoolNorth VancouverBritish Columbia
2021Cancelled due to COVID-19
2022Cancelled due to COVID-19
2023 Raymond High School RaymondAlberta
2024Walter Murray CollegiateSaskatoonSaskatchewan
2025St. Francis Xavier High School [9] EdmontonAlberta

[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Bedford Road Invitational Tournament - SSHoF" . Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  2. ↑ "'Everyone was playing for second place': An oral history of the New York Gauchos at BRIT 1988". The StarPhoenix. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "History". Bedford Road Invitational Tournament. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  4. ↑ Goulet, Justin (29 January 2023). "Raymond High School Comets win prestigious basketball tournament". Lethbridge News Now. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  5. ↑ Deibert, Dave (12 January 2018). "BRIT turns 50: By The Numbers". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  6. ↑ "Bedford Road Invitational Tournament cancelled for first time in 53-year history". CKOM. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  7. ↑ Mitchell, Kevin (4 January 2022). "No BRIT in 2022: Historic hoops tourney cancelled for a second straight year". The Star Phoenix. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  8. ↑ "Saskatoon father and son basketball legacy shines in triumphant BRIT final". CTV News. 17 January 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  9. ↑ Rice, Don (Jan 12, 2025). "BRIT 55: Holy Cross the runner-up; Edmonton St. FX wins second championship". The Star Phoenix.
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