By Nathan Hutton (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: February 18, 2015
Valentine’s Day weekend marked the final home league game for four veterans of the Cascades basketball scene. The Cascades celebrated with Senior’s Night, honouring Jasper Moedt, Sarah Wierks, Kadeem Willis, and Celeste Dyck’s contributions to their teams.
Jasper Moedt
Major: Criminology
Position: Forward
Memorable achievement: Moedt secured the Canada West title for rebounding at 10.7 boards a game.
Quotable: “Athletics gives you a platform to do more with your life if you use it properly, and I hope that’s a lesson that a lot of guys learn.”
Jasper, an Abbotsford native, played at Yale Secondary and was coached by UFV head coach Adam Friesen’s father. At the end of last season Jasper finished his degree but remained with one year of eligibility left. He decided to come back and finish his fifth season off strong. After the ceremony, Moedt commented, “I don’t think it will set in for me that I am really done at UFV until our playoff run is done. There is a lot of basketball to be played this year for us.”
Sarah Wierks
Major: Kinesiology
Position: Forward
Memorable achievement: Wierks easily established herself as the strongest rebounder in Canada West history, with 307 rebounds in a season. She set herself apart with 81 more rebounds than the closest contender for the position of top rebounder.
Sarah Wierks, the younger sister of former Cascade Nicole Wierks, was always known to be a dominant player in the frontcourt with her sister. She is key on the starting line. Her impact on the team was something that coach Al Tuchscherer praised over the course of the season, noting that her fifth and final year was particularly strong.
“Sarah has just led us all season,” he said. “She has had a real breakout season this year … Through the middle of the season there she was really carrying us for a while.”
Celeste Dyck
Major: Business
Position: Point guard
Memorable achievement: Dyck played the facilitator role of the point guard to perfection and finished top 10 in the CIS in assists among all players — a remarkable when you consider just last season she was averaging only 12.4 minutes per game.
Quotable: “I’d rather have assists than points. For me, I like to set up my team-mates more than score buckets. I’ve always been [one to] pass first, score second.”
Prior to her fifth year Dyck had spent the majority of her career coming off the bench in the back-up point guard role; she started only one game last season. This season, put in the starting point guard role, Dyck responded enthusiastically. Her assist record stands to show her strong sense of team play.
Kadeem Willis
Major: Business
Position: Power forward
Memorable achievement: Willis was second in scoring among players who started five or less games. He scored 12 points per game in only three starts. Willis was first in rebounding among players who started five or less games. He pulled in 121 boards.
Quotable: “We just try to keep each other level-headed, humble, and we try to make each other better every day. If it’s in the classroom or on the court, we’re pushing hard to become successful.”
Kadeem Willis is the only graduating player who didn’t spend his entire career at UFV. Kadeem joined the Cascades last season after playing at Lakeland College in Alberta. This year, with a stronger Cascades team, he didn’t complain about a new role often coming off the bench, but instead flourished on and off the floor.
“I love playing in this gym, I love playing in this atmosphere — I’m going to miss it a lot,” Kadeem said the night before his final game.
