It's been a memorable basketball season for Keegan Beer.

The grade 12 student/athlete at Niverville Collegiate helped the Panthers capture the Provincial AA High School Varsity Boys Basketball championship last month in Gretna and this month he was named Basketball Manitoba's AA Player of the Year.

"Basketball Manitoba called up your school coach and he would announce the winner for them," said Beer. "My coach Mr. Toews didn't actually know you were supposed to prepare a speech so he did it on the fly and it was pretty funny. It was a pretty cool experience. It's a cool thing to know that your name stands out there above the rest."

The Basketball Manitoba Awards Banquet was held after Beer, along with his Panthers teammates Parker Davis and Austin Anderson, played in the Graduating All-Stars game at St. Paul's High School in Winnipeg.

"There was a lot of good competition and there were some really good guys out there," said Beer. "It wasn't the most high scoring game because we did play some defense."

"It's the one thing I've always loved to do," added Beer who will graduate from NCI this June. "Sports has had a huge impact on my life all the way through high school. It's given me good and bad memories. Chocking in grade 10 at the provincial final and then winning in grade 12. It's two totally different ends of the spectrum and it's crazy how sports can teach you a lot."

The Panthers have won six Provincial AA High School Varsity Boys Volleyball Championship banners and two Provincial A championship titles.

This years basketball championship banner is the varsity boys first in 40 years.

Beer, who was chosen the MVP of the provincials, says what the team accomplished this season will pay dividends down the road for the basketball program.

"Now all these younger kids in grade five, six, seven & eight are coming to our games and watching. At break, instead of playing volleyball, now they're shooting around playing basketball. It's cool to see kids in Niverville actually starting to take basketball a bit more seriously and we can have a good basketball program for years to come now."

photo courtesy Basketball Manitoba/JJ Ali Photography


Basketball Manitoba Award Winners
"AA" Male Player of the Year - Keegan Beer, Niverville Collegiate

A/AA/AAA All Manitoba Male First Team - Parker Davis, Niverville Collegiate & Alex DeJong, Ste. Anne Collegiate
A/AA/AAA All Manitoba Male Second Team - Noah Parr, Pinawa Secondary School

"A" Boys Coach of the Year - Brent Berry, Pinawa Secondary School
"AA" Boys Coach of the Year - Richard Toews, Niverville Collegiate