Parker Simson wanted to reach a new level following a B.C. AAAA high school basketball championship title with the Kelowna Owls in 2016. He gets a chance to meet that goal this weekend back in his hometown, this time with the UBC Thunderbirds. (Photo used through the permission of UBC athletics)
Feature University Men's Basketball

A weekend for history: Parker Simson aims to become second UBC athlete in 57 years to play football, basketball in same school year

VANCOUVER — As Parker Simson prepared for a most unique moment in UBC sports history this weekend, and in of all places his hometown of Kelowna, he was professing an appreciation for one of sport’s oldest cliches.

UBC's Mason Bourcier is bringing his scoring and playmaking skills to the fore in his freshman season with the Thunderbirds. (Richard Lam/UBC athletics)
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Racin’ Mason: UBC’s freshman point guard Bourcier, set for a weekend return to his old Kelowna digs, grabs a piece of ‘Birds hoop history

VANCOUVER — Put Mason Bourcier’s basketball career on a one-year rewind, and over the final weekend of January, you would have caught the then-Kelowna Secondary senior star preparing with the rest of his Owls for the team’s annual Western Canada invitational.

Former UFV Cascades basketball great Peter Wauthy will be inducted into the school's sports Hall of Fame on Friday. (Photo courtesy UFV athletics)
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Doctor’s order: UFV’s 2018 Hall of Famer Peter Wauthy discovered precision for a life in medicine started with basketball

ABBOTSFORD — Peter Wauthy never got a chance to play basketball at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre, yet after this weekend, fans of the Fraser Valley Cascades men’s basketball team will be reminded of one of their past heart-and-soul hardcourt heroes each time they pass through the mezzanine of their home gymnasium.

UBC Thunderbirds' fifth-yeast senior Conor Morgan, one of the nation's elite, has been lost for a potentially extended period of time following an elbow injury suffered Thursday in Saskatoon. (UBC athletics photo by Richard Lam)
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UBC star Conor Morgan lost to elbow injury, freshman Grant Shephard sees role increase

The UBC Thunderbirds men’s basketball team has added a lot of new faces to its 2017-18 roster, and while they have clearly shown huge promise in the early going, they may well be without their best player for an extended period of time.Head coach Kevin Hanson told Varsity Letters on Friday afternoon that forward Conor Morgan, the […]

UBC's Conor Morgan had a bitter ending to his fourth season in blue-and-gold. (Richard Lam, UBC athletics) (Richard Lam, UBC athletics)
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UBC’s Conor Morgan: ‘Birds hoops star puts pro career on hold for final kick at national crown

VANCOUVER — Conor Morgan has a bright future ahead of him when it comes to the prospect of making a healthy living playing the game he loves.UBC Thunderbirds’ fans, in fact, may be surprised to learn just how close the nation’s second-leading scorer came during the off-season to hanging up his blue-and-gold jersey in exchange […]

Kelowna Owls' senior guard Mason Bourcier gives the UBC Thunderbirds yet another blue-chip B.C. recruit. (Wilson Wong, UBC athletics)
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Kelowna’s Mason Bourcier stamps platinum status on UBC Thunderbirds solid gold recruiting class

VANCOUVER — Mason Bourcier is turning the 2017 recruiting class of the UBC Thunderbirds men’s basketball program into the school’s own version of the NBA’s 1996 draft lottery.

As a Kelowna Owl in March of 2016, new UBC Thunderbird recruit Grant Shephard smooched with the tournament MVP trophy. (Richard Lam, UBC athletics)
Feature University Men's Basketball

UBC gets Grant the Great! Kelowna’s Quad-A MVP Grant Shephard chooses ‘Birds

(This is a complete write-through of the earlier story Varsity Letters broke on UBC’s signing of former Kelowna Owls basketball star Grant Shephard. There’s more quotes from all concerned including Shephard’s former high school coach Harry Parmar, and additional reporting on the impact his arrival could have on the program)VANCOUVER — Even after an inglorious end to its 2016-17 U Sports […]

UBC Thunderbirds Jordan Jensen-Whyte (left) and Conor Morgan get after it Thursday as the playoffs come to War. (Rich Lam, UBC athletics)
Feature University Men's Basketball

Herd the news? UBC can’t sleep on these dangerous Bisons!

VANCOUVER — Watch the game long enough and you know that there are certain types of scenarios, which when presented on larger stages, like the postseason, often times have the potential to produce unexpected results.