Just when you thought it was safe to step out on the court again against UBC in the post-Conor Morgan era, the Thunderbirds soar over you with a recruiting slam dunk.
Mount Douglas Secondary graduate Morgan, now playing pro in Spain after leading sa国际传媒 to the silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia鈥檚 Gold Coast, has graduated from the Thunderbirds. But here come NCAA Div. 1 transfers Jadon Cohee from Southern Utah and Manroop Clair from the University of Hawaii and Seattle University.
It鈥檚 the new UBC 1-2 punch the University of Victoria Vikes must be wary of as they face their cross-strait rivals in UVic鈥檚 sa国际传媒 West men鈥檚 basketball home opener Thursday night at 6 p.m. in CARSA Gymnasium.
Cohee is a six-foot-four former sa国际传媒 high school tournament MVP from Walnut Grove in Langley. He was the starting point guard for sa国际传媒 when it placed fifth at the 2015 FIBA U-19 world championship in Greece.
Clair starred in high school at Burnaby South.
鈥淲e have to make it uncomfortable for Cohee to make his shots, and we have to fatigue him,鈥� said UVic forward Jake Newman, also a Div. 1 transfer in 2016-17 after playing in the NCAA tournament with Patriot League champion Lafayette.
Last weekend, the Vikes rebounded from a season-opening road loss against the University of Winnipeg to beat the Wesmen the next night on a buzzer-beater by point-guard Scott Kellum.
鈥淲e showed in that second game we can turn it around,鈥� said Newman, whose father, Jamie Newman, was a three-time national champion with the Vikes during his time at UVic.
鈥淲e know we have a top gear, but we鈥檝e struggled to find it the past two seasons. Now we demand it of each other. We have a core group that now knows what it takes.鈥�
Among that core is fellow fifth-year Vikes Mason Loewen out of Claremont Secondary and Jordan Charles out of Cowichan Secondary.
鈥淭he majority of UBC鈥檚 offence goes through Cohee, so we have to limit his looks and make it difficult for him,鈥� said the explosive Loewen, who led UVic in almost every statistical category last season.
鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not like the rest of the Thunderbirds are scrubs. We have to lock down defensively all over the floor,鈥� added Loewen, yet another NCAA transfer two years ago.
The Vikes did not graduate anybody last season and hope that veteran experience will pay off.
鈥淲e believe our chemistry has developed,鈥� said Loewen.
Charles, another of the fifth-year UVic players, concurs.
鈥淲e have some good weapons out there,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e have a lot of shooters. It鈥檚 a matter of finding the guys who are shooting well and hitting their shots on that night. The chemistry is getting there and we are trusting each other a lot more.鈥�
The importance of the home opener, especially considering the opponent, is not lost on the Vikes.
鈥淭his is a statement game against our biggest provincial rival,鈥� said Charles.
The Thunderbirds split 1-1 against the Saskatchewan Huskies to open their sa国际传媒 West season.
The UVic Vikes women鈥檚 team (2-0), meanwhile, takes its early unbeaten record across the strait tonight to play the UBC Thunderbirds (1-1) at War Memorial Gymnasium in Vancouver.
The teams traverse Active Pass in opposite directions on Saturday, with the men鈥檚 Vikes travelling to play UBC in War Memorial, and the Vikes and Thunderbirds women鈥檚 teams meeting at CARSA Gym.
