Five Yukon basketball stars will be joined by players from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut next week to train for the upcoming 2010 Juvenile (U-17) Men's National Championships in Manitoba.

The five-day tournament will be held at from August 2 to 7 at the University of Manitoba. Because of the small numbers of northern players in the age group, the three territories have banded together to submit one team.

Five players from the NWT and two from Nunavut will travel to Whitehorse next Thursday to begin training with five Yukoners.

"Combining the athletes allows us to actually participate,” said Tim Brady, president of Basketball Yukon and head coach for the team.

Instead of each territory having their own team, the young men will represent the entire north.

From Yukon will be Peter Hanson, Logan Boehmer, Jake Jacobs, and Tanner Coyne and Soleil Stimson.

Brady is familiar with all boys, having coached three of them on the Canada Games team.

"We're glad to have them with us,” he said.

The two remaining boys are developing basketball players who had taken part in several Basketball Yukon programs throughout the years, and Brady said they are aware of their capabilities.

Attending training from NWT will be Skylar Courtoreille and David Lafleur of Hay River, Jose Esteban of Yellowknife, Napolean Kenny and Zachary Bayha of Tulita. From Nunavut; Louis Nutarariaq of Iqaluit and Greg Tanuyak Jr Chesterfield Inlet.

"They're really representing the north,” Brady said.

In 2007 Basketball Yukon joined a pan-northern team for a tournament in Quebec, and Brady said players at that event were shocked to find out where the players had come from.

One player travelled as far as Chesterfield Inlet to the francophone province.

"They couldn't believe we had a kid from that far north playing with us,” Brady said.

The team selection was done in partnerships with Basketball NWT and Basketball Nunavut, and Brady said they didn't pick just any player. The young men had to prove they were willing to dedicate the time to train for the national team.

With that requirement, Brady said they have a group of serious and highly dedicated players.

"They're pretty keen,” he said. Many of the players are interested in continuing basketball at a college level, he added.

Joining the boys will be coach Nick Diem from NWT. He will stay at the Yukon College with the visiting boys for the month of July until the tournament.

Jamie Shaw of Whitehorse will be the third coach for the team.

"It's a solid coaching team,” Brady said.

The tournament will not only provide the athletes with an opportunity to showcase their skills to a larger audience, Brady said it will give other players in the north the opportunity to participate in future programs, as athletics in the north is pushed into the mainstream.

"We hope to do this to create opportunity for them to play,” he said. "We're on a bit of a leading edge in sports.”

Once the young men arrive next Thursday, they will begin training six days a week with the three coaches.

Brady said they will keep each of the boy's coaches in their home towns up-to-date on the drills they are working on, in order for them to continue working on the same skills when they return.

"So when they do go back to the community they will have an understanding of what was taught,” Brady said.

Remaining in Whitehorse for the entire month leading up to the tournament will allow the players to really train and develop, he said.

As president of Basketball Yukon, Brady said he is familiar with the style of all the players that will be attending.

"I've seen pretty much all these young men play at some point,” he said.

The coach is sure the players that will be representing the Yukon will do so to the best of their abilities.

"They will always give a winning attitude,” Brady said.

The team has a big challenge ahead of them at the nationals.

"Realistically it's an uphill battle for us,” Brady said.

But the coach isn't deterred. The Yukon team has had success at national tournaments before and this could be the year it happens again.

"We're excited about it,” Brady said. "We think it's going to be a big challenge.”

While the provinces get to select from a larger population – and talent base – the northern team is plucked from a smaller pond.

"They're some of the best athletes in that age group in Canada,” Brady said of the opponents they will be facing. "I know the tournament is very good; the quality of play is very good.”

And even with the significant challenge ahead of them, Brady is happy to be a part of it.

"It's a thrill to be a part of that,” he said.

To prepare the coaches will be focusing on skills and work ethic.

"We'll really focus on our preparation,” Brady said of the itinerary for training in July.

The three coaches will have their work cut out for them as they try to form a team from a group of boys who don't know each other, but Brady said the month long training they do have will be plenty of time.

With all the training, the boys may have one thing to push them up another level for the tournament.

"I think our group of young men will play as they always do – with tremendous, tremendous effort,” Brady said.

One other rare element of the team, is that it is predominantly made up of extremely talented First Nations players. Eight out of the 12 players are First Nations, which is something Brady is happy about.

"I'm proud of that,” he said.

The First Nations players have great basketball talent, Brady added. "These are very solid kids.”

The First Nations players will not only be representing the north, but their communities as well.

"I'm sure their communities are proud of them too,” Brady said.