Men's Weekend Recap: Levi's Homecoming

Levi Van Egdom, formerly CBC's top three-point option, returned to Abbotsford for the first time since transferring to VIU.

The Mariners thanked the Bearcats for their charitable donation the only way they know how.

 Kicking their teeth in on their home court.

Friday - VIU 106, CBC 67

The first quarter, much like the women's game just a few hours before, was tense. A three-point shot from Camden MacDougall forced VIU to call an early timeout, but after a quick pep talk from Matt Kuzminski, the Mariners offense kicked into overdrive.

After a 13-2 run to end the quarter, the Mariners never looked back. They hit the century mark for the second game in a row and cruised to a third straight victory, despite a pity basket for David Magak as time expired.

Though Levi put up a respectable 7-5-2 statline while adding three steals, he wasn't the only transfer to ball out. Ekman Sohal threw his hat into the PACWEST MVP wing, scoring a career-high 30(!) points while adding five rebounds, four steals, and a block.

Kye Kotapski-Tinga continues to shine in his second season with the Mariners, adding 21 more points to go with four rebounds and a steal.

How about another outstanding performance? Winston Cole looked stellar in his Mariners debut, scoring 19 points while swinging the rock six times.

The next highest scoring Mariner was Ty Cyr with eight, but that's understandable given Ekman's career night.

CBC, not one to be left out, added their own guard into the mix. Dane-Dre Anglin put another statement on his breakout season with the Bearcats, scoring 21 points, while D'Andre Palmer-Ormsby added 16 of his own.

Saturday - VIU 101, CBC 78

This game was more of the same.

Camden MacDougall leading the Bearcats to an early lead? Check.

VIU's offense tying the game almost immediately afterward? Check.

VIU hitting the century mark for the third game in a row? Check.

That being said, it wasn't a complete blowout. CBC only trailed by one at the half, and even held a lead over halfway through the third quarter, but an and-one layup from Ryan Bastian ensured that would be the last lead CBC held that day.

Scoring for VIU was a much more even affair this time. Seven of VIU's eight players, including their entire starting lineup, scored at least 10 points, with Kai Leighton leading the way with 20.

Markus Modrovic, clearly inspired by Kiayra Hohlweg's performance the game before, became the chairman of the boards, pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Bearcats also flexed their depth. Dane-Dre Anglin scored a modest 14 points, passing the baton to his new teammate, Daylen Webb, who tallied a game-high 22 points while adding 11 rebounds for good measure. Clive Adams and Camden MacDougall combined for 11 assists, while Lakeeb Hughes recorded three blocks.

The Mariners head home for the first time next week, taking on the Langara Falcons on November 1st and 2nd.

Women's Weekend Recap: Anarchy in Abbotsford

VIU and CBC, especially on the women's side, have a lot of recent history. Their fierce battle in last year's PACWEST gold match combined with more sinister off-court controversy has led to games between these two becoming must-watch TV.

Friday - VIU 55, CBC 47

This game was a textbook slugfest. Every made basket felt like a cannon shot in the hostile confines of Abbotsford.

In the beginning, Hyewon Hwang made her presence known, scoring six of CBC's 14 points and leaving VIU in a ten-point hole. The CBC crowd, cowbells and all, echoed throughout the walls.

However, a 14-3 run spearheaded by Kaia Simpson thrusted the Mariners back into the game as the Bearcats watched their lead crumble to two at the half.

Both teams remained even in the third quarter, but a buzzer-beating three from Allison Bentley put the Mariners up 43-34 with a quarter to play, a lead they would never relinquish.

Despite an early trio of free throws from Kendal Dueck, the Mariners pulled away to secure an extremely cathartic 55-47 win.

Through the first three games of the season, VIU's scoring has mostly been carried by one or two players, but the specific players rotate on a by-game basis. Tonight, it was Trista Thorn and Kaia Simpson's turn to pop off, with the two combining for 23 points and seven rebounds.

The star of the show for CBC was Kendal Dueck, who scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, but committed four personal fouls.

Saturday - VIU 55, CBC 60

VIU's dream of an undefeated season has come to an early end.

Similar to last night, both teams played equally throughout the first three quarters, but CBC did just enough to keep the Mariners away. The Mariners, despite valiant efforts in the second and third quarters, didn't hold a lead past the first three minutes. With today's win, the Bearcats have now won games against every PACWEST team.

Four different Bearcats reached double figures, including the game's leading scorer, Julie Dueck, who scored 14 points and added 5 rebounds. Kagari Tomita and Hyewon Hwang combined for 21 more points, while AJ Sobotta added ten more off the bench.

Kiayra Hohlweg can take solace in an outstanding individual effort. She registered a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double, while Trista Thorn added 12 points of her own.

The Mariners will open their homestand next week, when they welcome the Langara Falcons to town.

Women's Weekend Recap: Mariners Begin Title Defense

PACWEST scores take time to update, so some stats may not reflect the actual game. Please keep that in mind. Corrections will be made if needed.

Friday - VIU 77, Okanagan 61

Many Mariners fans made the trek up to the interior to cheer on the ladies in black, and were treated to a surprisingly close affair between the toast of the conference and a Coyotes team eager to recapture their 2022 magic.

Mackenzie Cox and Allison Bentley tied for the team lead in points with thirteen, with the former also adding 6 rebounds. Kiayra Hohlweg also chipped in as a midrange threat, adding eleven points off the bench, while Sammy Shields earned a quartet of assists to go with nine points, a steal, and block.

The rest of VIU's lineup didn't contribute much in comparison. Rachel Labrador led all other Mariners in scoring with eight points, while Kaia Simpson and Aysia Kumar chipped in with six and five respectively.

Saturday - VIU 93, Okanagan 54

This one wasn't particularly close. The Mariners took a 15-3 lead halfway through the first quarter and never looked back.

Scoring was mostly a three-pronged effort for VIU. Sammy Shields, Annabelle Neufeld, and Aysia Kumar combined for forty-eight points, with Shields adding eight rebounds and Emily Sprott tacking on eight assists for good measure.

Despite a spectacular performance from Antonella Luraghi, who scored a game-high twenty-one points while pulling down eight rebounds, no other Coyote managed more than nine.

VIU has one more weekend before their home opener, heading down to Abbotsford next week for a long-awaited rematch with the defending national champion CBC Bearcats.

Men's Weekend Recap: Business As Usual In Penticton

Friday - VIU 112, Okanagan 72

I had doubts about the Mariners going into this game. They still lack a conventional big man for the time being, and Okanagan's post-heavy offense looked ready to pull off a miracle.

It's safe to say my fears were a touch overblown.

VIU opened their season just as they did the last, with a blowout victory over the conference's punchline.

The hero for the Mariners tonight was Kye Kotapski-Tinga. In only his second career start, the Comox native scored a game-high twenty-eight points and six assists. Two other Mariners, Kai Leighton and rookie Ty Cyr reached the twenty-point threshold, with fellow offseason acquisition Ekman Sohal coming just shy with nineteen while adding four rebounds, two assists, and VIU's lone steal.

This is not to say that Okanagan laid down to die; they fought valiantly in front of their home crowd. Noah Steingart and Phil Holmes combined for thirty-one points, while Ryan Dekleva dished the rock five times and Trevon Roots made an early case for Defensive Player of the Year with four boards and a block.

Okanagan's depth also showed promise, with all but two of their players recording at least two points. Unfortunately for the Coyotes, VIU had similar depth, with every player scoring at least four points.

Saturday - VIU 100, Okanagan 66

Don't call it a comeback.

Facing a nine-point deficit deep in the first quarter, things looked bleak for VIU. A raucous home crowd fueled the Coyotes as they made shot after shot and hounded the Mariners in the paint, but it was all VIU in the latter three, as Okanagan couldn't stop VIU's constant perimeter assault.

Ekman Sohal was the star of the show, scoring a game-high twenty-two points on 100% shooting while hitting four of his six free throws, grabbing 6 rebounds, and adding an assist and a block. Kai Leighton recorded a game-high six assists, tying with Coyotes point guard Ryan Dekleva in that category.

The Coyotes once again showed that they're not a team to be taken lightly, especially in the interior. Trevon Roots strengthened his DPOY bid with nine rebounds and three blocks, while Ryan Dekleva, Inder Deol, and Noah Steingart combined for fourty-seven of Okanagan's points.

The Mariners head back down the Coquihalla next week to take on the CBC Bearcats in Levi Van Egdom's return to Abbotsford.

Mariners Roster Breakdown: Women's

Chloe Scaber (3) navigates through the Saint-Jean defense in the 2023 CCAA national championship.

The Mariners are hungry for another national title after an emotional 2024-25 season that saw them thrust into national news before the first semester had finished.

In stark contrast to their male compatriots, the ladies boast one of the youngest rosters by average age in the PACWEST. Better still, due to their ties to the mid-island area, many of them look to don the blue and white for years to come.

As is tradition for a Tony Bryce-coached team, defense will be VIU's main calling card this season. The by-committee approach worked wonders for the Mariners last season, as their league-best defense guided them to their seventh PACWEST gold medal last season.

With teams like CBC and Douglas looking to assert themselves in the upper tier of the province, the Mariners hit the open market and scooped up every high school senior they could find on the island.

Fifth-year guard Mackenzie Cox remains the quarterback of VIU's perimeter offense. She has a wide array of friends in the backcourt, ranging from the trigger-happy Allison Bentley to crafty veteran Sammy Shields. Emily Sprott, recruited as a combo guard, will likely see some minutes at small forward.

The forward room took a major hit in the offseason by losing former CCAA MVP Harriette Mackenzie. While Kiayra Hohlweg and Kaia Simpson remain, the battle for starting centre is still a contentious one. Courtenay native Katie Hartig is the most likely candidate, but she'll compete with the job for Annabelle Neufeld. Even so, expect to see VIU utilize a 3-guard lineup most nights, especially in the early stages of the season.

The defense, especially in the backcourt, is where an already talented part of VIU's roster becomes even more dangerous. Third-year guard Trista Thorn continues to etch out a niche as one of the conference's elite ball hawks, averaging 1.8 steals per game last season.

Imaan Lali, set to return from a knee injury that sidelined her for all of last season, will have to guard some of the conference's best players in Kagari Tomita and Barcha Hnizdilova. Mikella Campanile and Aysia Kumar fill a similar mold of being two-way guards capable of min-maxing opponents' points and their own. Given how valuable 3-and-D players are in the basketball ecosystem, having a surplus in that category is a good problem to have.

Finally, Sarah Cook comes over from the other side of the I-5, is capable of playing nearly any position, ensuring a constant rotation of bodies across the court.

Don't let VIU's youth fool you. The Mariners remain the team to beat in the conference, and will begin their title defense tomorrow night in Penticton. 

Mariners Hire Chris Marsh

 Death, taxes, and the Mariners continually lording over their little brother to the south.

This time, rather than taking victory on the court, they took a pound of flesh from their coaching ranks.

Chris Marsh had spent the prior three seasons on Geoff Pippus' staff at Camosun, where he helped turn the Chargers into one of the top defensive teams in the country. He specialized in player development, sculpting players like Jaime Palamos-Molins and Jon Martens into keystones of the team.

He began his playing career as a forward at Malaspina University-College (which later became VIU), playing for head coach Mark Simpson. Though the Mariners were far removed from the national championship team of 1994, Marsh was not a reason why.

After transferring, he became a standout forward at the University of Victoria, averaging over 17.1 points per game across his two seasons with the Vikes which saw him finish with the fourth-best point average in Vikes history. Upon leaving the Vikes, he would enjoy a brief career overseas, playing primarily in France with Longwy-Rehon BC in the NM1.

Marsh would host several youth camps upon his retirement, and was hired by the Chargers in 2022. When Geoff Pippus left for Alberta, Marsh was not retained by interim head coach Jake Wilmott.

Marsh is expected to serve as an additional development coach with the Mariners, where he will work more with the team's forwards, giving fellow development coach Jacob Thom more time to work with VIU's guard room.

Marsh's first chance at redemption against his old team comes on November 28th, when the Mariners host the Chargers on Rogers TV.

Mariners Roster Breakdown: Men's

 

Harry Fayle (5), Cameron Gay (8), and Jerod Dorby (12) celebrate a play during their CCAA national championship run in 2019 (Langley, BC).

With most rosters recently finalized and the PACWEST season fast approaching, the Mariners are gearing up for a national championship run on their home court. Not only does it mark the first time the CCAA men's basketball national championship will be hosted on Vancouver Island, but the Mariners look to become the first team to win national gold on their home court since SAIT in 2023.

Here are the horses that will lead them into battle for the 2025-26 campaign.

#2 - Levi Van Egdom

VIU and quick-shot guards. Name a more iconic duo.

The latest in a long line of sharpshooters, Levi Van Egdom transfers to the Mariners after spending the previous three seasons at Columbia Bible College. He was a career 33% from beyond the line as a Bearcat, and is the incumbent holder of CBC's President's Award for academic and athletic excellence.

He is expected to become VIU's three-point specialist, and has added an arsenal of off-ball cuts to fit better with VIU's motion offense.

#3 - Winston Cole

Touted as one of the strongest defenders in American JUCO during his time at Tacoma Community College, Winston Cole looks to immediately slot into a starting role.

Cole's greatest strength is his versatility: While primarily a guard, he played as a small forward while at Florida Memorial. Strong on offense and defense, he will star in a Mariners backcourt that looks to be among the strongest in the country.

With Damein Coleman out of the conference, Cole is among the favorites to win DPOY this year, and could be a dark horse for MVP.

#4 - Kye Kotapski-Tinga

A former U Sports national champion with St. Francis Xavier, Kye Kotapski-Tinga enters the season with a renewed confidence and a bleached buzz cut to match.

His magnum opus last season came against the CBC Bearcats, where he came off the bench and exploded for a game-high 28 points to help the Mariners clinch a playoff spot.

His role as a sparkplug off the bench

#5 - Ekman Sohal

A former member of the All-Rookie team in 2023, Ekman Sohal hasn't seen the court since 2024. As a Mariner, the 6'7 forward looks to be a versatile scorer in an offense that emphasizes motion above all else.

His stats with the Royals were drool-worthy: 16 points per game on 50% shooting to go with 8 rebounds per game is something to plan around. Sohal adds another wrinkle to a VIU offense rich with lethal scorers from every spot on the court.

#6 - Ryan Bastian

Ryan Bastian's career has been one of consistency. Since joining the team in 2022, Bastian has matured into the leader of VIU's backcourt and a reliable defender, setting a career high in rebounds per game last season.

He looks to take on a similar role this season, even being rewarded with a new backcourt partner in Winston Cole to shut down opposing shooters. Expect to see a 13-8-6 stat line next to his name many times.

#7 - Ty Cyr

Ty was a big piece in VIU's last recruiting cycle, but chose to attend prep school.

In his first year of college eligibility, Cyr is the lone rookie on a Mariners team filled with veterans. While a starting role is not likely, Cyr should see heavy minutes off the bench, and is expected to play a big part in VIU's future.

#8 - Markus Modrovic

The former Belmont Bulldog has been the anchor of VIU's defense for almost as long as he's been in Nanaimo.

Last season saw the Victoria native add more offense to his wheelhouse. In addition to a career-high 6.9 point average, he remained a steady presence on the boards while providing a slight uptick in steals across all 24 games he played, 20 of which were starts.

#10 - Kai Leighton

VIU's frontcourt leader for most of the decade is gearing up for one last ride.

Last year, Leighton was the centerpiece of VIU's five-out motion offense, averaging 11.6 points per game while leading the team in rebounds and being named a First Team All-Star. Without the shackles of grad credits weighing him down, the former Charles Hays Rainmaker looks to command similar acclaim in his last hurrah.

#15 - Rylan Adams

Adams is the biggest mystery box on the Mariners this season. After a sheltered rookie campaign that saw him show flashes of his potential, Adams looks to stake a claim in a strong VIU backcourt.

He faces heavy competition from the likes of Bastian, Cole, and Van Egdom, but as Matt Kuzminski can attest, a saturated guard room is a good problem to have. I'm excited to see what he can do.

#24 - Breandan McLaughlin

One of VIU's lone true centers is expected to make his return this year, after being sidelined for the entire 2024-25 season with a torn ACL.

In his first season, McLaughlin was primarily used as a backup centre behind American big Adam Anhold. This year, he looks to slot in as VIU's foremost post presence, giving them a paint dweller that they sorely lacked last season.

That being said, ACLs take a long time to heal fully. McLaughlin will likely not be ready immediately, but should be back to normal by January at the latest.