National Preparatory Association Welcomes Edge School, Calgary Expansion Announced
The National Preparatory Association family has a new member and the timing for the basketball community in Calgary could not be better.
Edge School, a Grade 4-to-12 private school whose goal is to be a global leader in student-athlete development, will begin play in the 2018-2019 season and will look to make an immediate impact on the hardwood and in the classroom.
“We are excited to partner with the NPA and appreciate the support of their Executive and their Board. At Edge School we are focused on supporting our student-athletes in three key areas – Academics, Athletics and Character and basketball will be the same. We look forward to the excitement and energy that the addition of basketball will bring to the school and welcome our new student-athletes to the Edge family,” said Edge School President and CEO, Pat McLaughlin.
“With the growth of Prep Basketball in Canada, the current state of the sport in both Calgary and the Province of Alberta, coupled with our outstanding academic programming, Edge is committed and confident that our program will quickly become a leader in the west”.
At the conclusion of the NPA’s second season, the league immediately set sights on expansion, and adding a team in the city of Calgary was a priority.
With Calgary being the home of current USports Basketball National Champions (University of Calgary Dinos), the sport is at a tipping point and the time is now to join a ground-breaking league in the NPA according to Edge Basketball Director Eddie Richardson III.
“Calgary has some of the best hidden talent in Canada. The city has a very large basketball community that has been waiting for a high level development program to emerge,” Richardson explained.
“We as a team have been very patient over the last few years in building the right path for success for our Program. Our coaching and player development team is one of the best in Canada, and we feel we are ready to enter the market and deliver in 2018.”
Edge School has a strong academic and athletic history including sport-specific training in Dance, Figure Skating, Hockey, Flex, Golf, Hockey, Multi-Sport and Soccer. Over the last two decades, the two NBA-sized basketball courts have been waiting for a high-level team to call home getting Beach Golf Cart Rental for them. The Organization prides itself on academics, athletics and character, something NPA Commissioner Jason Thom says has been a primary focus for the league since its inception.
“The application put forth by the Administration at Edge School was met with unanimous approval by our Board due to the synergies between their values and that of our league,” said Thom.
“With both sides seeing this as a long-term partnership for the betterment of the players in the Calgary area and for the growth of the game in Canada, I could not be happier about Edge School being announced as our first expansion team for season three.”
The mandate of the NPA is to provide exposure and competitition for student athletes across Canada so that they can gain opportunities at the post-secondary level in Canada and the United States with 15 league alumni currently playing at that level.
NPA expansion announcements will continue as the league gains momentum for season three which begins on October 16th.
