Gian Cavaliere’s plan to make Merritt a destination for high school basketball is beginning to take shape.

The athletic director and vice principal for Merritt Secondary School has partnered with the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology to host more basketball tournaments at the new gymnasium at NVIT’s campus.

“NVIT has been really great to work with. They have a beautiful brand new gym, new scoreboard, new flooring, new bleachers.” said Cavaliere. “They really wanted to make this work.”

The addition of the new facility at NVIT’s campus in Merritt has opened the door for the high school to host larger scale tournaments, where teams play games at both MSS and NVIT.

After a test event in December went smoothly, Cavaliere said the two schools are set to host Merritt’s biggest tournament in “probably a decade;” a 16-team Grade 8 tournament featuring both boys and girls squads.

Teams from Nakusp, Vernon, Kamloops, Hope, Kelowna, Princeton and Revelstoke are expected to attend the Eagles’ Perch Invitational tournament, which is set for two full days on Feb. 1 and 2.

“Our hope is that, if it builds traction, we’ll do it for the seniors as well and the juniors,” said Cavaliere.

Part of the benefit for NVIT is the chance to sell the school to students outside of the Nicola Valley, said Cavaliere.

Having teams visiting from around the Interior could “pique the interest of kids who might not know what NVIT is all about,” said Cavaliere. “So that when they choose to go to [post secondary], it is another option for them.”

The indigenous culture of the Nicola Valley will also be prominent during the tournament, Cavaliere added. Elders and hand drummers will kick off the opening games at each venue, with the goal of showcasing the unique culture of NVIT.

A second, high quality gymnasium in Merritt, coupled with the city’s convenient location as a hub for teams from the Okanagan and the coast, could attract top teams to tournaments for years to come, said Cavaliere.

Competing against those teams would help raise the profile of basketball in Merritt, he added.

“We had some great teams back in the ‘90s — and unfortunately we’ve lost that a little bit,” he said.

With any luck, the Panthers’ return to form as a high school basketball powerhouse will begin at tip-off on Friday.