What first started in 2007 as a beach festival has quickly turned into one of the hottest summer events in all of Western Canada.  Set on the beaches of Kelowna, BC, the Centre Of Gravity festival kicked off as a weekend filled with wakeboarding, beach volleyball, freestyle bmx and mountain biking, not to mention the party life (concerts, dj competitions and bikini contests); like a bag of Skittles, flavors for everyone!  One year later, the COG added in a 3 on 3 basketball tournament that has quickly grown into a 4 on 4 format and has joined the list of dates to circle on the Canadian summer basketball calendars.

Read More »

She may have grown up only a couple hours away in Seattle, but for most roundball fans in Vancouver, the name Lindsey Wilson was completely foreign, until two years ago. Invited by Richmond’s own Breanne Watson, an alumni of the Washington Huskies women’s basketball program, Wilson has reigned over the Dolphin Basketball Classic women’s division for the past two years and doesn’t look to be relinquishing her throne any time soon. Read More »

When you think of the Dolphin Basketball Classic, laid back summer verses from the Dove Shack and Fresh Prince (back when Jeffery Townes was his sidekick) seem to fit the bill perfectly as the annual basketball tradition brings the community party vibe to the city of Richmond each July.  However this year, Mother Nature did her best to shut down the 26th year of the tournament as the liquid sunshine pelted down on the courts at Thompson Park courts.  Though like any good event, the show must push on, and with the help of players, volunteers, tournament committee members and fans, the games continued without missing a beat, as they moved to the gyms of Thompson Community Centre.  When all was said and done, and the clouds cleared way, a pair of back to back champions were crowned as the X-Falcons and Border Patrol walked away with the title of DBC’s best for the second straight year.

Read More »

This is a story about my dislike for Grant Hill the basketball player and my admiration for Grant Hill the person. Let me start off by stating that I detest Duke basketball and everything and everyone associated with the Blue Devils. I have hated them since the early 90’s when their arrogant behinds halted a Runnin’ Rebels back to back attempt and then followed that up with a beatdown of the Michigan Wolverines “Fab Five” two years later. Amongst the list of public enemy number one: Christian Lattner, Cherokee Parks, Wojo, Bobby Hurley and….Grant Hill.

Read More »

One year after capturing the CIS Championship (Canadian University, Saskatchewan Huskies), Showron Glover, born and raised in Fresno State, packed his ball and kicks looking to take the next step towards his achieving his dream as the next step in his hoop journey found him across waters, this time joining BC Boncourt of the LNA Swiss League.  While team success did not immediately followed Glover, experiencing a 83-51 loss in his first game, Glover did lead his team with 18 points in thirty four minutes of action.

Read More »

This past weekend, the two game mini series featuring the UBC Thunderbirds and the TrinityWestern Spartans welcomed a number of compelling stories that will no doubt have an impact on the Canada West standings and quite possibly an indication of one of the participants in the CIS Championships in March.  With two highly touted bench bosses in search of their first CIS ring, UBC’ s Kevin Hanson (2 CCAA Championships with Langara College) and TWU’s Scott Allen (3 BC High School Championships with White Rock Christian Academy) have without a doubt, made sure that their respective teams realize the importance of this weekend regardless of the outcome. Read More »

Despite the weather network’s constant forecast for a rainy weekend, it was anything but for the 2nd Annual Kitsfest Tournament last Friday through Sunday.  With an increase in the level of competition from the inaugural run last year, it was not a matter of when the upsets would happen, but more a matter of whom it would happen to.  While the youth divisions took over the early portion of the schedule, the mens squads held court in the afternoon and evening, starting with a battle between last years runner up, Molson’s and Victory ( aka “Vancouver Metro” squad from the Dolphin Basketball Classic).  Falling short on Friday night left the Molson’s crew out of contention for the Kitsfest title, as the final four teams were taken from the leaders in each of the four round robin pools, which in short means “win or go home”!

Read More »

This past weekend Centrecourt hosted its sixth annual summer run, HOOPFEST TWENTY TEN and it was an event of many firsts.  After five years of calling Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary home, the tournament moved on up like George and Weezy to the penthouse that is the Langley Events Centre.  Running twenty four games over the course of two days on two courts, HOOPFEST TWENTY TEN welcomed ten teams and a combination of over three hundred people through the doors during the hot August weekend. Read More »