It was the late, great John Wooden who once quipped: “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.”Delivered a full half-century ago, in an era where catchphrases weren’t so immediately fated to become commercialized cliches, the wise words of the Wizard of Westwood have retained a dignity and a depth of meaning so instantly relevant […]
Tag: Canada west men’s basketball
UFV’s Toor de Force! With his deep cache of skills rising to the fore, Cascades’ guard Vick Toor is an anchor in these uncertain times
ABBOTSFORD — His game has always been built around such a diverse package of skills that perhaps it’s taken all of us these past three seasons to appreciate the true depth of his talents.Yet if the practice sessions which have just now begun wind up leading to some semblance of a men’s basketball season in […]
Nikola Guzina: With a versatile game that hints at shades of Conor Morgan, UBC inks multi-skilled King George Dragons’ star
VANCOUVER — Ask Nikola Guzina to talk about his rise to prominence on the hardcourt, and the standout incoming recruit of the UBC Thunderbirds proceeds to do so with a nod of thanks to the basketball gods.
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.
Kevin Hanson: On the precipice of a milestone, UBC’s unflappable men’s basketball coach reflects on his lifetime in the game
VANCOUVER — Kevin Hanson remembers everything about the day he became a head basketball coach for the first time in his life.
We’re back! Varsity Letters – The Podcast makes its return! UBC hoops coach Hanson, New West football coach Lalji stop in to chat
LANGLEY — There’s a sense deja vu filtering through the airwaves this week around the province of B.C. with return of Varsity Letters-The Podcast. Long a weekly staple during my years at The Vancouver Province, we’re back for the first time since 2016, right here at our new home at VarsityLetters.ca This week, we’re honoured […]
A Sunday read: Why the toughest re-build in Canadian university hoops lured BC’s Trevor Pridie from Raptors 905 back home to Trinity Western
LANGLEY — A lot has happened over the past few seasons in the coaching life of Trevor Pridie.
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 […]
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 […]
After playing “…one of the worst games of my career” UBC’s Jadon Cohee flips the script Friday as ‘Birds stay alive with win over UFV
VANCOUVER — Jadon Cohee has had some great days playing basketball in his home province of B.C.Like scoring 22 points and being picked tournament MVP in leading the Walnut Grove Gators to the B.C. senior boys Triple A championship in March of 2013.Or later that summer, picking up the phone to take a call from […]