Miah Schuurman drives past Credo Christian during Day 3 Final Four play at the 2024 B.C. senior girls basketball championships March 1, 2024 at the Langley Events Centre. (Photo by Mark Steffens property of Vancouver Sports Pictures 2024. All Rights Reserved)
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SINGLE-A B.C. girls Final Four 2024: Miah Schuurman catches fire for Flames, pours home 36 points as blue-collar Unity Christian pulls upset for BC finals berth!

No. 8 Unity Christian Flames 49 No.5 Credo Christian Kodiaks 37LANGLEY — The Unity Christian Flames are not about the glitz, glam, or fashion.The Flames play gritty, tough basketball and head coach Kyle Smiens fully embraces his team’s mentality.“We’ve been grinding out games all year,” he said following his No. 8-seeded team’s 49-37 upset win […]

Lord Byng point guard Eli Mullin (left) drives past Brookswood's Logan Stewart on Day 1 at the 2022 Tsumura Basketball Invitational Dec. 7 at the Langley Events Centre. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2022 All Rights Reserved)
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B.C. Boys Basketball Top 10 Ranks 01.11.23 edition: The rise of the Oak Bay Bays & Brookswood Bobcats, plus Tammy’s ‘Cats surge to JV No. 1!

BURNABY — The first set of Top 10 rankings for B.C. senior boys high school basketball have arrived for 2023, and Surrey schools have surged in the largest Quad-A tier.Here’s the lastest from our B.C. pollsters at all four tiers for Jan 11, 2023:BASKETBALLTOP 10 RANKINGSB.C. SENIOR BOYSQUAD A1 Semiahmoo Thunderbirds (Surrey) (SF) (LW -1)2 […]

Lord Byng point guard Eli Mullin (left) drives past Brookswood's Logan Stewart at the 2022 Tsumura Basketball Invitational Wednesday at the Langley Events Centre. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2022 All Rights Reserved)
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12.7.22 edition: B.C. senior boys basketball’s latest Top 10 rankings from Quaud-A to Single-A are right here!

The latest Top 10 rankings for B.C. senior boys high school basketball have arrived for Dec. 7, 2022:BASKETBALLTOP 10 RANKINGSB.C. SENIOR BOYSQUAD A1 Semiahmoo Thunderbirds (Surrey) (SF) (LW -1)2 Vancouver College Fighting Irish (VSS) (2)3 Burnaby South Rebels (FN) (3)4 St. George’s Saints (Vancouver) (VSS) (4)5 Abbotsford Panthers (EV) (5)6 Oak Bay Bays (Victoria) (VI) […]

We've got the latest updates to boys and girls schedules for TBI 2022 at the Langley Events Centre. (Photo by Wilson Wong 2021. All Rights Reserved)
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TBI 2022: Burnaby Central boys, Pitt Meadows girls draw into the fold after late cancellations, latest draws now available

LANGLEY TOWNSHIP – There have been a pair of late changes to both boys and girls Tsumura Basketball Invitational eight-team draws, prompting us to re-publish those affected brackets.In the boys TBI, Langley Secondary has dropped out of the Langley-Surrey region eight-team draw. Taking their place will be the Burnaby Central Wildcats, who will now oppose […]

Your author, presenting with pride, the MVP trophy at the 2015 Tsumura Basketball Invitational, to McMath Wildcats' Jessica Jones. (Photo by Wilson Wong 2015 All Rights Reserved)
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A message from Howard: After 40 years, I’ll bring a new writing direction to Varsity Letters for the 2022-23 high school and university sports season!

NORTH DELTA –  Heartfelt greetings to all of you, my loyal, longtime readers.It’s been five months since I decided to take a break from my writing life.As was the goal from the very start, my decision to take sabbatical after 40 years of daily practice — first from my typewriter, and of course later, in […]

Centennial's K.C. Ibekwe caps off his 43-point night with this dunk off a baseline spin-o-rama move as the Centaurs topped Terry Fox to win the 2022 AAAA Fraser North title Sunday night at the Langley Events Centre. (Photo by Wilson Wong 2022. All Rights Reserved)
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No stage fright for K.C. Ibekwe! Centennial’s big man revels in the cheers and jeers as his 43 points vs. Fox lift Centaurs to Fraser North Quad-A title!

LANGLEY — K.C. Ibekwe heard it from the crowd Sunday night at the Langley Events Centre.From one side of the Centre Court complex, the Centennial Centaurs’ 6-foot-10 centre lined up to shoot free throws while supporters of the arch-rival Terry Fox Ravens broke into unrepentant chants of ‘Over-rated’.Yet when the unflappable Ibekwe was able to […]

Fleetwood Park Grade 10 guard Inder Deol can feel the defensive presence of Sir Winston Churchill's Paolo Murphy (21) and Kai O'Donnell during the 3rd-4th game on Saturday at Tsumura Basketball Invitational. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of Varsity Letters 2021. All Rights Reserved)
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Tsumura Basketball 2021: Surrey’s surprising Fleetwood Park Dragons take third, while Churchill, Abby, MacNeill, Claremont and STM complete the rest of our boys Great 8!

LANGLEY — Here’s a look at the three games which determined third to eighth at this season’s Tsumura Basketball Invitational which wrapped up Saturday at the Langley Events Centre.THIRD-FOURTHFLEETWOOD PARK 78 SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL 66LANGLEY — Surrey’s unranked Fleetwood Park Dragons, nursing a 54-53 lead after three quarters against Vancouver’s No. 5-ranked Sir Winston Churchill […]

Former Semiahmoo star Adam Paige has risen above the pack with the Alberta Golden Bears. This past summer, the Surrey native will play professionally for the Fraser Valley Bandits. (Photo property University of Alberta athletics 2021. All Rights Reserved)
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Fraser Valley Bandits launching B.C. high school basketball Player of the Week for girls and boys

By GARY AHUJALANGLEY — Know any basketball players excelling both on and off the court? Then the Fraser Valley Bandits want to hear from you.With basketball season now underway, the Bandits are launching the BC Player of the Week to recognize student-athletes who are excelling as role models in the classroom, in the community and […]

St. Thomas More Knights senior boys basketball coach Aaron Mitchell. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2020. All Rights Reserved)
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Tip-off Wednesday: B.C. high school basketball is back, and minutes after news breaks, we catch up with six of our veteran coaches!

B.C. high school basketball coaches could barely contain their excitement Tuesday evening as they spoke with Varsity Letters just minutes after the official decision came down that B.C. high school basketball’s delayed opening was over, and that tip-off around the province would take place on Wednesday.“They have been waiting to go now for weeks,” said […]

Sir Charles Tupper head coach Jeff Gourley (with grandson Elliott) said a heartfelt good-bye to his players as the impact of COVID on his family business has forced a sabbatical from the coaching front. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2020. All Rights Reserved)
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Longtime Charles Tupper hoops coach Jeff Gourley takes leave of his Tigers in 2021-22: In a changing world, here’s his heartfelt good-bye!

(Jeff Gourley has given heart and soul to breathe life and community into the East Vancouver basketball world. On Thursday, he announced his reasons for stepping away this season from the boys program at Sir Charles Tupper where the Tigers have been his extended family for most the last quarter century… the team, to be […]