The host Langara Falcons may be huge underdogs in their CCAA National tournament opener against Charlottetown's No. 1 Holland Hurricanes, but Vancouver's Falcons are embracing their status and ready to come out aggressive. (Photo by Dom Gagne property of Langara Falcons athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

CCAA nationals 2019: Underdog Langara Falcons embracing their offence as they prepare for tournament fave Holland Hurricanes

LANGLEY — One more sleep until tip-off here at the 2019 CCAA men’s national basketball tournament, and if one thing is certain, the Langara Falcons are not attempting some grand, over-night re-invention of their hoops persona.

Already seven seasons and three CCAA Final Fours into his collegiate coaching career, Vancouver Island head coach Matt Kuzminski has his Mariners in the running for another national title this week at the LEC. (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)
Although they have made two Final 8 national tourney appearances since, UBC Thunderbirds' head coach Kevin Hanson has his team at the event's traditional Halifax site for the first time since it lost in the semifinals back in 2011. It's a first-time trip for star guard Jadon Cohee. (Photo by Bob Frid property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

UBC hoops back in Halifax! On long journey to Final 8 nationals, here’s why you can stamp these underdog ‘Birds as ‘battle-tested’

VANCOUVER — Over the course of a 17-game in-conference win streak which defined its Canada West regular season schedule, it was sometimes difficult to wonder if the UBC Thunderbirds were getting the level of competition which would best serve them on the road towards qualifying for the ultimate challenge.

Simon Fraser Clan head coach Steve Hanson calls Jasdeep Singh (centre) and Julian Roche (tight) the best front court duo in the GNAC.The pair leads SFU into the post season for the first time in nine seasons on Thursday. (Photo property of Simon Fraser Clan athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Western Washington's Anna Schweke (44) has had a firm grip on Claudia Hart and the Simon Fraser Clan this season. The two teams meet in the oping round of GNAC playoffs Thursday in Bellingham. (Photo property of Western Washington University athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Women's Basketball

GNAC playoffs ’19: SFU must take bad times with good, Clan face adversity head-on as they battle injuries, illness and WWU’s Vikings

BURNABY — Over a grand and somewhat surprising stretch from early-January through mid-February, the Simon Fraser Clan women’s basketball team were among the most consistent in all of NCAA Div. 2 basketball, winning 11 of 13 games.

One of the most significant days of UBC's 2018-19 season came before the ball was even tipped off. As was evident Sunday, the off-season signings of Jadon Cohee (left) and Manroop Clair were critical. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

With win at Alberta, UBC bound for Final 8 national tourney! Victory magnifies key recruitments of stars Jadon Cohee, Manroop Clair

VANCOUVER — Kevin Hanson has had enough post-season disappointment over the last number of years that he wasn’t going to sugar-coat his emotions.

UBC guard Mason Bourcier did all of his scoring when it mattered most, taking over the game down the fourth quarter stretch-drive to give UBC a 74-62 win over the host Alberta Golden Bears in the opening game of their best-of-three conference semifinal Friday in Edmonton. (File photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

UBC protects paint, leans on Bourcier late to extract a pure-guts road win over Alberta in conference semifinal opener

The UBC Thunderbirds knew they needed a hot start on the offensive end and a courageous one on the defensive end if they were going to give themselves any chance at coming out Edmonton this weekend with a berth to the Canada West championship final next March 2 in Calgary against the host Dinos, and […]

JF Thomas will be a senior wide receiver when he and his Tarleton State Texans come north to face the Simon Fraser Clan in 2020 for the first home game of SFU's new GNAC/Lone Star football alliance announced jointly by the two conferences Tuesday. (Photo by Russell Huffman property of The Flash Today 2019. All Rights Reserved) (Photo by Russell Huffman property of The Flash Today 2019. All Rights Reserved)
UBC's Manroop Clair (front) dribbles out of the clutches of Fraser Valley's Parm Bains on Saturday at War Memorial Gymnasium. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

The Jordan-esque Manroop Clair! UBC shooting star skips morning shoot around, saves energy for series-clinching win over UFV

VANCOUVER — By his own admission, Manroop Clair is still not back in game shape.Yet the UBC Thunderbirds’ dead-eye shooting guard is so dangerous that even without his legs fully under him, he’s still capable of being a difference maker.On Saturday, still reeling from having played back-to-back games the previous two nights in its Canada […]