The Canada West Conference selected UFV to host the 2023-24 Canada West Women’s Basketball Championships from Feb. 21-25, 2024. The Men’s Basketball tournament will be held in Manitoba during the same week.
“We are excited to have the best men’s and women’s teams in the conference converge on a single site and really highlight the calibre of basketball in Canada West,” says Eoin Colquhoun, associate director of sport at Canada West. “There was great interest from across the conference to host both tournaments and we expect that UFV and Manitoba will host two great events.”
UFV went 14-6 last season and was nationally ranked for most of the year. Head coach Al Tuchscherer indicated the program will return every player for the 2023-24 season, including some new signings to bolster their ranks. After a stellar 2022-23 season, Canada West first-team all-star Maddy Gobiel returns to lead the squad.
The Canada West men’s and women’s basketball seasons tip off in October, and all games during the regular season and throughout the playoffs are available live and on-demand on Canada West TV. You can stay up-to-date on the Cascades and Canada West Conference at Canadawest.news/wbb
The championship also kicks off a milestone celebration for UFV, as the institution prepares to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
UFV Athletics is planning to put on a first-class event and welcomes support from the university, the student body, and the surrounding communities.
“Given the great history of high school and club basketball in the Fraser Valley, we plan to invite all ages to experience the excitement of competition in a smaller venue,” says Steve Tuckwood, athletics director at UFV. “Adding live entertainment, great food, participation of our alumni and our community, we will be able to showcase Canada West’s amazing athletes to our fans and the basketball enthusiasts we have in the Valley.
“From the humble beginnings of Fraser Valley College back in 1974, to the teaching-intensive university of 15,000 proud students of today, UFV has grown up to become a centre of the community in the Fraser Valley and beyond,” says Tuckwood. “To celebrate the first 50 years with a launch party of the best women’s basketball in western Canada will give our alumni and community the perfect reason to cheer loudly and prepare for a season of celebration at UFV.”
Steve is a third-year BFA creative writing/visual arts student who’s been a contributing writer, staff writer and now an editor at The Cascade. He's always found stories and adventures but now has the joy of capturing and reporting them.
