Plenty of Richmond talent on and off the floor were recognized at Basketball B.C.'s 2014 Hall of Fame and Awards Gala at the Langley Events Centre.
The event, which featured over 200 guests, recognized outstanding achievement in this year's basketball season as well as special recognition awards and B.C. Hall of Fame inductions.
The honours continued to pour in for the Langara Falcons men's basketball team which was fresh off winning the national championship. The Falcons earned the Team of the Year Award while Brody Greig and Paul Eberhardt were also recognized.
Greig was named the Outstanding Male College Player, adding to his multiple individual honours from a memorable 2013-14 campaign. Last month, the McMath graduate was named the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association's Athlete of the Year for all sports. The 24-year-old also was MVP of both the national and provincial championships.
It was also a tremendous year for Eberhardt, who not only guided to the Falcons to national glory but took the RC Palmer Griffins to the final four of the B.C. AA championships. Palmer also captured its eighth straight Richmond title, all with Eberhardt at the helm.
If Greig was a easy choice for top collegiate male player then so was Phil Scrubb for Outstanding Male University Player.
The Carleton Ravens standout became the first three-time MVP recipient in the history of the CIS national men's basketball championships. Earlier this month, the Vancouver College graduate also named CIS Male Athlete of the Year at the 22nd BLG Awards in Calgary.
Also recognized by Basketball B.C. was Anne Gillrie-Carre with the Mary Campbell Award for women in coaching.
Gillrie-Carre has been coaching for over 40 years, with the majority of that time in Richmond. She enjoyed tremendous success at Steveston secondary back in the 1980s and is now guiding a talented group at McMath.
"Tonight is a celebration of excellence," said Diana Chan, President of Basketball BC. "For those that have achieved success over the last year and those who have made significant contributions to basketball in BC as coaches, athletes, officials and builders, many of which have showcased their talent on the national and international stage."
She also touched on the behind the scenes component of the sport saying, "As we all know, volunteers are the backbone of the Canadian sport system from coaches to drivers, concession minders, raffle ticket sellers, gym floor sweepers, bottle fillers, last minute equipment replacers and cheerleaders. A simple thank you does not seem enough."
