Heritage Woods' Kiara Kozak, shown here at last December's TBI, pulled down an amazing 30 rebounds on Wednesday to lead the Kodiaks past North Surrey and into the B.C. Quad-A championships beginning next Wednesday right back at the Langley Events Centre. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

Kozak grabs 30 caroms, Alyza Aikins goes wild from three: Here’s how Heritage Woods, Tweedy, Cowichan punched Big Dance 2020’s final tickets

LANGLEY — The final three pieces of the puzzle have been fit into place, and that set’s the stage for tonight’s official unveiling of the B.C. senior girls AA, AAA and inaugural AAAA 16-team draws.

When Oak Bay's Griffin Arnatt (left) and A.R. MacNeill's Everett Swaim clashed back in December at the Tsumura Basketball Invitational, the provincials were a long ways off. This week, with the Vancouver Island championships set to tip off, the Bays move back into the spotlight as a Quad-A honourable mention. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

02.19.20 edition Varsity Letters B.C. boys high school basketball rankings: Bays, Flyin’ Lions, Fighting Saints and Deer Lake all rise up!

NORTH DELTA — We’ve hit the start of zone championship tournaments.They’ve got new names… like South Fraser, Fraser North, East Valley and Sea-to-Sky, yet the stakes are still high for the 16 teams at each tier attempting to punch tickets to the B.C. tournament March 4-7 at the Langley Events Centre.There was plenty of 4A […]

UBC head coach Kevin Hanson wants his star senior Jason Cohee "...to just be himself" when the 'Birds open against Saskatchewan on Friday as part of the Canada West's revamped post-season format. (Photo by Bob Frid property of UBC athletics 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

UBC men’s basketball: Thunderbirds’ head coach Kevin Hanson weighs the pros and cons of new Canada West playoff format

VANCOUVER — The eight remaining Canada West men’s basketball teams have no margin for error under the conference’s new and radically-revamped playoff system.

Cowichan's Talon Hird, picked the Most Outstanding Male Wrestler of the 2020 B.C. high school championships, took a place among our province's most decorated prep grapplers. (Photo property of Wilson Wong 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Wrestling

B.C. High School Wrestling Championships 2020: Maple Ridge’s Ramblers, Cowichan’s Hird make their mark on LEC mats

By Gary Ahuja(Special for VarsityLetters.ca)LANGLEY — The Maple Ridge Ramblers were the big winners, taking home a bevy of team and individual prizes while Cowichan’s Talon Hird joined an exclusive list of past champions.Competing at the 2020 B.C. Secondary School Wrestling Association Championships presented by Onni Group on February 16 and 17 at Langley Events […]

John Oliver Jokers' Queenie Salazar can't fight back her tears of joy after the Grade 9 guard helped South Van's John Oliver Jokers to their first B.C. senior girls basketball championship tournament berth in 27 years last week in the school's own gym. (Photo by Wilson Wong 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

The Joy of John Oliver’s basketball Jokers: After 27 years, ‘perpetual underdogs’ have their day, punch tickets to B.C. Quad-A championships!

VANCOUVER — Before he can can even begin to express the joy these days that comes from being a John Oliver Joker, Pat Lee offers an apology to the curious reporter at the other end of his cel phone connection.

Seaquam's Bob Hoy (left) and Richmond's Ron Putzi eye a free throw during the 1988 title game at the PNE Agrodome. (Photo property of the BCHSBBA 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

Who made the Diamond Jubilee Elite 8? Let’s just say the 1970’s looking like a new Golden Age!

(Due to technical difficulties encountered here at VarsityLetters.ca over the past two weeks, several stories, including this one, had not been posted here on our main site, which is now back to being fully operational as of Feb. 17, 2020. We thank you for your patience and your continued loyalty to B.C.’s most trusted source for […]

Fraser Valley's Deanna Tuchscherer has enjoyed a brilliant rookie debut in the Canada West. (Photo by Dan Kinvig property of University of the Fraser Valley athletics 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball University Women's Basketball

“…Hey, she just pulled a Dirk!” UFV’s fab frosh Tuchscherer making like a U Sports’ Nowitzki

(Due to technical difficulties encountered here at VarsityLetters.ca over the past two weeks, several stories, including this one, had not been posted here on our main site, which is now back to being fully operational as of Feb. 17, 2020. We thank you for your patience and your continued loyalty to B.C.’s most trusted source for […]

Simon Fraser's Tayler Drynan has never missed a game over the course of her entire four-year career with the Clan. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Women's Basketball

Tayler Drynan: Simon Fraser’s senior point guard never missed a moment along the road to her Clan home finale

(Due to technical difficulties encountered here at VarsityLetters.ca over the past two weeks, several stories, including this one, had not been posted here on our main site, which is now back to being fully operational as of Feb. 17, 2020. We thank you for your patience and your continued loyalty to B.C.’s most trusted source for […]

UBC's Jessica Hanson is in the midst of the most efficient run of play in her entire university basketball career. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Women's Basketball

UBC’s Jessica Hanson: Appreciating the present of presence has allowed ‘Birds senior guard to see 20/20 in 2020

(Due to technical difficulties encountered here at VarsityLetters.ca over the past two weeks, several stories, including this one, had not been posted here on our main site, which is now back to being fully operational as of Feb. 17, 2020. We thank you for your patience and your continued loyalty to B.C.’s most trusted source for […]

UFV senior Matt Cooley has overcome the odds to help lead his Cascades on a run into the Canada West post-season. (Photo by Dan Kinvig property of University of the Fraser Valley athletics 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball University Men's Basketball

UFV’s Matt Cooley: How a basketball underdog with a passion for passing delivered his signature senior season

(Due to technical difficulties encountered here at VarsityLetters.ca over the past two weeks, several stories, including this one, had not been posted here on our main site, which is now back to being fully operational as of Feb. 17, 2020. We thank you for your patience and your continued loyalty to B.C.’s most trusted source for […]