It’s the first time the NCAA has played in Atlantic Canada, and it’s expected to be a slam dunk.

Atlantic Slam runs from November 17 to 19th in Moncton.

Basketball New Brunswick Executive Director Tyler Slipp says this brings great exposure to the sport of basketball, “The bigger the profile of an event like that, the more exposure it brings to the sport in general. It’s an event that puts basketball in the spotlight.”

The organization plans to run a three-on-three-day jamboree in Moncton on Saturday, featuring teams from around the province, “The hope is some of the teams will stay to catch some of the games.”

Slipp adds that basketball is a sport that teaches more than just athleticism, “Teamwork is a huge one, and perseverance. We always talk about one of my favourite things with basketball, is when you introduce something to the kids and they say, I can’t do that. You get to give them the message, that they just can’t do that yet. That’s the whole point of sport and the whole point of basketball, working on things that you can’t do yet. I promise, if you try, put in a good effort in a few weeks you’ll be able to do it and you can apply that to anything in your life.”