Just in time, UBC's fifth-year senior Jadon Cohee led the 'Birds to their best game-closing fourth quarter of the season in an upset win over the host Calgary Dinos in the Canada West semifinals on Saturday. With the win, Cohee and the 'Birds have qualified for the U Sports Final 8. (Photo by David Moll property of Calgary Dinos' athletics 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

A Sunday Read: How UBC played its two best fourth-quarters of season on back-to-back nights to punch its tickets to U Sports’ Final 8!

There was a moment during the final time-out of the UBC Thunderbirds’ 88-77 Canada West men’s basketball quarterfinal win over the Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday night which seems especially relevant this morning.

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)
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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.

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)
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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 […]

Trinity Western's fourth-year transfer Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath has brought his Texas-sized smile, heart and skill-package north to Langley from the Lone Star State. He's currently the leading scorer in all of U Sports men's basketball. (Photo by Scott Stewart property of Trinity Western athletics 2020. All Rights Reserved
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Trinity Western’s Ja’Qualyn Gilbreath: For a rebuilding Spartans’ program, the man they call ‘Q’ has arrived on cue to lead U Sports’ hoops in scoring

LANGLEY — He’s the guy they all call Q, which in an unintentional way is actually quite fitting because once you watch him play for the first time, all you have are questions, questions, questions.

Checking in at 6-foot-8, Simon Fraser's Jasdeep Singh has always had a flawless shooting form. (Photo by Paul Yates property of Simon Fraser Clan athletics 2020. All Rights Reserved)
Now in his 20th season as UBC head coach, Kevin Hanson sits one win away from the Canada West's all-time conference wins record. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Fraser Valley Cascades Daniel Adediran (11) and Sukhraj Bains celebrate a two-point victory Saturday over the UBC Thunderbirds. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved) (Photo by Vancouver Sports Pictures property of VSP 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

UFV Cascades’ never-say-die defence enough to top UBC and show just how tough one Canada West win can be, let alone 313!

ABBOTSFORD — On a night when one of the biggest coaching records in Canadian university basketball sat on the precipice of falling, a home underdog determined to have a night of its own dug deep and played the role of spoiler, in the process illuminating just how hard it actually is to win games in […]

Simon Fraser's Jasdeep Singh has been a force for the Clan throughout the preseason, averaging a team-high 18.8 points per game. (Photo by Christian Serwold property of Western Washington athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Fraser Valley Cascades' fifth-year guard Sukhjot Bains has looked to bring a more consistent shooting touch to the floor over his final season of university basketball. (Photo by Dan Kinvig property of University of the Fraser Valley athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

UFV’s Sukhjot Bains: In his quest for long-distance shooting mojo, Cascades senior guard says it’s the mind that matters most

ABBOTSFORD — Last season, Sukhjot Bains traded snow for rain in a transfer from NCAA Div. 1 Wisconsin-Green Bay back to his home province and a spot in U Sports with Abbotsford’s Fraser Valley Cascades.Yet while frozen tundra gave way to puddles, the former high school superstar with Surrey’s Tamanawis Wildcats is the first to […]

After four years in the NCAA Div. 1 basketball world, former Bellevue (Wash.) High ace shooter Zack Moore has brought a more expansive game north of the line to the UBC Thunderbirds. (Photo by Bob Frid property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
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As ‘Birds prepare Friday welcome for Dinos at War, UBC coach Hanson calls new NCAA D1 transfer Zack Moore “…our secret golden nugget”

VANCOUVER — Zack Moore is more, more, more than just a three-point shooter.And while UBC head coach Kevin Hanson certainly appreciates the rare opportunity to bring in a fourth-year, NCAA Div. 1-transfer who has already proven he can step outside the arc and get his fill from distance, it seems quite clear that the Thunderbirds […]