University of Victoria Vikes coach Craig Beaucamp describes Dominick Oliveri as being “right up there with Eric Hinrichsen” when it comes to rebounding. That’s quite a compliment to be compared to an all-time Vikes great and 2000 Sydney Olympian.
Ashlyn Day and Kate Johnson, meanwhile, have known each other since they were five-years-old, played basketball and soccer together at Immaculata Secondary in Kelowna, and tonight play their final career regular-season basketball games for the UVic Vikes women’s team at CARSA gym.
The final regular-season home games are always a time of high emotion for graduating fifth-year U Sports athletes and tonight will be no different for Oliveri, Jayden Touchie and Trent Monkman for the men’s basketball Vikes and Day and Johnson for the UVic women’s cagers as they tip-off against their UBC Thunderbird rivals at 5 and 7 p.m.
Oliveri comes in leading sa国际传媒 West in men’s rebounding with a U Sports third-best average of 12.7 boards per game after hauling in 18 boards in UVic’s 90-82 victory over the Thunderbirds on Thursday night at War Memorial Gym in Vancouver in a match-up of U Sports national top-10 ranked teams with UVic (16-3) at No. 2 and UBC (13-6) at No. 8.
“Dom has been part of the culture change here the past four years,” said Beaucamp, of his role in UVic’s rise to the sa国际传媒 West championship last season and to the higher echelons of the U Sports national top-10 this season.
“He is a classy individual and has been a great ambassador for our program.”
Oliveri, a native of Spokane, Washington, came across the border to play for UVic as a transfer and will graduate with a masters degree in business. Hometown-product and Oak Bay High-grad Touchie didn’t have as far to come and also contributed to UVic’s recent ascent. That was evident on Thursday night as the Vikes were down bodies due to injury, but Touchie stepped up with some timely and tenacious defensive work, and scored some key buckets down the stretch, to help UVic pull out the road victory over UBC.
“That shows Jayden’s resiliency and is a credit to him. He has been so loyal to the program and always there when the opportunity presented itself and when we needed him,” said Beaucamp.
Monkman, out of Smithers and considered the best sixth man in sa国际传媒 West, will miss tonight’s game due to injury. Beaucamp describes Monkman as a “tenacious performer” and the first guy he looked to off the bench.
It’s the night for the seniors, but it’s third-year UVic shooting guard Diego Maffia who leads sa国际传媒 West with a 23.9 points-per-game average and who will be looking to lock down the regular-season conference scoring title tonight ahead of UVic hosting a playoff quarter-final next weekend.
Fifth-year Day, meanwhile, won the sa国际传媒 West women’s scoring title last season and is fifth in the conference this season with an 18.4 points-per-game average. She did it from outside and inside and had a radar for the hoop.
“Ashlyn has such a natural gift for scoring but she does it so quietly without being showy or flashy,” said UVic head coach Carrie Watts.
“She gets the work done without making too much of it and has been a consistent and steady force for us.”
While everybody knew what Day could do, fellow fifth-year player Johnson had a breakout final season with an average of 15.6 points-per game.
“Those two are going to be big losses for us next season but we are excited for their final home games and what is ahead in the playoffs this year,” said Watts.
Ironically, Day and Johnson won a sa国际传媒 high school soccer championship together with Immaculata but never won the provincials in high school hoops.
Day led UVic with 21 points and Johnson added 18 points as UVic put on a defensive clinic in its 76-47 victory over UBC on Thursday at War Memorial Gym. The win clinched a playoff berth for the Vikes (9-10). The Thunderbirds (10-9) are also bound for the post-season with both to play the quarter-final round on the road next week against opponents to be decided.
TIP-OFFS: Former UVic Vikes and Canadian junior national team star player Geoff McKay from Penticton, who went onto a successful career in private equity, will donate $250,000 to the Vikes men’s team with the details to be announced today.
