If we ever happen to run into each other on a wintery Saturday night at 2 a.m., in a city where the temperature is -12, and our flights the night before were delayed twice from a snowstorm … there’s a good chance of two things being true:
1. My socks are probably slightly damp from walking to a pub through piled-up snow in sneakers — like a true West Coaster — and 2. I’m exactly three beers deep (if you know, you know).
It doesn’t take long for me to become that guy at the bar: talking about sports with strangers; bringing up random athletes of the past, remembering some guys.
Students always say that UFV is boring. Have you ever been on campus on a Friday or Saturday night?
I love watching sports; in particular, I love watching games that are competitive. The Cascades overflow with competitiveness, playing for individual pride as well as the teammate next to them.
After spending last weekend in Hamilton, Ontario talking about basketball, volleyball, and the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off at NASH87 (the largest student journalism conference in Canada), our Cascade newspaper team departed Toronto Pearson Airport back to Abbotsford.
Approximately 18 hours later, at 2:15 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 17, Delta Air Lines flight 4819 crash-landed on one of the very same runways we had departed from just one day prior. I wouldn’t exactly call it a near miss, but had our flight been delayed (like it was for everyone else at Pearson after the crash) who knows what could have happened. With so many intersecting paths and circumstances, it really puts things into perspective for me.
My job is to write about sports — how lucky am I?
I started as The Cascade’s sports editor in February of 2024, and ever since then I’ve asked a lot of different people a lot of different questions.
Some of the best basketball players in the country play for our university and I’ve gotten to see a lot of them up close over the course of a full season now. UFV’s rich diversity extends to our sports teams — we have both international students and homegrown Abbotsford personalities.
When I talk to the UFV athletics community, a question I always come back to in some shape or form is: What is a Cascade? What does it mean? What are they made of?
This is what I’ve figured out so far.
Dogged determination
Matthias Klim, a fourth-year forward on the men’s basketball team, had seen the program’s Blocks (BLK) record hanging up in the locker room since he arrived at UFV in 2021. He wanted it for himself and hunted it down. It didn’t always seem possible though; staying healthy and avoiding injury can often come down to luck.
During the 2022-23 season, Klim established a U Sports record 12 BLK against the Saskatchewan Huskies. This elevated his career total to 42, inching closer to the record of 72 he was chasing. By the beginning of the 2024-25 season Klim needed only 6 BLK to pass Sukhman Sandhu for first place.
The milestone moment came against the University of Victoria Vikes on Nov. 23, 2024. The Cascades turned the ball over, leading to Vikes guard Renoldo Robinson reversing the ball down court before Klim got a hand on it.
“I would love to say it was a monster play in the making, but I just got back on defence [and] did my job … whatever happened, happened,” said Klim. “Very honoured, especially with the others on that list; Sukhman, [Daniel Adediran], all those guys.”
Dario Lopez has been alongside Klim since his first year, and the pair have stood beside each other for every national anthem presentation since joining Canada West. Klim is extremely superstitious; you’ll often find him jogging through the lobby at the last second prior to tip-off as part of his pre-game ritual.
Coach Joe Enevoldson also joined the program in 2021-22 during the COVID season. The coach has seen tremendous development from the Chilliwack native since he was a freshman; Klim is usually first sub off the bench. Enevoldson praises Klim’s rim protection, explaining it forces shooters to be more aware on offence with such an active defensive presence.
With another 20-30 games to put distance between himself and Sandhu on the all-time BLK list, Klim appreciates the idea of young kids in the Fraser Valley chasing down his record one day… but not too soon.
“I’m hopefully gonna make it unattainable.”
Confidence & humility
The Cascades women’s basketball team went through two down seasons in a row in 2017-18 and 2018-19, winning a combined 18 games. In 2019-20 their fortunes changed for the better.
Maddy Gobeil, Nikki Cabuco, and Deanna Tuchscherer all became Cascades that season, going 17-5 in their rookie campaign. Since the beginning of the Gobeil-Cabuco-Tuchscherer era, and at the time of writing, UFV has amassed a record of 79-27. The 2024-25 season is the fifth and final for the big three.
There was the possibility of the team stumbling out of the gate after a longer play-off run; going all the way to nationals last season, after a Canada West bronze medal win. Experiences like 2022-23, when the team finished 15-7 but were ousted by the University of Alberta Pandas in the play-offs, were essential for the growth of the team.
Cascades strength and conditioning coach Matt Chapdelaine calls them a “slow burn.”
“Rather than the engine just being hot, we’re gonna run —” he said. “We’re gonna wall up teams and really make them feel us.”
The Cascades might have moments where they don’t look like themselves, but they never stop being themselves. There’s internal belief that they deserve to be seen as a contender at the national level.
Timeouts for this team are high-level conversations. It’s not coaches teaching athletes what they should be doing. It’s coaches collaborating with athletes, and athletes collaborating with each other, working more dynamic looks or stops on the defensive end. This group has embraced thinking about the game at a different level.
I call it professionalism — Chapdelaine calls it mutual respect. On some youth sport teams there is a classism or hierarchy between starters, seniors, and bench players. Coach Al Tuchscherer has made everyone see that no matter what role you play on this team, they’re all significant. Redshirts (RS) are as valuable to each win as the ones playing 20 minutes a night.
“Motivation can come hot and fast, and momentum is a slow roll. It just continues to build on itself … and they definitely have momentum.”
When a rookie with the physical gifts of D. Tuchscherer begins their U Sports career, they don’t know they’re not supposed to be good, so they play simple and free. This year while battling injuries, whether D. Tuchscherer is on the court or on the bench, she brings an intimate understanding of the game to the team.
Even if D. Tuchscherer isn’t producing points, check her Plus-Minus (PM). When she’s on the court the Cascades usually score more than they get scored on, a testament to her skill defensively. On offence, she takes defenders out of the picture. If she’s in the paint, she’s drawing in her check, so the perimeter has an extra half a second — oftentimes creating open shots for Cabuco.
“Deanna is one of the most dependable people on this team,” said Chapdelaine. “[It’s] like having a coach on the court.”
Chapdelaine theorizes that the beautiful thing about basketball is the more you play at a certain level, the more the game starts to slow down. A key and well-documented aspect of growth in Cabuco’s game has been her shot-selection. This year, the game seems to have slowed down for her, allowing for extended possessions and better shots.
The Port Moody native works tirelessly over off-season, allowing for increased trust in her abilities as an athlete, while continuing to excel as a student as well.
“For Nikki, it’s not just athletic growth or skill growth and development, it’s personal growth,” said Chapdelaine.
On a lot of nights following games, Gobeil is often limping around the lobby or has an icebag on her ankle. If you’re trying to find her on the court, I’ll make it easy for you: she’s the one that’s always diving on the hardwood for deflections, and for lack of better words, making shit happen.
Gobeil has buckets of confidence, and the more that she adds to her toolkit, the more she has at her disposal. Two summers ago she spent hours with all of UFV’s assistant coaches adding different finishes to her game to capitalize on her abundant driving opportunities. Since then Gobeil has added up to 20 different types of finishes: rolls off the backboard, rainbow shots, floaters — you name it, it’s in her bag.
Chapdelaine encourages athletes to find the right combination of confidence to know that they’re the best they’ve ever been, and humility to know that they can still be better.
“As long as you hold those two things in balance, you dictate how long your career is going to be,” Chapdelaine said. “Maddy’s superpower is, ‘if I can, I will,’ and she’s like that in everything. ‘If I can get extra shots up at six in the morning, I will. If I can make a play at a free ball, I will. If I can drive right now and draw a foul, I will. If I can take the shot over your head, I will.’”
Respect of those that came before
After a game in which the Cascades fell to the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Wolfpack 83-74, I ran into Jaylen Lee in the lobby of the Athletics Centre.
“It still hurts, even when you’re not playing,” he told me.
J. Lee, a resident of Chilliwack, B.C., transferred to UFV this season after spending his rookie year with the University of Calgary Dinos (U of C) in 2023-24, and has been serving as a RS for his hometown Cascades this season.
Growing up at his dad Mike Lee’s basketball games, J. Lee fell in love with the sport. M. Lee ran the point guard position for two University-College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV) championships in 2000 and 2002, and would return to win his third national title as a member of UFV’s coaching staff in 2004. He was the tournament MVP in 2002.
J. Lee wasn’t always certain of following in his father’s footsteps though. There were times where he would ask himself, “Do I want to do this?”
“As I grew older I realized that there’s a reason I’m playing,” he said. “This is happening for a reason … it’s an opportunity that a lot of people don’t have.”
Alongside his father’s history with the university, J. Lee’s grandpa, Pat Lee, was at the helm of UCFV basketball for 12 years, before they even had a gymnasium. Over his time as coach, P. Lee amassed a record of 151-56, leading the team to three PacWest championship titles in five years: 2000, 2002, and 2004. P. Lee endorses Coach Enevoldson’s vision to build a team with Lower Mainland kids first and foremost, as teams that have grown up playing with and against each other are more likely to go the extra mile for one another.
The family lineage doesn’t end there though. As if this story wasn’t cool enough, there will be two Lees sharing the court next season. MEI standout point guard Isaiah Lee has committed to UFV and will be joining the squad next season, and has gamebreaking potential to be an immediate difference-maker.
M. Lee still has trouble comprehending that his two sons will be playing together at the same school in the immediate future.
“I feel lucky that this place was a home to us for so long, and now it’s going to be a home to them and all of us again for the next four or five years.”
Profiling as a big Shooting Guard (SG) that can knock down shots, J. Lee has the opportunity to become a major factor next season. The Cascades have come up on the wrong end of five games in 2024-25 that have been determined by as few as nine points. A player who can convert shots like J. Lee becomes all the more valuable in these narrowly determined outcomes.
J. Lee has an abundance of pride to be playing in a program pioneered by his family. Having the opportunity to play together with his younger brother is not something he expected, and he’s eager to make the most of it after dealing with an injury this season.
“To potentially play with my brother where I grew up, and put on for the valley … I can’t wait — especially at the highest level in Canada. I’m super grateful for everything that’s been, everything I’ve heard, [and] everything that’s been given.”
As a transfer from U of C, J. Lee is unable to join the active roster, but if eligibility would allow, it’s safe to say he would be playing regular minutes on this team. As an MEI and prep standout, just like his younger brother, J. Lee brings winning experience from prestigious athletic programs.
With both Lee brothers officially entering the fray next season, Enevoldson sees a sustainable path to greatness for this Cascades team.
“Jay’s going to be a big part of that, as is Zeke [Isaiah],” he said. “They’re a big part of our future.”
Valley kids
It doesn’t take an expert to watch a game and be able to tell which team is better. The best team usually wins, and if wins are indicative of being good, we have good teams at UFV.
You just have to pay the slightest bit of attention.
Being a Cascade is about elevating the crest on the jersey. If we as students take as much pride as our athletes do to represent the Fraser Valley, there’s a fortress to be built on our very own campus. Good teams, bad teams; it doesn’t really matter. The players in Abbotsford are easily overlooked in favour of larger programs within the province, but if you think nothing is happening here, you’re part of the problem.
Anything can happen in sports; that’s what makes it so much fun. If UFV’s students start believing in their teams just as much as the players do, look out. But if you won’t take my word for it, consider this from P. Lee:
“[When] I first started the job I said, ‘we’re going to win with Valley kids … we’re gonna win with local talent’ … and people thought the Fraser Valley [was] too small. I said I’m gonna give it five years … if we’re not improving in five years, I’m going to quit … and that year we won nationals in Edmonton.
“People used to say [we] didn’t have a hope … [but] believing you can win [is] 90 per cent of winning a championship. That’s what I tried to teach those kids … we can win … we just need to play together.”
