The sky was the limit recently for young athletes looking to gain a footing in the sport of basketball. The 2025 instalment of the Living Skies Indigenous Basketball League (LSIBL) wrapped up earlier this month, and, according to Haley Greenan – one of the coaches for the Meadow Lake component of the program – it was another season of both learning and fun.

“The Living Skies Indigenous Basketball League is a province-wide initiative,” Greenan explained. “It welcomes all athletes. It was birthed in Saskatoon, but also includes a number of northern teams. It reaches as far north as La Loche, Cumberland House, Ile-a-la Crosse, Onion Lake, Meadow Lake, and, of course, North Battleford, Saskatoon and Regina. There’s a junior league for Grades 5-8, which is what we just finished up here Dec. 6. There’s also a senior league that operates in the springtime.” According to the LSIBL website, the league is an unprecedented, cost-free basketball initiative that has empowered more than 3,500 athletes to hone their skills both on and off the court. This provincial-wide Indigenous youth basketball league, which was inaugurated in 2021, attracts more than 700 participants and 60 volunteer coaches a year. While initially created for Indigenous youth, the league welcomes athletes from all backgrounds, recognizing the unifying potential of basketball for fostering reconciliation and instigating meaningful change in our communities.

Meadow Lake’s involvement in the program dates back to the beginning. “I’ve been coaching for the Meadow Lake program since the league got started in 2021,” Greenan said. “It started very small, but has just grown ever since then. I saw an advertisement for the league and reached out, signed up as a coach and every year we’ve probably doubled in size.” This year’s season began in early October and concluded with a province-wide tournament in Martensville earlier this month. “The biggest thing that intrigued me about this program and encouraged me to jump in is the fact it’s completely free,” Greenan continued. “There are no barriers financially, economically or any other way. Everyone is on the same level, which is really unique. They have great spon sors who make this possible. Anybody can participate.”

The league caters to athletes aged 11-17. The junior division (U13, U15) commences in the fall and, as noted, culminates with a provincial championship in December each year, while the senior division (U18) runs from March to June. LSIBL takes a holistic approach to sports, tending to the physical, mental, spiritual and cultural aspects of every athlete’s well-being. LSIBL also encompasses four key components: on-court sessions; workshops; cultural education; and personal wellness. “We used to travel to Saskatoon a few times throughout the season to compete in tournaments, but, this year, because we had such a large group, we hosted a northern tournament,” Greenan said. “We split our group into several teams, and also had Cumberland House and Ile-a-la Crosse participate… It’s a great introduction to basketball. Everyone is welcome, everyone plays, it’s fun. It’s a no-pressure kind of thing.” At the recent provincial final, Meadow Lake had five teams participate – two Grades 5/6 boys squads, a Grade 5/6 girls team, a Grades 7/8 girls team and a Grades 7/8 boys team.

“Our Grades 7/8 boys team made it to the final, finishing second overall,” Greenan said. “Our Grades 7/8 girls made it to the semi-final, while our Grades 5/6 girls really showed heart because they were playing against Grades 7 and 8 teams, they battled hard and did very well against teams that were a lot bigger than them. Our two Grades 5/6 boys teams, one of them went undefeated and should have been in the final.” Because another team had also won the same number of games, however, the team with the most points throughout the tournament was selected to compete for the championship. “They missed the final by 10 points,” Greenan noted. “But, everyone in terms of actual placement, did very well. The biggest thing, though, was the sportsmanship of all our teams. They worked hard. They made sure everyone got at least one basket… Those are the things we are focused on in this league. That’s what is exciting to see.”