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By Sam Laskaris
Windspeaker.com Contributor
TORONTO
Though he’s still in the prime of his own basketball playing career, Michael Linklater is also making several sacrifices to coach the sport.
Linklater, a 34-year-old Cree who is a member of Saskatchewan’s Thunderchild First Nation, is one of the world’s top 3-on-3 basketball players.
Since they can play for various squads, players in the sport have individual rankings. Linklater is the second-ranked player from all of the Americas (North, South and Central) and he is ranked 10th in the world.
He’s also the captain of top-ranked Team Saskatoon; no team in Canada or the United States is ranked higher.
After wrapping up a tournament in Saskatoon on Sunday – his club lost the championship final to a team from Slovenia – Linklater didn’t have much time to rest.
He caught a 5 a.m. flight to Toronto on Monday. That’s because he’s serving as the head coach of the Saskatchewan boys’ under-19 basketball squad that is participating in this week’s North American Indigenous Games (NAIG).
Linklater is no stranger to the NAIG. This marks the fifth time he has been a part of the Games, either as a coach or an athlete.
“I think they are all unique,” Linklater said of the Games he has participated in. “They all have the same vibe and the same feel. And you get to meet people from all across North America and share their cultures.”
This marks the ninth edition of the NAIG, which were first held in 1990 in Edmonton. About 5,000 athletes and coaches are participating in this year’s Games.
The majority of the events are being held in Toronto. Several nearby communities are also hosting some of the sports.
Athletes ages 13 to 19 are competing in a total of 14 sports in the Games, which continue until Saturday.
Since he was competing himself in the Saskatoon 3-on-3 tourney, Linklater was unable to attend the NAIG’s opening ceremonies on Sunday.
“I wish I could have done both,” he said.
Linklater made it to Toronto in time on Monday to be on the bench for both of his team’s round-robin matches.
Saskatchewan handily defeated Florida 101-53 in its opener. But it was downed 89-80 by New York in its next outing.
Linklater’s charges were able to win their final two round-robin contests. The squad defeated the Quebec-based entry called Eastern Door and the North 77-64 on Tuesday. And on Wednesday it downed Alberta 70-43.
A total of 14 clubs are entered in the boys’ under-19 division.
Saskatchewan finished its round-robin action on Wednesday, so the club will have to wait until Thursday night to find out whether it will advance to playoff competition.
The top finisher in each of the three pools will qualify for Friday’s semi-finals. And so too will one other team. That club will be determined based on its record and by using a points-for-and-against formula.
Linklater and his team though will not be spending their Thursday hanging out in gyms, waiting to see their fate.
“We’re actually going to Niagara Falls,” Linklater said. “Team Saskatchewan has got a bus for us and we’re going to take the team there. We’ll be there for a few hours just to get their minds off of basketball.”
As a teen, Linklater had played in the 1997 NAIG in Victoria, B.C. He also played at the Games in 2002 in Winnipeg.
Though he didn’t win a medal in either of those Games, Linklater enjoyed the experience so much that he volunteered to coach a Saskatchewan basketball side at the 2006 NAIG in Denver. He also coached at the 2014 Games in Regina.
He’s not the only former NAIG participant to be coaching a Saskatchewan entry this year. In fact, he believes all of the coaches representing the province competed in previous Games as athletes.
“I think that speaks volumes for Team Saskatchewan,” he said.
Brandon Tolentino, the captain of Saskatchewan’s under-19 boys’ basketball side, is pleased Linklater volunteered his time and rushed to Toronto to coach his squad.
“It means a lot that he did that and he came right here,” he said.
Tolentino, who is entering his second season of playing hoops for Saskatchewan’s Briercrest College and Seminary, said being around Linklater this week has proven to be beneficial.
“Every day that I am with him I learn something,” he said.
As for Linklater, he could go on to become an Olympian. That’s because 3-on-3 basketball will be a sport at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“We have our sights set on that,” he said. “We’re taking care of ourselves to get there.”
As for the more immediate future, Linklater and his Team Saskatoon teammates are hoping to take part in a pair of overseas tournaments in August. One is in the Czech Republic and the other in Switzerland.
