Saskatchewan basketball athletes bring international experience

Two Saskatchewan basketball players. Two different journeys. One shared experience on the world stage.

For Steven Saman and McKenzie Millar, the basketball courts at the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games Medicine Hat 2026 are more than another stop in their athletic journeys.

Three years ago, the Regina athletes were thousands of kilometres away, wearing the maple leaf at the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, Germany. Saman helped Canada capture gold in men's five-on-five basketball, while Millar and Canada's women's team earned silver. Now, the two athletes are back on the national stage together as members of Team Saskatchewan's co-ed basketball contingent in Medicine Hat.

Filling out the basketball roster are Brayden McNeill, Ty Carmichael, James Yule, Peter Mark, Billy Wesley, Brett Either and Tomas Beam. Megan Penno is the team's coach, with Debbie Ross and Jeff Hannah serving as assistant coaches.

The Medicine Hat Games, which ran Aug. 11-15, brought athletes from across Canada together in 10 sports. More than 1,000 athletes from 12 provinces and territories are competing, with the Games also serving as a pathway toward selection for the national team at the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile.

For Saman and Millar, however, Medicine Hat is not simply another competition. It is another chapter in stories that already include a trip to Berlin, medals around their necks and friendships that have lasted well beyond the final whistle.

McKenzie Millar: From Calgary memories to a second national stage

Long before Millar arrived in Medicine Hat, she had already learned what Special Olympics competition could demand.

In 2023, Special Olympics Saskatchewan reported that Millar had been involved with the organization for four years. She credited the program with helping her gain confidence, grow as a person and build friendships. Her proudest Special Olympics memory at the time came in Calgary, where she played three full games with her Regina team, the Wildcats.

That experience became part of the road that eventually led her to Berlin.

Canada advanced to the women's five-on-five gold-medal game, where it fell 38-23 to Mali, earning the silver medal. Millar's result was one of the standout Saskatchewan performances in Berlin, with the province returning home with 12 medals overall.

The experience remains a defining part of Millar's athletic story.

“We got Silver for the women’s gold medal game in Berlin in 2023 which was very exciting,” she said.” And I got told that I’m possibly going to Chile next year, and I’ll 100% do it!”

That possibility points directly toward what is at stake in Medicine Hat. The 2026 Summer Games are part of the pathway toward the 2027 World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile, where athletes will once again have the opportunity to represent Canada on an international stage.

In Medicine Hat, Millar has another opportunity to measure how far she has come.

“During our game against B.C., there was a little bit of tension – the battle of the west,” said Millar. “There’s always some extra competition between us.”

That competitive edge has not disappeared. If anything, the experience of playing internationally has added another layer to it.

For Millar, one of the biggest differences between Medicine Hat and Berlin is not the level of competition, but the time available to connect with the people around it.

“It’s a lot different being here than at the national games,” she said. “You have a lot more time to meet athletes from all over the country – we didn’t have a lot of time to meet the other teams in Berlin – more time to explore, too, see everything that's going on.”

That sense of connection is central to the Special Olympics experience, and it is something Millar has emphasized since before her first World Games. Special Olympics Saskatchewan's 2023 profile described her as someone who had found confidence and lifelong friendships through the organization.

There is also a different dynamic on the court this time around.

“It’s more rough being on a majority male team than female, but it has its perks,” said Millar. “They’re so protective, but you don’t see that protectiveness very often on the court. I love my crew; I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

And when the pressure rises, Millar has someone familiar in her corner.

“My coach is here with me, she went to Berlin with me, she’s the one who keeps me going, keeps me motivated, especially when I’m feeling frustrated.”

That connection reaches back to 2023, where Megan Penno was one of the Saskatchewan coaches accompanying the Canadian women's basketball team. Penno remains part of Team Saskatchewan's basketball staff in Medicine Hat.

For Millar, the goal has remained remarkably consistent from one major Games to the next. “My goal is to do my best and keep doing my best, no matter the outcome.”

It is a simple goal, but one that has already carried her from Regina to Calgary, from Calgary to Berlin and now to Medicine Hat for another national competition.

This time, she knows exactly what it feels like to walk on to a big stage.

“I’m tired, but it’s worth being tired for.”

Steven Saman: A gold medal, a basketball and a team-first mindset

Saman's path to Medicine Hat also runs through Berlin, but his memory of the 2023 World Games comes with a gold medal.

Before he ever stepped onto the court in Germany, Saman had already spent years building his skills. Global News reported in January 2023 that he had been playing basketball for seven years and had moved to Regina in December 2021. At the time, he was the only Saskatchewan player selected to Canada's men's basketball team for the Berlin World Games.

Special Olympics Saskatchewan's own profile painted a broader picture of his journey. Saman had been involved with Special Olympics for five years by the time he was selected for Berlin, and during that time he had made friends, improved his skills and had opportunities to visit new places. His goal for Berlin was to do his best, train hard, make new friends and make memories.

He also understood what basketball meant to him before the trip.

“It’s been my passion to play basketball,” Saman told Global News in 2023.

He said he was proud to represent Saskatchewan and planned to give everything he had to the opportunity. His mother, Naveen Nageeb, and his sister were also planning to travel to Berlin to support him.

When the Games arrived, Saman and Canada's men's five-on-five team delivered.

Canada defeated South Africa 25-13 in the gold-medal match in Berlin. Saman was part of the Canadian roster throughout the competition, including the gold-medal game.

“It is true that we won gold at Worlds,” he said in Medicine Hat.

The achievement was significant for Saskatchewan. Saman was one of eight Saskatchewan athletes who competed at the Berlin World Games, and his gold medal was one of five golds won by Saskatchewan athletes at the event. The Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly later formally recognized the athletes, including Saman and Millar, for their performances.

Three years later, Saman's approach to basketball remains straightforward.

I try to see whoever is open, and that's basically all I can do.”

And while the teams and environments may change, the principle does not.

“It’s different from Worlds depending on who your teammates are, but you still just try to pass to whoever is open.”

That team-first attitude is reflected in the way Saman talks about the Games themselves. For him, the most meaningful part of Special Olympics extends beyond basketball.

“If I could describe the Special Olympics in one word it would be friends, the friends that I made along the way.”

In Medicine Hat, those relationships have become part of the experience.

“My favourite part has been hanging out with friends, planning what we're gonna do for each game, and making plans to meet up after we go home.”

The support network surrounding Saman has grown, too.

“My parents that are here are big supporters, and I have a few of my buddies watching from home, too. I would say they're my biggest supporters.”

Saman has also continued to find ways to give back to the Special Olympics community. In September 2023, only months after returning from Berlin, he served as co-emcee for the Special Olympics Saskatchewan SaskTel Awards Celebration in Regina alongside CEO Faye Matt. At the same event, the Regina basketball team – the Wildcats – was recognized as the organization's Team of the Year.

Now, with another national competition underway, Saman is measuring his performance by the same standard he carried into Berlin.

“My goal coming into the games was to play my best and I think I've done that pretty good so far.”

And for younger or newer players watching him compete, his advice is less about complicated strategy than persistence.

“My advice to other players is to try to be open and try to cut through players when possible, but never give up hope,” he said. “As long as you put all of your effort, you can make it all.”

Two journeys, one Saskatchewan story

Millar and Saman arrived in Medicine Hat with very different memories of Berlin.

Millar remembers a silver-medal run with Canada's women's basketball team, the intensity of reaching a world championship game and the relationships built with teammates and coaches. Saman remembers the feeling of winning gold with Canada's men's team, while carrying with him the same team-first approach that has defined his basketball journey.

But three years after Berlin, their stories intersect again.

Both are in Medicine Hat, representing Team Sask. Both have already experienced the highest level of Special Olympics competition, and both have discovered that the medals are only one part of what keeps them coming back.

For Millar, it is the team, the encouragement, and the people who keep her moving when the pressure builds.

For Saman, it is the friends made along the way, the support from family, and the straight-forward objective of finding an open teammate.

Medicine Hat represents another opportunity to compete, but it also represents what Special Olympics has meant to both athletes since Berlin: another place to test themselves, another group of teammates to trust, and another set of memories to take home.

And with the 2027 World Summer Games in Santiago already on the horizon, the next chapter may be closer than either athlete realizes.

— story by Lillian Morris, Special Olympics Canada Summer Games