During the US Memorial Day weekend, the Vancouver Strathcona Basketball Club (VSBC) sent three teams to Dallas to compete in the 36th Annual North American Chinese Basketball Invitational Tournament (NACBAIT).
This is North America’s largest Chinese basketball tournament with 73 teams participating in nine divisions.
The men’s team, who last won in 2013, took the title this year by beating Toronto Huskies in the finals by 30 points.
The U18 girls repeated as champions, running past New York Rockets in the finals by 28 points, ending with a 5-0 record. The women’s team placed second losing a close and intense game to the Texas host team.
The VSBC’s program success is a testament to the skill level of the players, being able to compete and succeed against their North American counterparts in a fast-paced 36 minute running game time.
Many of these players first started with the Strathcona Community Center children’s basketball program; then continue playing in high school, and being selected on Basketball BC's provincial teams and other renowned club basketball teams. A number of players continue their careers at the post-secondary level or recreational leagues.
For the U18 girls’, not only can they play basketball, four out of the five recipients of the Rotary Club-Sunrise scholarships handed out at the recent Hoop-a-Thon are from this team. The Rotary Club-Sunrise help raise funds to support the Strathcona Community Center Basketball program and generously provide these scholarships to graduating students who not only excel academically, but within their community. An example, is one of the players’ was named a tournament all-star in Dallas but is also the founder and co-chaired the Ted-X Youth conference (FOCUS) recently held in Vancouver.
Some recognizable names from the women’s and men’s teams are former high school and university players including: Jenifer Ju (Britannia, Thompson Rivers University); Jesseca Eng (York House, Langara College); Cherub Lum( York ,UBC); Tommy Nixon (Kitsilano, UBC); and James Lum (Tupper, SFU). On the U18 Girls’ team, coached by Jennifer Eng (Churchill) and Mitra Tshan (Britannia), players that played in the Senior Girls 2016 BC High School Provincials Tournament were: Grade 12’s Cecilia Bao, (Churchill) Julian Duong, Jeanne D’Arc Le and Christina Hoang; Grade 11 Jen Hoang; Grade 10 Lucy Guan (Britannia); and Grade 9 Alexis Fong (LFA).
