Feature Podcast

10.07.20: Varsity Letters-The Podcast salutes Worlds Teachers Day! Longtime teacher-coaches join Tsumura in saluting our classroom mentors!

Hey, it’s Howard and welcome to another episode of Varsity Letters—The Podcast.   Today we open the show with a short tribute to the late Karin Khuong from Mike Carkner, one of her basketball coaches at Terry Fox Secondary in PoCo. Khuong, 16, lost a two-year battle with cancer on Sunday. The theme of the […]

While a solemn Keenan Danso-Dapaah of the Sheridan Bruins walks off the court of Saturday night, Vancouver Island Mariners players and coaches erupt into celebration after winning the CCAA national title at the LEC. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

A Sunday Read: The simple truth behind three days of magic! How VIU’s Mariners perfected the art of the rally to win a CCAA national crown

LANGLEY — His tears had barely had time to dry and his voice, emotion-tinged from the kind of elation that only a national championship can bring, had recovered just enough to get a special message out.

Holland's hulking Martin Campbell goes airborne in the paint as he tries to power his way for a lay-in during CCAA Final Four clash Friday at the LEC against the Sheridan Bruins. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

CCAA Nationals Day 2: Sheridan’s ‘Braveheart’ Bruins top No. 1 Holland, set the stage for title tilt with Nanaimo’s VIU Mariners

LANGLEY — On Thursday, Sheridan Bruins head coach Jim Flack waxed on about the joy of having his team’s senior leadership become the empowering force that helped carry the OCAA champs to the CCAA’s Final Four here at the Langley Events Centre.

VIU's Tyus Barfoot (right) hugs teammate Landon Radliff after yet another Mariners' rally carried them past Vanier and into Saturday's CCAA championship final at the LEC. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

CCAA Nationals Day 2: Magnificent Mariners do it again! In Friday’s Final Four, VIU rallies from 19 down to stun Montreal’s Vanier Cheetahs

LANGLEY— Their compass won’t let them down. For a second straight night here at the CCAA men’s national basketball championships, the Vancouver Island Mariners have stared down a double-digit defict and in the end, turned it to dust.

Langara's Grant Galbraith (top) battled for a rebound with Hollaand's Roosevelt Whyley during opening-round action from the CCAA National men's championships held at the Langley Events Centre. (Photo by Wilson Wong 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

CCAA Nationals Day 1: Langara coach Eberhardt on loss to No. 1-seed Holland: “We just got hit by a Hurricane”

LANGLEY — Paul Eberhardt didn’t rehearse the line, so when it came time to dissecting what went wrong for his Langara Falcons in the opening round of the CCAA National championships Thursday night, the head coach caught himself chucking just a split second before delivering an unintended pun. “We just got hit by a hurricane,” he […]

Montmorency's Elie Karojo (left) and Sheridan's Nick Campbell battle for a loose ball in Thursday's Elite 8 clash here at the CCAA nationals in Langley. (Photo by Wilson Wong 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

CCAA Nationals Day 1: It’s all about empowerment! Senior leadership carries Sheridan’s Bruins into Friday’s Final Four

LANGLEY — They swept through the OCAA playoffs back in Ontario, winning by an average margin of 20 points.They opened Thursday in the first round of the CCAA national championships at the Langley Events Centre with a 22-points win, 105-83 victory, over Laval’s Nomades de Montmorency. (full updated Friday schedule below)Now, riding a six-game win streak, […]

As an exclamation mark on a game it won with a 36-point swing, VIU Mariners guard Tyus Barfoot puts down a late slam dunk against Calgary's SAIT Trojans. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Langara's Royce Sargeant has returned to the Falcons' starting lineup this season despite a horrific accident in August. (Photo by Dom Gagne property of Langara Falcons athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)