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Men's Basketball

February 8, 2010

Kwantlen Eagles push for playoff berths

(METRO VANCOUVER, B.C.) The Kwantlen Polytechnic University Eagles basketball teams were in action this past weekend playing host to the Quest University of Canada Kermodes. Both Eagles men’s and women’s teams are closely ranked with their respective Quest opponents in this key stretch leading into the British Columbia Colleges Athletics Association (BCCAA) Provincial Championships.

On Friday, to begin the weekend, the Eagles women were up 33-20 at the half, the result of a charge led by the plays of Jessica Williams and Chantelle Doerksen. The Kermodes came back with a strong effort in the second half, but captain and leading scorer, Taminder Dhaliwal led the charge with her “dedication to succeed,” says coach Gary Pawluk. Along with Dhaliwal, second-year forward Shmyla Thandi played a strong role in the 62-59 Eagles victory.
The rest of the weekend was an opportunity for the men’s team to shine. Fighting for a playoff spot, the men are faced with the challenge of winning all of their remaining games. “We are still in it, but we’ve got to do the work on the court in order to qualify for the Provincials,” comments coach Bernie Love. With efforts like this past weekend, the Eagles are vying at the bit to qualify for the coveted tournament.

Despite a strong Eagles pace through the first three quarters, the Kermodes were able to hang close and challenge the Eagles with 15 lead changes in the fourth quarter alone. Led by second-year Varinder Singh who was 5-for-8 from behind the three point line, and Ali Bosir who marked his first double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds in the game, the Eagles were able to persevere and came out on top with a 65-64 win.

Continuing this winning weekend, the men came out again on Saturday overpowering their opponent 75-63, with great play by rookie Bosir. “His rebounds were key…[they] were probably the key to winning the games this weekend,” remarks Love.
The Eagles will continue their home stand over the Olympic break taking on the Langara Falcons this Friday at Kwantlen’s Surrey Campus. For both teams, the Langara match is always a well fought, intense game. Both Falcon teams are sitting in the league at fifth position, clutching to hold on in the top six in order to make it to the 2010 Provincial Championships. 

February 5, 2010

Photo sessions from practice

A photo of Men's Eagles Coaches during practice
Coaches Bernie Love & Mike McKay

Check out the photos from the recent Men's Basketball Practice as they gear towards a push to the playoffs.

February 1, 2010

Kwantlen Eagles take on top of the league

(METRO VANCOUVER, B.C.) The Kwantlen Polytechnic University Eagles unveiled their newly renovated gymnasium this past weekend with their first home game since the semester break. The debut game on the new, red Eagles floor had Kwantlen men’s and women’s basketball teams playing host to two nationally ranked Vancouver Island University Mariners teams.

Both Kwantlen teams had a hard battle ahead of them. The men’s team had a good second half on Friday night, but trailed by 12 points early in the game and failed to come back from the deficit.

“They competed and played hard, but we just can’t make little mistakes against the number one team in the country,” said Eagles head coach Bernie Love. “We proved that we could play with them on Saturday but in a few minutes of undisciplined play, they were able to go on a 16-2 run. We just never got out of the hole we created for ourselves.”

The women’s team had a similar outcome with the Mariners outplaying the Eagles on both days. When asked about the games coach Gary Pawluk said, “We simply did not have enough desire to beat a team of that calibre and produce a positive end result. The better team won, but we need to bring more effort to our next games against Quest.”

The Eagles continue their home stand over the next three weeks hosting the Quest University Kermodes on February 12 and 13. Both teams will have a great opportunity to increase their playoff chances this week.

November 16, 2009

Kwantlen Eagles Split on the Road

(Surrey, B.C.) The Kwantlen Eagles Men’s Basketball team took to the floor this past weekend for the first road trip of the year. Looking for their first league win, the Men’s basketball team was ready to take on the Camosun Chargers in Victoria.

Friday started off successfully for the Eagles. The team came out with a convincing showing, beating the Chargers by a score of 86-67. The Eagles were led by rookie Dustin Egelstad with 34 points and nine rebounds on the night. The Eagles sealed the game with a 29-10 run in the fourth quarter. “Our guys played great”, says Coach Bernie Love, “they shot over 50% from the floor which is awesome, and something we’ve really been working on”.

Saturday night, on the other hand, was more of a challenge for the Eagles’ squads. The Men’s team struggled with injuries of a few key players, including team leader in points, Egelstad. Late in Friday night’s game Eglestad sprained his ankle, significantly slowing him down for Saturday’s game. “We lost Cam Clark to injury; Mike Davis and Dustin Eglestad were both trying to play though [injuries] but were just not as effective as Friday night. We battled hard, but struggled with our shooting from the floor” comments coach Love.

The Eagles’ teams will rest up this week and begin preparations for their third weekend of league play against the Columbia Bible College Bearcats this upcoming Friday and Saturday nights.

August 14, 2009

Kwantlen Eagles Men's Basketball Practices Begin

The Eagles men's basketball team will be having open tryouts for the 2009-2010 season on the dates below. Please contact head coach Bernie Love (coach_love@hotmail.com) if you are planning to attend.


MEN'S BASKETBALL OPEN TRAINING SESSIONS
Date Time Location
September 9th      7:00pm - 9:00pm     Kwantlen Gymnasium (12666 72nd Ave.)
Surrey

May 11, 2009

Eagles Sign New Recruit

(SURREY, B.C.) The Department of Athletics and Recreation is pleased to announce that James Bradshaw (Delta) has committed to the men's basketball team for the 2009-2010 season.

James Bradshaw Bradshaw, a 6'2 guard from Seaquam Secondary in Delta.  He was named a Fraser Valley West 1st Team All-Star.

April 20, 2009

Eagles Sign Two Promising Recruits

(SURREY, B.C.) - The Department of Athletics and Recreation is pleased to announce that Dustin Egelstad (Delta) and Ali Bosir (Surrey) have committed to the men's basketball team for the 2009-2010 season.  

Dustin Egelstad-Recruit

Egelstad is a 6'4 wing from Seaquam Secondary in Delta.  He averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds during the 2009 AAA provincial tournament. "Dustin has demonstrated the ability and skill set to play at this level and I'm expecting him to step in and contribute big minutes immediately." states Men's Coach Bernie Love "Dustin can definitely be an impact player in the BCCAA"

Ali Bosir-Recruit

Bosir is a 6'4 forward from Princess Margaret in Surrey.  He was named as tournament MVP and 1st team All-Star for the 2009 Kwantlen Senior Boys High School tournament.  Ali is extremely athletic has the innate ability to rebound the ball at both ends of the floor.

April 1, 2009

Eagles basketball to hold talent identification sessions

Kwantlen men’s basketball is holding two talent identification sessions for 2009-2010 university prospects on Tuesday, April 28th and Thursday, April 30th at the Surrey Campus gymnasium (12666 72 Ave).


Kevin Kokoska_6Session one - Open
Tuesday, April 28th
6:00pm until 10:00pm
Cost: $15.00 per athlete
Payment due upon arrival.

Session two - Invitation only
Thursday, April 30th
6:00pm until 10:00pm

Please bring a reversible jersey, or a light and dark shirt and waterbottle. Sign up (between 5:30pm and 6:00pm p.m. on April 28th).

To find out more information, contact:

Head Coach Bernie Love
coach_love@hotmail.com
 

March 10, 2009

Eagles Fall In First Round of BCCAA Playoffs

Omid Davani 2(Surrey, BC) – For the Eagles men’s basketball team, their season came down to down to the deficit that they could never overcome, as they fell to the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) Timberwolves 78-72 in the first round of the British Columbia Colleges’ Athletic Association (BCCAA) playoffs last Thursday night.

Making their first appearance in the BCCAA playoffs since 2004, the Eagles appeared to be nervous when the game started. The Eagles fell behind 10-0 to the Timberwolves and were down by 16 points at half time. “I thought we were nervous coming out at the start” said head coach Bernie Love. “We weren't playing as a team and the guys were trying to do too much on their own.”

While the Eagles were able to contain BCCAA All-Star Inderbir Gill of the Timberwolves, they were unable to keep the Timberwolves off the offensive boards. “UNBC big men were very athletic and they really crashed the boards hard. We didn’t box out and lost focus at that end of the floor and it hurt us” said Love.

After some half time adjustments, the Eagles outscored the Timberwolves in the second half and were able to close the gap to 73-72 with a couple of minutes remaining. “We talked about stepping up our effort defensively” said coach Love. “We also switched our defense since we were having trouble stopping their players from penetrating. I really thought that is what gave us the chance to get back in the game.”

The Eagles were led by Omid Davani (Port Coquitlam), who scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Nick Lafleur (Maple Ridge), who scored 14 points and had seven assists. Reflecting on the season, coach Love seemed pleased with the team. “I’m very happy with the season as a whole. Re-building a program and getting into the playoffs in only two years says a lot about the effort of the guys. The program is definitely heading in the right direction but we need to add a few more pieces before we can compete for the top spot in the BCCAA.”

For complete championship results, visit www.bccaa.ca