Cyclists Liah Harvie and Sara Poidevin will join basketball player Luke Praught to challenge the best young athletes in the nation at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec from Aug. 2 to 17.
Harvie and Poidevin are considered rising stars on the Canadian cycling circuit, dominating mountain bike and road cycling races against much older competition, while Praught, 17, is currently one of the best shooting guards in Alberta.
“This will be my biggest tournament to date. To play against the best players in the country will be something special,” Praught said.
Praught stars with the Canmore Collegiate High School basketball team and Team Genesis in Calgary, which is currently playing for the league title. The club team travels Canada and the United States looking for competition, and has allowed Praught to measure his skills against top teams in Oregon and San Francisco.
“Our team beat everybody in the province. We’re the best team in Alberta, but in San Francisco, playing some top, top teams, we went 1-2, losing in the first round of the playoffs,” Praught said.
The sharpshooter was part of the CCHS third-place basketball team, where he was counted on as a captain and leader. He also shone at the Team Alberta tryouts, impressing the coaches with his deft shooting ability.
“I’m definitely a shooter. I led the team in shooting percentage in three pointers. I know that’s why I made the team,” Praught said.
At 17, he’s unsure if he’ll start for the Alberta team, but knows he’ll have to pick up his game to face off against strong Ontario and Quebec teams.
“I definitely want to improve my ball handling and attack the basket more. I need to be able to do both,” Praught said. “It’s a good chance to get some high level play against future university players. I hope to work on my skills at that level.”
In a town of mountain bikers and Nordic athletes, basketball is a small but mighty minority, and he says he’s fortunate he has a group of friends that are always game to play. For Praught, basketball is a way of life. He plays seven days a week, and will only have six days off from training through July.
“If I don’t have any gym space, I can usually find an empty space,” Praught said. “It’s just something I do. I played on my first team in Grade 7, but I remember playing with my older brother growing up when I was even younger.”
