Ian Cooper

On Thursday afternoon, UBC Athletics announced that Phil Jalalpoor, the head coach of the T-Birds men’s basketball team, will be flying to Las Vegas on Monday, joining the Toronto Raptors during NBA Summer League as a guest coach.

Even with big shoes to fill, Phil Jalalpoor has excelled.

From Germany to Ontario, England to Michigan, the student-athletes who make up the varsity teams on campus have unique origins and paths to becoming a Thunderbird. No one journey is the same.

Pickup basketball is one of the best ways to find community at UBC. But if you’re looking for a game, where should you go?

After a crushing collapse against the TMU Bold ended their shot at a medal in the quarterfinals, Men’s Basketball came out flat in their consolation semifinal against Laval. While they put up a fight in the second half, the early deficit — and the loss of all-star Nikola Guzina — was too much to overcome.

UBC had to feel comfortable at half — they were leading by 18 in a game they had dominated throughout. It was just a matter of keeping it up and closing out a quarterfinal victory. Then, TMU’s Kevin Toth — who hadn’t scored all game — had a fourth quarter to remember, scoring 21 points in just ten minutes to eliminate the ‘Birds.

Heading into the conference final, having won two of their three regular season games against the defending national champion Victoria Vikes, UBC had a shot to take down one of Canada’s best teams. At least, for the first six minutes.

When UBC’s all-star forward, Mona Berlitz, tore her ACL in a preseason exhibition contest in her home country, Germany, her fourth season was cut short before it had even begun. But now, even while recovering, she’s discovered how to be there for her team, even if it’s not on the court.

In a game that UBC trailed by as many as 16 points, the T-Birds’ playoff hopes were on life support. Then, down by seven in the final two minutes, guards Raj Dhadda and Holt Tomie got hot.

In their first playoff game this year, Men’s Basketball faced a battle-tested, experienced Manitoba team in a game that went down to the wire. While the Bisons turned in an exceptional final frame, UBC’s lead through three proved to be too much to handle.

With the top spot in the CW Pacific Division on the line, the T-Birds hung tough with the No. 1 University of Victoria Vikes for 30 minutes, taking a lead into the final quarter. Then, in the last 10 minutes, they collapsed, losing the game and the division.

The T-Birds' offensive fireworks were on full display on senior night, with graduating seniors being four of UBC's top five scorers in a beatdown of the UNBC Timberwolves.

At the end of the first quarter, UBC Men’s Basketball found themselves in an unexpected situation. The Birds, who were 10–2 on the year, were down by five points to the 2–10 UNBC Timberwolves.

UBC men’s basketball has never lost a matchup with their “younger brother” program, the UBCO Heat. Midway through the third quarter on Friday Nov. 28, that record felt less secure. In the Furnace in Kelowna, the Birds found themselves barely clinging to a one-point lead and were feeling the heat.

This past Friday evening at the Langley Events Centre, the top two men’s volleyball teams in Canada — the UBC Thunderbirds and Trinity Western Spartans — faced off in a five-set-thriller.