Men's Weekend Recap: Exorcism

This weekend marks the first time the Mariners have visited North Vancouver since last year's gold match. If the Blues want to pick up another victory against VIU, they'll have to do it without star point guard Peter Li.

Friday - VIU 94, Capilano 80

The Mariners started out the game by hitting three of their first four shots from beyond the arc, but the Blues came back just as fast to take the lead, going up by as much as eight. An and-one layup from Kye Kotapski-Tinga stopped the bleeding momentarily, but they ended the first quarter still down by eight.

The Mariners have faced these kinds of deficits before. They trailed by double digits against both Langara and Camosun earlier in the season and came back to win both times. Sure enough, they turned a ten-point deficit into a four-point lead in just over four minutes, going into the half up 48-42.

Sukhraj Garcha cut the lead to three early in the third quarter, but an Ekman Sohal corner three gave the Mariners a bit of breathing room. VIU's propensity for turnovers was partially undone by Capilano's surprising inability to finish in the paint. The Blues responded appropriately by shifting their attack to the perimeter, tying the game with a Kash Lang shot. That would be as close as Capilano got to the lead, as the Mariners held serve the rest of the way to secure their sixth straight victory.

This game was mostly a duel between two strong guards. Kash Lang led the Blues with 27 points while Kye Kotapski-Tinga led the game with 28 points off the bench. Keyonte Beals chipped in with 23 of his own, while Kai Leighton, Ekman Sohal, and Winston Cole all eclipsed double digits for VIU.

Sukhraj Garcha continues a strong campaign for the Blues, dropping 16 points and seven rebounds to go with two assists and two steals.

Saturday - VIU 100, Capilano 67

Capilano's injury woes apparently spread to their coaching staff. TJ Klim missed the game for an undisclosed reason, forcing assistant Ross Tomlinson into the spotlight.

With all due respect to the Blues' coaching staff, it went as well as one would expect against the top team in the province.

Though the Blues led by one after the first quarter, they would never lead again. The Mariners rode a fourteen-point third quarter swing to steamroll a shorthanded Capilano unit and secure their nineteenth consecutive playoff birth.

VIU's lopsided victory is made even more impressive by the fact that none of their players hit the 20-point plateau. Their leading scorer was Markus Modrovic, who came off the bench and dropped 18 points and eight rebounds while sprinkling in a steal, an assist, and a block. Winston Cole and Keyonte Beals combined for 32 points, while Kaleb Wilson recorded eight rebounds in the victory.

Zach Klim and Kash Lang were Capilano's only double-digit scorers, recording 19 and 16 points respectively. Klim also added three assists, four rebounds, and two blocks.

After three weeks away from home, the Mariners return in February for their penultimate homestand of the season against the up-and-coming Okanagan Coyotes.

Women's Weekend Recap: Pecking Order

The Mariners can't afford to lose like they did last week. All three of their losses this season have come on the road, and against the top defensive team in the province with second place on the line, it's as intense as a regular season game can be.

Friday - VIU 57, Capilano 45

The Mariners raced out to a 19-point lead halfway through the second quarter, but the Blues fought back to cut the deficit to single digits.

A 33-16 halftime lead was VIU's to cherish, but the job was far from done. A three early in the third quarter galvanized the Capilano crowd, but the Mariners held strong, despite Capilano outplaying them. The top defensive team in the country looked as such, cutting the lead to eight late in the quarter.

With one frame left, their once mighty lead had dwindled to only eight. Their midrange-centric offense proved ineffective against Capilano's mighty forwards, forcing them to resort to three-pointers.

The lead dwindled to six.

Then to three.

The Mariners were dead in the water.

Until they weren't.

VIU rekindled their offensive flame as a late three from Sarah Cook punctuated a VIU victory, securing tiebreaker over Capilano.

Sarah Cook was the only Mariner in double digits, scoring 15 points. Allison Bentley recorded five points and three steals in her first start of the season, while Kaia Simpson grabbed ten rebounds coming off the bench.

Capilano's main culprit was their poor shooting, especially in the first half. As a team, the Blues shot 9-53 from the field.

Yes, you read that right.

Most of their points came from the free throw line, where they shot 23-27. Alexa Kusel led the way for Capilano with 11 points. Lucia Lopez led the game with eight rebounds.

Saturday - VIU 63, Capilano 61

After Friday's affair, things couldn't get much uglier.

Capilano raced out to an early lead but the Mariners rediscovered their clutch gene in the second quarter to enter halftime up 41-34.

They lost it just as quickly, ceding the lead to Capilano in the third quarter before taking it back on a late layup from Mackenzie Cox.

Both teams traded shots for most of the fourth quarter, but the Mariners started to pull away at the end. Capilano never let them rest, always keeping it within a basket or less.

Two clutch free throws from Cox put the Mariners up by two with eighty-three seconds left, and they had a chance to ice it with eight seconds left, but Kiayra Hohlweg had a layup blocked by Barcha Hnizdilova. She passed it to Mia Parkin, who hoisted a shot at the buzzer that clanged off the front of the rim. Given that she shot with four seconds left, I'm confused as to why Capilano didn't try to force overtime or find a better shot.

Furthermore, with Okanagan's loss to CBC the day prior, the Mariners secured their nineteenth consecutive playoff berth; the longest active streak in the PACWEST dating back to the Bill McWhinnie era.

Trista Thorn posted her first double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and adding ten rebounds.

Barcha Hnizdilova led all players in points and rebounds with 18 and 11 respectively, also securing a double-double despite the loss. Maddy Coffin came one point shy of the achievement, scoring nine points to go with her ten boards.

The playoff-bound Mariners return home next week to face the Okanagan Coyotes in their penultimate home set of the season.

Men's Weekend Recap: Show Me Ya Moves!

This weekend tilt marks the first time these two teams have met since VIU's home opener, which still stands as the only overtime game this season. Can the Falcons go the distance again?

Friday - VIU 107, Langara 97

For some reason, the livestream stopped in the middle of warmups. If it brings any consolation, Markus Modrovic returned to the lineup, which Mariners fans won't complain about. They kept the lineup changes coming with another big move: Kye Kotapski-Tinga, VIU's leading scorer for much of the first semester, was moved to the bench to make room for Keyonte Beals as the starting shooting guard.

Langara also added a new face to their lineup: Vincent Guerina made his PACWEST debut after spending 2023-24 with the Douglas Royals.

Both teams traded threes in the middle of the first quarter, but the Mariners started to pull away after six straight points from Kye Kotapski-Tinga.

A three point lead isn't much, especially for two strong shooting teams like VIU and Langara, meaning the defense would have to be the difference maker for both teams. The second quarter was more of the same: Langara's offense is good, but VIU goes blow for blow with them and increases their lead. Keyonte Beals and Kye Kotapski-Tinga combined for 30 points before the end of the second quarter.

The third quarter was all VIU, punctuated by a Kai Leighton three at the buzzer. The fourth quarter saw Langara score seven straight points and even get the lead down to four points, but another Kai Leighton three looked to seal the deal. The Falcons still wouldn't go away, keeping it within three for uncomfortably long stretches.

The Mariners struggled to get their offensive mojo back as visions of their 14-point meltdown against Douglas danced through their collective minds. Thankfully, Kai Leighton put the team on his back as the Mariners barely got out of Vancouver with a win.

VIU had three players reach the 20-point plateau: Keyonte Beals had 25, Kye Kotapski-Tinga had 22, and Kai Leighton had 20. Leighton's performance was noteworthy, as 13 of those points came in the fourth quarter alone. Ryan Bastian and Winston Cole added 17 and 15 points on top of that.

Langara's offense continues to turn heads: Patrick Robinson's 24 points led the Falcons with James Zongo riding shotgun with 21. Luka Subotic and Vincent Guerina both looked comfortable running the point, combining for 14 points and ten assists. Aaron Ungprasert had a rather pedestrian performance compared to his November heroics, posting nine points, five rebounds, and a block before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

Saturday - VIU 92, Langara 69

Much like their last meeting, Friday's fireworks gave way to Saturday's box-standard VIU win. Langara's lone first half highlight was a buzzer beating layup from Brahm Nair.

From there, the Mariners never looked back. Though the Falcons kept up offensively, the lead was too large to overcome as VIU won their fifth straight game in convincing fashion.

Winston Cole had 16 points at the half and finished with 17 on the day. Keyonte Beals led all scorers with 19 points while Levi Van Egdom recorded 10 points, his first time reaching that mark since November 15th. Ryan Bastian recorded a career-high 19 rebounds in the win while adding three points.

Langara's offense ran through the usual suspects. Aaron Ungprasert led the Falcons with 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Edrielle Asirit, Patrick Robinson, and Nixon Owusu combined for 35 points.

The Mariners return to the Lower Mainland next week to face their old friend Peter Li and the Capilano Blues.

Women's Weekend Recap: Falc Smash

The Mariners have a lot to thank Langara for after defeating the Royals last week. So much so, in fact, that they flew to Vancouver to personally thank the Falcons themselves.

Friday - VIU 49, Langara 66

Imaan Lali's PACWEST debut certainly could've gone a lot better.

The first quarter looked grim for VIU. They trailed by as much as thirteen, but a late layup from Kiayra Hohlweg cut the deficit to eleven. They went the whole quarter without hitting a single three, only converting four of their seventeen shots.

Sammy Shields hit a three early in the second quarter, but couldn't muster much else against Langara's full court press. Neither team shot the ball particularly well for most of the quarter, but the Mariners started to heat up in the second half. It wasn't enough to tie the game or take the lead, but being down by three after the first half is easier to stomach than being down by thirteen.

Both teams went over half the third quarter without scoring points, but a Nadia Singh midrange put the Falcons up five. A 14-4 run by Langara added insult to a slew of VIU miscues, including a technical foul and eight unforced turnovers.

Down by nine going into the fourth, the Mariners ran out of gas and suffered their third loss of the season in a game they desperately needed to win.

Reegan Bond led all scorers with 13 points, while adding nine rebounds and an assist. Avaani Pagely and Nadia Singh added 12 points each, while Katelyn Lafleur led the game in steals with three.

VIU's leading scorer was Kaia Simpson, who finished with eight points. This game marks the first time that VIU hasn't had a single double-digit scorer this season.

Saturday - VIU 49, Langara 46

This game had no right being as close as it was. Due to IT difficulties on Langara's campus, the game wasn't even streamed.

The Mariners grabbed their first lead of the weekend early in the first quarter, but the Falcons tied it up at the half thanks to strong defense and VIU leaving their shooting form in Nanaimo.

Langara began to pull away in the third quarter, but VIU rubberbanded to take a one point lead with one quarter to play. Though they started strong, the Falcons slowly chipped away at the lead. A late missed shot and foul sent Kiayra Hohlweg to the line with three seconds left with the Mariners up by three, where she could put the game in the box.

She missed both shots.

Out of the timeout, Nyssa Sunner had a chance to force overtime, but missed as time expired, vindicating Hohlweg's earlier mistake as the Mariners escape Vancouver with a split.

Hohlweg continues a trend of posting double-doubles in close games, dropping 13 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. Trista Thorn wasn't far behind with 11 points and seven rebounds, but no other Mariner eclipsed double digits.

Langara's offense was similarly frontloaded. Nadia Singh and Katelyn Lafleur combined for 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Reegan Bond added eight off the bench.

If VIU wants to repeat as PACWEST champions, they need to get their act together and fast. Langara showed that the Mariners are unprepared for full court pressure, which teams will undoubtedly zero in on when the playoffs roll around.

The Mariners still have two games in hand over Douglas, but they still have to win their remaining games. Capilano awaits them next week.

Re: Laura Gover

This is going to be hard to properly articulate.

Earlier this week, the community of Vancouver Island University was shaken. Dr. Laura Gover, a professor at both VIU and Camosun College, is no longer with us. She was 41.

Students and faculty alike had nothing but kind things to say about her.

Hundreds of faculty lost a colleague and friend.

Thousands of students, if not more, lost a teacher.

Two girls lost their mother.

A mother lost her daughter.

I hate having to discuss things like this on here, and it feels especially undeserved given that I never directly knew Laura, but a human life is a human life, and none deserve to be taken the way hers was.

From the moment I found out about Laura's death, I knew I wanted to leave something for her, just as many others did. Taped to her door is a poem from Mary Elizabeth Frye, which I will share with you:

Do not stand at my grave and weep 
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

Rest well, Laura. We love you.

Men's Weekend Recap: Turn the Key

Fireworks are on the horizon in Nanaimo. Two of the top offensive teams clashed head-to-head in the first week of the semester.

Friday - VIU 106, CBC 58

It's been a while since the left side of the scoreboard went to triple digits, but new and old faces of the guard rotation helped to get it done.

An early layup from conference assist leader D'Andre Palmer-Ormsby put the Bearcats up 4-3, but a pair of Keyonte Beals layups ensured that CBC would never lead again. VIU's high-powered offense made quick work of CBC's porous defense as the Mariners cruised to an easy victory.

Keyonte Beals led the way for VIU with a game-high 26 points in his first PACWEST start. Five other Mariners reached double digits, including Winston Cole with 19 and Rylan Adams with a career-high 13 points.

It was business as usual for CBC's Dane-Dre Anglin, who scored 21 points, but his efficiency took a noticeable dip. The only other Bearcat to crack double digits was D'Andre Palmer-Ormsby, who scored 14.

Saturday - VIU 105, CBC 59

Imagine Friday's game, but again.

A 31-17 lead after the first quarter would've been a large enough cushion for most teams, but the Mariners aren't the kind of team that coasts to wins.

They go scorched earth.

Every quarter saw someone contribute in a big way for VIU. In the first quarter, it was Keyonte Beals with 11 of his game-high 31 points. In the second, Kaleb Wilson pulled down five rebounds while Beals chipped in seven more points. The third quarter was all Ekman Sohal: He matched CBC's entire lineup point-for-point that quarter, scoring 14 points while adding six rebounds en route to a 25-12 double-double. Finally, Rylan Adams came alive in the fourth, scoring all ten of his points off the bench to secure the victory. Add Ryan Bastian racking up 12 assists, and this is a team that could make noise when March rolls around.

CBC's big three struggled mightily. Dane-Dre Anglin and D'Andre Palmer-Ormsby tied for the team lead with 15 points, but Anglin fouled out early in the fourth quarter. The next closest Bearcat was Mathias Rodriguez with six.

With an early bye ahead of them, the Mariners set their sights on Langara's matchup with Camosun before taking on the Falcons a week later.

Women's Weekend Recap: Too Young To Die

There's no love lost between VIU and CBC. The last time the Bearcats made the trek to Nanaimo, it made national headlines. Will a similar story unfold this time?

Friday - VIU 68, CBC 55

This is the exact kind of game VIU needed coming out of the break.

Few things can galvanize a team like a rivalry match, and VIU pulled out all of the stops in front of a raucous home crowd. Though the Bearcats made it close at the end with a series of intentional fouls, VIU was able to hold on and win their sixth straight.

Better still for VIU, Langara's upset victory over Douglas earlier that day gave the Mariners two games of separation at the top of the PACWEST.

Sammy Shields led all scorers, accounting for 16 points while adding four steals. Kaia Simpson and Kiayra Hohlweg weren't far behind, dropping 13 and 12 respectively.

Kagari Tomita finished with a respectable 11 points, but VIU's stout defense limited her to an uncharacteristic 25% clip. Rather, Julie Dueck led CBC's offense with 13 points, also chipping in five rebounds and a steal.

Saturday - VIU 74, CBC 52

Just like in October, CBC looked to have the upper hand. An and-one layup from Kagari Tomita followed almost immediately by five straight points from AJ Sobotta put the Mariners in an early hole.

After that, the Mariners began as 21-8 run that spanned the rest of the quarter and never looked back. Though they nearly broke even in the second quarter, CBC had nothing left to give after the half. A combined twelve-point swing in the final two quarters gave VIU a secure, if tense, victory, clinching tiebreaker over the Bearcats and giving them crucial ground in the race for a first-round bye.

Six Mariners reached double figures: Sammy Shields, Kiayra Hohlweg, and Sarah Cook finished as the top three scorers with 16, 15, and 14 points respectively. Cook added eight rebounds, while Shields racked up four steals while coming one assist shy of a double-double.

AJ Sobotta put the Bearcats on her back, scoring ten points while playing over three quarters worth of minutes. Kagari Tomita and Kailyn Dieleman finished tied for second on the team with eight points.

The Mariners, winners of seven straight, have an early bye next week, then head back on the road for a set of games against Langara.

Todd Warnick's Mariners: The Highs & Lows of the Early 2000s

Matt Kuzminski's VIU Mariners are everything a CCAA team aspires to be: Dominant on the court, revolutionary off of it. Blessed with six conference titles and two national titles in his tenure alone, it's hard to imagine the Mariners as anything less than the gold standard of the PACWEST.

Fans who were around in the early 2000s don't have to imagine. Not far removed from their contending form in the 1990s, the Mariners (called the Malaspina Mariners at the time) could hardly be described as competitive.

When Mark Simpson stepped down as in 2000, things unraveled. Interim head coach Sharon Hamilton tried her absolute hardest, but couldn't elevate the Mariners to more than two wins. Unsurprisingly, Hamilton didn't return to Malaspina, and the Mariners, sensing an impending rebuild, chose their next head coach accordingly.

Born in Lloydminster and raised in Calgary, Todd Warnick was only 25 years old when he came to the island. The situation he came into was simultaneously the best and worst for a first time head coach. Malaspina featured no returning players from the prior season, so he wouldn't have to deal with rebellion from those who had played under Simpson or Hamilton.

However, most of those players were old enough to be in high school at the same time as him.

Warnick had only just learned how to drive, and Malaspina had given him the keys to a broken down Bugatti.

2001-02

Malaspina's general inexperience showed on opening night, where they fell to the good-but-not-great Kwantlen Eagles 74-95. A rough loss, to be sure, but the foundation for a good team could be there. Lots of champions have gotten off to slow starts; maybe they just need time to gel together.

The Mariners then lost their next twelve games.

It remains the longest streak in team history, punctuated by a 102-57 drubbing against Fraser Valley and a 97-65 loss to a Cariboo lineup that featured current VIU assistant coach Scott Marr.

Their lone win came against the reigning BCCAA silver medalists, the Langara Falcons, in a 70-68 thriller in Langley. The first win of Todd Warnick's career would be the only one that season, as the Mariners finished in the conference's cellar at 1-17.

Malaspina's best scorer that year was Dave Bains, who averaged 17.6 points per game. Eddie Kunderman and Trevor Sihota weren't far behind with 15.6 and 12.1 respectively.

Franjo Crnkovic led them in rebounding, but his 5.8 average was a far cry from the conference's elite.

Djmith Ndiaye led the team in swinging the rock, averaging just under four assists per game, while Sihota and Kunderman were also in the BCCAA's top 25 in that category.

2002-03

The good thing about hitting rock bottom is that there's nowhere to go but up.

Malaspina opened the new season with another road win against Langara, this time by only one point. With wins against two playoff-caliber teams in Capilano, Kwantlen, and UNBC, the future looked bright for the Mariners. At 4-2, especially this early in the season, they could make noise once provincials rolled around.

Unfortunately, the wheels fell off after their hot start and the Mariners lost eight of their last twelve, finishing two games out of the playoffs at 8-10.

Though Malaspina missed the playoffs again, the foundation for success was there, especially with Dave Bains' continued excellence alongside his new wingman, Luke Robinson. The two averaged 16 points per game each while getting help from Andrew Sturgeon and Drew Kuzminski, the latter of whom led the BCCAA in rebounds with 12.2 per game.

2003-04

The 2003 offseason saw the Mariners undergo a similar talent drain, albeit not to the same extent as in Warnick's first year. With both Dave Bains and Luke Robinson out of the picture, Malaspina put their trust in the three-headed monster of Graham Giske, Joseph Moro, and Jordan Kinakin.

Much like 2002, the Mariners finished near the bottom at 4-14, but still finished ahead of the dismal Okanagan Lakers. While their defense was respectable, Malaspina's undoing was their conference-worst offense, barely kept afloat by Graham Giske's 14.3 points per game.

Jordan Kinakin, in addition to being in the top half in scoring, narrowly finished second in rebounds, while Joseph Moro finished fifth in assists.

Malaspina's lack of depth, primarily scoring depth, turned a potential watershed season into just another statistic.

2004-05

The BCCAA was gifted an extra nationals berth for the upcoming tournament in Edmonton, and the Mariners wanted to make it count. In addition to Bains' return, the Mariners had picked up two strong players in point guard Richard Boyland and small forward Jason Hubbs.

A 4-2 start gave reason for optimism, but the Mariners knew not to count their chickens before they hatched. They started 4-2 and missed the playoffs just two seasons ago, and feared a similar result here.

A road victory over Camosun eased Malaspina's worries, but consecutive losses to Langara and Capilano quickly brought them back to reality.

Another loss to Fraser Valley lowered Malaspina's record back to .500, where the Mariners would remain for the bulk of the remaining schedule.

With the BCCAA as tight as it was, the distance between the second place Capilano Blues and the sixth place Malaspina Mariners was only two games. With one game remaining, all the Mariners had to do was beat Capilano to edge out Camosun for the final playoff spot.

They emerged victorious, 89-76, ending the season at 10-8.

For the first time in half a decade, the Mariners were going to the playoffs.

Awaiting them in the first round were the mighty UNBC Timberwolves, led by former Mariner Andrew Sturgeon.

The Mariners didn't care, clawing out a 71-68 victory to advance to the conference semifinals, where they would face the Capilano Blues.

Though Capilano kept it close, the Mariners were undeterred. They won 74-70, punching their ticket to both the conference title game and nationals.

Though they fell to Cariboo in said title game, this was easily the greatest season Malaspina had experienced since the mid-90's. Jason Hubbs led the conference with 23 points per game and was named BCCAA Player of the Year, while Jordan Kinakin continued to dominate the boards and Richard Boyland finished third in assists.

Malaspina's nationals run began with a dud. The powerhouse Humber Hawks dismissed the Mariners in the quarterfinals, forcing them to the bronze bracket with a 79-63 victory. The Mariners took that personally in the bronze quarterfinal matchup against King's College, throttling the Blue Devils 86-64.

A 92-83 win over Vanier set Malaspina up for a bronze medal rematch with Humber, who had been eliminated by Grant MacEwan earlier in the tournament. Though the game was close, the Mariners pulled away for a 69-61 victory, earning their first national medal since winning it all in 1994.

This victory was the exclamation point for a magical season, and what many hoped could be the start of a new era for Malaspina.

2005-06

With conference and national medals in tow, the Mariners opened the 2005-06 season with high expectations, made even higher by hosting that year's BCCAA playoffs. With the departure of Jason Hubbs and many others that offseason, Malaspina turned to Henry Bui to run their offense.

Yet another talent drain left the Mariners weakened, as a 1-5 start doomed any playoff aspirations they might have had. A 6-12 finish was their reward as they were forced to watch Fraser Valley and Camosun battle for the conference crown on their court.

Bui did all he could to lead the skeleton crew, finishing eighth in points per game. Colin Cook and Colin Novak led Malaspina in rebounds and assists respectively, but as had been the case in every even year before then, one issue plagued the Mariners.

They couldn't win on the road, and their home record wasn't good enough to compensate. Their lone win away from home came in a 76-62 shocker at UNBC.

After the season, Todd Warnick received word from his wife that his first child was due. Out of a desire to spend time closer to home with his family, Warnick resigned as Malaspina's head coach, ending his tenure in Nanaimo with a 29-61 record, a conference silver medal, and a national bronze medal.

Where Are They Now?

After his departure from the Mariners, Warnick would shift his focus to women's basketball. First, he took the head coaching job at Concordia University of Edmonton, leading the Thunder to an ACAC title in 2008. He was later hired as the women's basketball coach at NAIT, where he led the Ooks on several provincial and national playoff runs, including a national bronze finish in 2016 and culminating in a national title in 2022, ironically against VIU in Nanaimo. He is currently the head coach at Lakeland.

The Mariners hired Nanaimo native and former Mariner Tony Bryce in the 2006 offseason, where he slowly built the Mariners back up, culminating in a BCCAA title in 2011, their first conference title since 1996. He would also resign in 2012, giving way for the Mariners to hire Matt Kuzminski, and the rest is history.