Vikes Basketball Pre Season Update

The Vikes Men's Basketball team has had a busy last few weeks. There are a number of events and games that have occurred since our last post. Here is a summary of what has happened.

Alumni Hoopfest Day
On Sept 21st, the Vikes hosted their first annual Alumni Hoopfest day. The event included a 3 on 3 tournament and a food and social that followed. It was a great to see our current players playing alongside many of our great Vikes Basketball alumni. In total we had 12 teams participate and more alumni joined us for the social later that evening. We look forward to building on this "day" next year as word spreads on this annual event.

Team Retreat - Comox
The following weekend (Sept 27-28), the Vikes headed up to Comox for their annual team retreat. Once again, former Vike Ross McDonald hosted the team at Mark Isfeld Secondary School. This is the 4th consecutive year the team has travelled to Comox and it continues to be an excellent venue for the team to spend some quality time together early in the season. Over the course of the weekend, the team practiced, participated in team building activities, and played in the annual Inter-squad game. The game was open to the community and once again was very well attended. It was great to see so many past players and parents in the stands. Thanks again to Ross McDonald for all his efforts in making this event a success.

Alumni Scrimmage
On Saturday October 5th, the Vikes hosted their alumni in an informal scrimmage at McKinnon gym. This was a great opportunity for the players to play against some top notch talent in an organized scrimmage format. The alumni gave the team a lesson in toughness, intensity and perimeter shooting, as they took it to the Vikes for the better of 5 quarters.

UBC Invitational Tournament
This past weekend, the Vikes had an opportunity to play some games against university opponents as they travelled to UBC for the UBC Invitational tournament. The team played Concordia (Montreal), Concordia (Portland, NAIA) and Wilfred Laurier. Overall, it was a very successful weekend with the Vikes going 3-0 in the tournament. Game recaps and box scores can be found on the Vikes website at Men's Basketball.

Carleton House-Laughton Tournament
This coming week, the Vikes travel to Ottawa where they will participate in the Carleton House-Laughton tournament. This will be a chance for the team to measure themselves versus some of the top teams in the country. Over the three days the Vikes will face Bishops, Lakehead and the reigning national champions the Carleton Ravens.

Vikes basketball relocate up island for pre-season retreat

VICTORIA – The University of Victoria Vikes men's and women's basketball teams will travel to Courtenay B.C, Sept. 28-29, for pre-season retreats, as well as to engage the basketball community at Mark Isfeld Secondary School and G. P. Vanier Secondary School. This is the fourth-straight year that the Vikes men have traveled to the Comox Valley to camp out for a night and invite the community to watch their inter-squad match.

Ross McDonald, former Vike and current Mark Isfeld Secondary basketball coach and teacher has organized the trip for the past three seasons. The trip offers a great opportunity for the upper island basketball community to see some of the CIS' best basketball players in action. The Vikes men will have open team practices for spectators but the biggest draw will be the inter-squad match at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Mark Isfeld Secondary.

"Every team in the CIS is trying to put their team identity together," said Vikes men's head coach Craig Beaucamp. "This is our opportunity to let our team and the athletes find their own identity. The players will have to compete for rolls, find out where they fit and do some goal setting. This trip helps us come together as a team early in the season. We also always try to do something non-basketball like dragon boating or paintball to keep it fun."

The Comox Valley will be in for a treat as the fresh-faced Vikes men boast true cross-Canada flavor in their 2013 recruiting class. In addition to the senior veterans of Chris McLaughlin, Terrell Evans and Reiner Theil, the UVic squad now boasts internationals Marcus Tibbs, from Seattle, and Derek Porter, a third-year transfer from Pierce College, in Kennewick, Wash. In addition, guards Pat Pilato, from St. Catherines, Ont., and Junior Sesay, of Winnipeg, Man., will be key additions to the Vikes line up.

"All of our new additions were all stars on their local high school teams," added Beaucamp, whose team boasts seven new bodies. "They all bring different things to the table and they are very high achievers both academically and athletically."

The Vikes men will camp out at Mark Isfeld school, staying in the classrooms, cooking meals in the cafeteria and working out in the weight room before their inter-squad match.

In addition, Vikes women's basketball head coach Dani Sinclair will be taking her team up island for a similar retreat. The women's team will be camping out in a Mt. Washington chalet for their team bonding activities, while training and hosting an inter-squad match and two girls camps.

The Vikes women's camp will be open for all girls in grade 9-12 and will be hosted on Friday, Sept. 27 5-8:30 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 28 from 9-1pm at G. P. Vanier Secondary. The Vikes women will play an inter-squad match at 2:30 p.m. that is open for spectators.

The Vikes will begin their Canada West season on the road, facing Brandon, Nov. 1 and Regina on Nov. 2. All games will be broadcast live at http://uvic.canadawest.tv

Saturday, Sept. 28
6:00 pm UVic Vikes men's basketball inter-squad match (@ Mark Isfeld Sec.)

Former Vike Tyler Hass Wins WLA Title

Congratulations goes out to former Vikes basketball player Tyler Hass and the Victoria Shamrocks on winning the Western Lacrosse Association Title this past week. The Shamrocks will now play host to the Six Nations Chiefs for the Mann Cup. Click here for details..Victoria Shamrocks win western lacrosse title, head for Mann Cup.

Tyler was a member of the 2005-2006 Vikes basketball team that won a Canada West Championship and a Silver Medal at the CIS National Championships in Halifax. As a player, Tyler was one of the top defenders in the Canada West. Tyler will be best remembered by Vikes fans for his athleticism and highlight reel dunks that he seemed to throw down on a nightly basis. Best of luck to Tyler and the entire Shamrocks organization in their quest for the Mann Cup.

Inaugural Vikes Basketball "Alumni Hoopfest "

On September 21st, 2013, the Vikes men's and women's basketball teams will host their inaugural Vikes Basketball Alumni Hoopfest. 

This event will not only open the 2013-14 season for the current Vikes teams, but will also be a day to celebrate the extensive Vikes Basketball tradition. 

Hoopfest starts at 1:00 in McKinnon Gym, with food and social to follow at 6:00 at the Strathcona Hotel (919 Douglas St.).

Hoopfest is intended to include alumni of all ages. It includes "play" options for alumni that still enjoy playing competitively and recreational options for those who would prefer to play more for fun. There will be three options of game play:

- 5 on 5 full court high level competitive. Will include many of the current Vikes players

- 5 on 5 full court semi-competitive, co-ed

- 3 on 3 half court recreational

Alumni that do not wish to play are encouraged to come and enjoy the off court festivities. Hoopfest will include a beer gardens in Mckinnon gym and a Kids Zone for alumni with young children. Game play will be between 1 and 4 pm.

All options are $30 which includes food at the Strathcona. 

We encourage everyone to register prior to the event so we can plan for the games.

Click here for registration details...Hoopfest

Boys of Summer

Vikes Basketball is officially underway for the 2013-2014 campaign. Skill sessions, fitness testing, introductions, and just simply "getting busy" were the themes starting from mid August. Fifteen guys are in camp jostling for positioning on this years squad. The team returns starters and key role players from last years Final 8 Championship team. There are also some young and talented rookies and transfers looking to help take this group back to the national championships in Ottawa. Stay tuned for more Men's Basketball updates as we proceed through the month of September. 

Vikes Nation

Join the nation! Click here for details...  Vikes Nation! Go Vikes!

 

It is everything offered by Vikes Athletics and Recreation rolled into one - passionate, active and healthy living. Whether you attend a VIkes varsity game, purhcase a Vikes fitness and weight center membership, play Intramurals, join a club or take part in any other Vikes activities, you are autmoatically welcomed into Vikes Nation! As a member of Vikes Nation, you will receive exclusive offers all year long. The more you get involved, the better your chances of winning special prizes. So what are you waiting for?  #vikesnation

Adopt-a-Vike Fundraiser

Interested in sponsoring a Vikes basketball player? 
Click here for more details... Adopt-a-Vike
The Adopt-a-Vike program is an initiative designed to provide funding to all varsity teams at the University of Victoria. When you Adopt-a-Vike, your contribution will support team specific expenses such as travel, uniforms and equipment. By helping to cover these costs, you are helping create an environment that is most conducive for athletic and academic success. If you wish to support Men's Basketball please be sure to indicate this on the form when you make your donation.

Annual Student-Athlete Scholarship Fundraiser

Scholarship fundraising information, click here for details....
Vikes Championship Breakfast
The annual Vikes Championship Breakfast will be hosted Tuesday October 1st, 2013. This is your chance to support Vikes Athletics and bolster the athletic financial award revenue. To date, almost $2 million dollars have been raised. Your donation is maximized, as the first $200,000 of profit at this event is matched by the University of Victoria. All proceeds from ticket and table sales go directly to the Men's Basketball program and specifically towards scholarships for our players. Please indicate you wish to support Men's Basketball when you buy your ticket or make your donation.