Canada Day in Raymond, AB means a chance for families to reunite on a national holiday, then hit the high school gym to watch the annual basketball challenge that features former local greats.

In Raymond, there's a U.S. Hoosiers-style fanaticism about hoops. In a high school of about 200 students, Raymond produces basketball stars far out of proportion to its enrollment.
How do they do it?

It seems to be a combination of history, heritage and a hard-and-fast desire to excell in front of friends and family that does the trick.
"It's a huge part of the culture here in Southern Alberta," Lethbridge Herald sports writer Dave Wells explains. "There's social ties, there's religious ties and it dates back more than 100 years."
Also, in a mainly Morman town that focuses on family, sport gets engrained at an early age.

"Nobody wants to be a Dallas Cowboy or a Chicago Bull," current Raymond football coach Dustin Ralph says. "You want to be a Raymond Comet."
Indeed, at the Canada Day game, children flooded the court at half time to shoot buckets in imitation of their heroes. But being a Comet comes with a responsibility, players say.

"There's pressure on you to perform, because of the players who went before you," former star Alan Gibb said. "If you don't perform, you're held responsible to some extent. Nobody really says anything to you, but you feel it."

Raymond grads lost to a southern Alberta all star team by four points Canada Day, putting the Alberta team ahead 2-1 in the series, which began in 2006.