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 […]

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 […]

Handsworth's Aidan Chubb (left) is one half of the Royals' twin tower front court attack. (Photo by Blair Shier property of Blair.photo 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

B.C. girls championships 2020: Rick Mark, a high school hoops lifer, helps get Handsworth Royals back to The Big Dance

NORTH VANCOUVER — Absence makes a basketball coach’s heart grow fonder, and in the case of Rick Mark, you can almost hear that excited pulse the second his voice comes over the telephone wires.“I thought I was getting too old for this, but after 15 years off, here I am again,” laughed Mark, 70, as […]

Langley Christian's Lainey Shelvey drives past Nicole Torozan during third-fourth place game at TBI 2019, Saturday at the Langley Events Centre. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball High School Girls Basketball

02.05.20 edition: Varsity Letters BC boys and girls basketball rankings

NORTH DELTA — VarsityLetters.ca is experiencing difficulties as it concerns our ability to post stories to this site.The issues are being dealt with and we ask for your patience over this time.Today, both boys and girls rankings will be added to this posting as they become available. Please continue to check back with us through […]

Cutting a path through the Centennial Centaurs this past December at TBI 2019 is Kelowna's Jonathon Haughton. The senior guard and the rest of the Owls play host to this weekend's Western Canada Invitational. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

Western Canada 2020: No. 3 Owls bring the best to Kelowna! No. 1 Rebels, No. 4 Royals, No. 6 Saints joined by Alberta, Manitoba’s best

KELOWNA — Like every head coach hosting an invitational tournament, the one accepted advantage is the built-in ability to schedule as cushy a first-round opponent as is possible.

Byrne Creek's Bobby Mabeny hit eight treys in leading the Bulldogs past No. 2 GW Graham, and into Saturday morning's Final Four at the Robert Bateman Timberwolves Classic in Abbotsford. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of Varsity Letters 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Yale's Jauquin Bennett-Boire was named MVP as the Yale Lions won the 2015 B.C. Triple-A title. ) (Photo used through the permission of the BC High School Boys Basketball Association 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

The diamond jubilee bracket! Here’s how our 75th anniversary B.C. boys all-time first-round games played out

NORTH DELTA — Our learned basketball elders have spoken.After what were surely furious debates, they have delivered the opening-round results in our BCHSBBA 75th anniversary All-Time B.C. Boys Basketball Tournament Bracket.As one member of the panel said to me: “If half the people are happy and the other half furious, then I guess we nailed […]