Remembering MarMar: N.S. basketball team unveils new uniforms to honour 'guardian angel'
8-year-old from North Preston was killed in shooting in Dartmouth in 2021
North Preston Bulls coach Paul Glasgow unveiled new uniforms Friday in honour of eight-year-old Lee'Marion Cain, saying the team would always have a "guardian angel" on the court.
The uniforms were revealed at the beginning of the Lee'Marion Invitational basketball tournament held at the North Preston Community Centre.
Cain was a passenger in a car in Dartmouth, N.S., in late 2021 when shots were fired from another vehicle. Cain died in hospital.
"When we step on the court, we're not stepping on the court with five people, were stepping on the court with six," Glasgow told CBC Radio's Information Morning. "We are always going to have our guardian angel when we go on the court."
Speaking at the tournament, Glasgow told Cain's family that Cain's No. 0 jersey would be retired.
The new uniforms feature the Initials LLMM for "Long Live MarMar," one of Cain's nicknames.
The jerseys now feature Cain's retired number on the left side of the chest, closest to the heart, Glasgow added.
Glasgow said he was blessed to have a relationship with Cain, who he described as an amazing child who was caring and funny and had a big heart.
Most people in the community knew Cain or his family, Glasgow said, so there has been a tremendous outpouring of support.
Reflecting on how much Cain loved the sport, Glasgow said North Preston and basketball go hand in hand.
He hoped that kids would have fun during the tournament.
"It's not about winning, Glasgow said. "It's literally about just watching your kid, or a kid that you know, just having fun, playing the thing that they love. I hope that the experience that people can take away is that."
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of.
With files from Kyah Sparks