For Janet Enge, basketball has always been about more than the game.

It has been a vehicle for growth, a connection to culture and a pathway to opportunities that once seemed far beyond the horizon of her hometown of Yellowknife.

Now, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball player is bringing those opportunities home.

Enge, along with a committee of volunteers, has worked to put together the inaugural North of 60 Classic, welcoming six university women's basketball programs from across Canada to Yellowknife for an exhibition tournament focused on competition, mentorship, cultural exchange and community connection.
 

But for Enge, the event is about something deeper than basketball. It is about giving back to the community that shaped her.

"Growing up in Yellowknife, there is a very large Indigenous population which I am a part of, and because of that we get taught Indigenous values from a very young age. One of those that has stuck with me is sharing. Share what you have and be a pillar for your community."

"I think that is part of the reason why this tournament came to mind. I have the privilege of being on a university basketball team and I can share that with my community that gave me my start, gave me my values and, truth be told, is the reason I am where I am today."

Teams set to play in the North of 60 Classic include the Toronto Varsity Blues, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Lakehead Thunderwovles, Mount Saint Vincent Mystics, Lethbridge Pronghorns and Victoria Vikes. All six teams will spend five days in Yellowknife from October 7 to 12, competing on the court, while also participating in school visits, mentorship opportunities and cultural programming.

For someone who grew up playing basketball in Yellowknife, the tournament represents the realization of something she wished existed when she was a young athlete.

One of the greatest challenges facing Northern athletes is geography. The basketball community in Yellowknife is passionate and talented, but opportunities to compete are limited by distance and population size.

"The biggest challenge for us was that there was only one girls' team in Yellowknife," Enge explained. "That meant we didn't have anyone to play against, other than those much older in the women's league. So, the only time that we would go against competition was when we would travel."

That travel often meant journeys of more than 1,500 kilometres to cities such as Edmonton.

"It's the distance and the small population," she said of the barriers for sport. "But I can confidently say it wasn't the coaches or the people. The talent level is high, but you grow by playing."

Despite those challenges, basketball opened doors early.

As a young athlete, Enge competed at the Arctic Winter Games, where she faced teams from Alaska, Yukon and Nunavut while being exposed to cultures and traditions from across the circumpolar North.
 

"One of the most amazing things about living in the North is this global tournament called the Arctic Winter Games," she said. "Northwest Territories might be small, but that doesn't mean there is a lack of opportunity to explore the world and explore different cultures and if anything, it gives you a unique opportunity to do so."

Eventually, basketball led Enge south to pursue post-secondary education and high-performance sport.

Leaving home was not easy.

 "I will say I am very fortunate to have coaches and people around me who were very supportive," said Enge. "And I knew when I was leaving Yellowknife that I wasn't leaving my community behind; I was just going to build something new. I know where home is and the foundations that I was provided there shaped who I am."

As Enge's basketball journey continued, she truly became aware of the differences between opportunities available to young athletes in the South and those available in the North.

While attending university and competing in preseason tournaments across the country, she kept returning to the same question.

Why couldn't something similar happen in Yellowknife?

At first, the idea seemed ambitious. Then it became impossible to ignore.

"During my time at Laurier we always went somewhere for our preseason tournaments," Enge said. "One year we went to Vancouver and the next year to Newfoundland and the next to Montreal. So, I was like - if we can get there, we can get to Yellowknife. I know how to get to Yellowknife and we can do this."

What began as a thought slowly evolved into a plan.

"The only thing stopping a tournament like this from happening in Yellowknife was someone who was willing to put the energy forward and organize it."

Enge quickly learned she could not do it alone. She leaned on mentors, coaches and community leaders who shared her vision. University of Toronto head coach Dianna Ros helped connect her with key partners like Canadian Olympian and One Sky Sports founder Paige Crozon, and One Love Basketball and Living Skies Indigenous Basketball League founder Mike Tanton. Enge additionally used her own connections, reaching out to Basketball NWT coaches Aaron Wells and Tina Locke-Setter, all of whom immediately embraced the idea.

Community support soon followed.

Air North partnered with organizers to provide transportation support for teams traveling from Eastern Canada, while The Explorer Hotels helped with accommodations, and local partners stepped forward to help make the event financially viable.

"When we started contacting people in the North, we realized this is going to happen," Enge said.
 
That Northern hospitality affirmed her desire to showcase her home.

As for further motivation - Enge recalls making one of those long trips when she was younger to attend a basketball camp in Calgary. This reference point drives her in working to switch the direction of travel and bring that high-level basketball North.

"It is important for me to bring this to Yellowknife because I know how much I would have wanted it when I was a kid and I know how much other people deserve it. I was fortunate when I was in middle school, I was able to travel to Calgary and do a Dinos Basketball Camp. To people in Calgary, that is a daycare for their kids, for me it was like meeting a celebrity. It made the world of difference and those lessons that I learned truly guided me into becoming a university basketball player."

 

"But when I think about it, I was able to do that because my family could afford it. That is not the situation for everyone and just because someone can't afford it, it doesn't mean they should be barred from having that. So, it becomes about how I can eliminate that barrier, how can I give someone that experience even if they aren't in the same financial position that I was. That is what this tournament is about. How can we bring that high-level basketball to the North instead of those girls always having to come to us. If I can do my part in creating a memory and making something more accessible for someone, then I should do that."

The impact she hopes to create extends beyond basketball.

"I hope that even if someone's sport isn't basketball, especially girls, that the experience of being exposed to high-level athletes and strong, powerful women will encourage them to stay in sport. Overall, if the girls feel empowered, if they feel strong, if they feel like they belong in sport - there is nothing stopping them from realizing their dreams."

For Enge, the North of 60 Classic represents years of work, countless partnerships and an unwavering belief in what is possible when a community comes together.

It is also a gift to the young athletes who will fill the gym this fall, seeing university players up close and imagining what might be possible for themselves.

And if one of those athletes happens to be a younger version of Janet Enge, she already knows exactly how she would react.

"If younger Janet could see this," she said with a laugh, "she would freak out. I would be jumping for joy.

"I think little Janet would have loved to have basketball come to her."

*To support the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball program as they travel to the historic North of 60 Classic in Yellowknife visit the donation link HERE.