Walnut Grove's Tavia Rowell leads the Gators' into the TBI 2018's 16-team field beginning Thursday at the Langley Events Centre. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

Tsumura Basketball 2018 girls: With a hungry senior trio bolstered by its next wave of youthful stars, Walnut Grove Gators look to defend TBI crown

LANGLEY — High school basketball careers have always concluded, in some measure, with their own kinds of final chapters. A game which remains in constant renewal is never shy for that next engrossing plot line.

Lord Tweedsmuir's Alex Le hit eight treys and scored a game-high 33-points in a win at home over the Terry Fox Ravens on Tuesday in Surrey. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

So who is B.C.’s No. 1-ranked Quad-A team? Tweedy rebounds from loss to Gators with huge win Tuesday over Terry Fox

SURREY — Who is the No. 1 team going to be this week in B.C. senior boys Quad A basketball?“Ah, good luck with that!” Lord Tweedsmuir head coach Drew Gallacher said after a rollercoaster five-day ride for his team ended with an impressive 104-97 victory Tuesday over the visiting Terry Fox Ravens as part of […]

UBC head men's basketball coach got his start as both a player and a coach at Lanagara College. Now the Falcons are honouring his excellence with a scholarship endowment in his name. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athleitcs 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

Kevin Hanson Scholarship: Langara founds endowment fund in name of former Falcons, current UBC hoops coach

VANCOUVER  — It was the place that gave him his first chance as a basketball player coming out of high school. It’s the place that gave him the opportunity to establish himself in what has become a lifelong occupation as a basketball coach.

After leading Victoria's Belmont Bulldogs to back-to-back B.C. AAAA senior girls volleyball titles, Savannah Purdy has played a big role as a freshman in helping Trinity Western to the No. 1 spot in the latest U Sports women's volleyball national rankings. (Photo by Scott Stewart property of Trinity Western athletics 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Women's Volleyball

Savannah Purdy: Trinity Western’s fantastic volleyball freshman already embodies the ethos of U Sports’ No. 1-ranked Spartans

LANGLEY — Ask Trinity Western women’s volleyball coach Ryan Hofer what the most challenging aspects have been for his star rookie hitter Savannah Purdy to adjust to in joining a line-up that has gone into the Canada West winter break as the No. 1 team in the nation, and he correctly amends the question.

Lord Tweedsmuir senior guard Arjun Samra (left), battling with Burnaby South's Kyle Kirmaic on Saturday in the TBI final at the LEC, was selected tourney MVP. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athleitcs 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

TBI 2018: Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers manage an upset special, topple No. 1 Burnaby South Rebels in Saturday’s final

(Attention Varsity Letters readers! The website has encountered some technical issues which we are working to resolve, so if this posting looks unusual, I apologize. Stories will continue to be Tweeted and with the hashtag #varsityletters2018 and posted on Facebook)

Burnaby South's Aidan Wilson, pictured here defending Terry Fox's Ko Takahashi (6), was the man of the hour Friday as the Rebels found a way to Saturday's TBI 2018 finals. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

TBI 2018: No. 1 Burnaby South withstands huge rally from No. 2 Terry Fox to earn title game berth against No. 4 Lord Tweedsmuir

LANGLEY — Resiliency is proving to be worth its weight in early-season gold for some of B.C.’s best senior boys Quad A high school basketball teams.

Holy Cross' Uyi Ologhola (centre) is book-ended by Kelowna Owls Ajay Gill (left) and Jon Haughton during Friday morning's TBI quarterfinals at the LEC. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

TBI 2018’s dream quartet! B.C.’s top four-ranked Quad-A teams all advance to Friday Final 4, including No. 1 Burnaby South vs. No. 2 Terry Fox

LANGLEY — Diego Maffia, Bithow Wan, Parker Johnstone, Suraj Gahir. When that’s a group of four who will not play in this evening’s Final Four here at the 2018 Tsumura Basketball Invitational, you know even the quarterfinal round is a battle to survive.

Last season Burnaby South and Oak Bay met in the quarterfinals of the BC tourney as respective No. 8 and No 1 seeds. When they meet in the TBI quarters on Friday, it will be with those ranking numbers flipped. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

Friday at TBI 2018: Setting up the day, previewing the Rebels-Bays replay of 2018 BC’s, and chatting with South’s Sasha Vujisic

LANGLEY — Has the uniqueness of Friday’s marquee match-up struck you just yet? Yes, that one! On Friday, the Tsumura Basketball Invitational’s second set of morning quarterfinals at 10:30 a.m. includes one drenched in plotlines.

Terry Fox's David Chien was one of an outstanding crop of Ravens' guards on Thursday. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

FINAL EDITION TBI 2018: Live game reports from Day 1 of the Tsumura Basketball Invitational

Welcome to the first of three days here from the Langley Events Centre any TBI 2018. We’re complete for the night with reports on all eight games!

Harry Parmar and the Kelowna Owls have become a traditional part of the Tsumura Basketball Invitational field. The Owls open play Thursday against Richmond' R.A. McMath Wildcats. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

TBI 2018: A game-by-game look as Thursday’s opening round gets set for a 1:45 p.m. LEC tip-off

LANGLEY — Putting together the draw for a high-end 16-team invitational tournament is not easy. But it’s fun. You want to anticipate potential match-ups at the quarterfinal, semifinal and championship final stages, while insuring a balance between top and bottoms halves, as well as individual quadrants.