Wheelchair Basketball - team news

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Tip Off with #15 Pat Anderson
photo by Bogetti-Smith

BC Wheelchair Basketball Society and Douglas College are excited to host the CWBL Open Finals (the club team nationals) on April 2-4, 2010 at Douglas College Coquitlam/New Westminster. The top eight competitive club teams in the country, including three BC teams, compete for the national title through the weekend.

Many of the teams feature the national team players and their provincial team players, which promise the exciting competitions. BC teams include multiple-time Paralympians and Gold medalists; Patrick Anderson, Jaimie Borisoff, Shira Stanfield; the current national team players; Nancy LaFleche, Elisha Williams, Jessica Vliegenthart, Bo Hedges, Ross MacDonald.

We strongly hope to host a warm and successful tournament for all the participating teams with the support of our community. Please download the .pdf for more information on how to volunteer.

Provincial Coach helps DC Recreation

Wheelchair Basketball Intramurals

BCWBS Provincial Coach Cheryl Corrigan, in conjunction with Douglas Recreation and the Recreation Therapy program at Douglas College, David Lam Campus ran a five week wheelchair basketball intramural program this semester. It was a great opportunity for both students and staff to experience a new sport, and was a great success. Special thanks to Scott Fraser-Dauphinee and Douglas Recreation for helping to set it up. Any students who are interested in playing wheelchair basketball can contact Cheryl at: cheryl@bcwbs.ca.

Royals Wheelchair team wins CWBL Open Final

The Douglas College Royals successfully defended their CWBL Open Title by defeating the A.L. Gullison All Courts 55-49 in the championships game Sunday. The Royals finish the tournament with a flawless 5-0 record and become the only team in league history to win back-to-back championships twice, having also won consecutive championships in 1996 and 1997.

Douglas College joins the Edmonton Raiders as the “winningest” teams, each squad capturing four championships since 1987. The key to the Royals success in 2009 was strong play at the backend as they finished the tournament with the fewest points allowed (207) and by far the best defensive rebounding percentage (72%).

The formula proved to be a winning one in the finals where both the Royals and the All Courts buckled down on defence in the early goings making for a tight checking affair. Douglas College captured the lead early and found themselves up by five points at the end of the first quarter, but by halftime Fredericton was able to turn the tables and led 23-19 going into the break. The teams continued to exchange the control until the very final moments of the game when the All Courts were forced to take intentional fouls to stop the clock. For their part the Royals took full advantage from the line and ultimately put close game out of reach.

Erik Hagreen was outstanding at both ends of the court. He led all players with 24 points, but his presence was most noticeable under the hoop where he hauled in a game high 13 rebounds giving him a double-double.

Hagreen was also charged with task of trying to contain All Courts sniper, and Canadian Men’s National Team member Dave Durepos who despite having an excellent game was limited to a tournament low 17 points in the game. When given some space Durepos was very effective, especially from the free-throw line where he was an ace all weekend long. Durepos also delivered from the outside draining both of the game’s three-pointers, but it just wasn’t enough to deny the hot-handed Royals. A final three-point attempt in the game’s dying moments came within millimetres of reversing fortunes, but Douglas College kept their cool and calmly deposited a few extra uncontested points from the foul-line.

Other notables performances came courtesy of fellow Canadian National Team players Bo Hedges for Douglas College and Sabrina Pettinicchi for A.L. Gullison. Hedges controlled much of the play and continuously setup plays dishing out a game-high 9 assists to go with his 19 points, while Pettinicchi had one of her best games of the tournament. She totalled 16 points as a result of her heads-up play and fierce work in the paint.

Overall Douglas College, coached by Junior National Team bench boss Cherly Corrigan executed their game with precision and deserved to win the championship. They swept their competition in the round robin portion of the tournament defeating hometown Nova Scotia (70-41), Fredericton (70-45) and Club 99 (75-57). They then ousted CIVA in a come-from-behind victory in the semi-finals (70-64).

The Royals had two players in the top five amongst the tournament leaders through the first four games, with Bo Hedges scoring 82 points (4th) and Eric Hagreen scoring 80 points (5th). Hedges was 2nd overall in free-throw shooting percentage (.846%) and Hagreen was amongst the leaders with 35 rebounds.

The All Courts only loss in the round robin was to Douglas College (70-45), they had wins against Club 99 (77-67), and Nova Scotia (58-44) in the round robin, before upsetting Laval (58-44) in the semi-finals.

Hedges, David Eng, Christian LaSerra, Abdi Dini, and Chantal Benoit were selected to the tournament all star team, while Durepos was named tournament MVP.

Durepos was one of the tournaments most dominating players. He averaged 28.5 points per game heading into the final (2nd in the tournament to Laval’s David Eng – 32.0). His 10 three-pointers was tops in the tournament. He also led the field in free throw shooting percentage by going 26-for-30 from the free-throw line (.866%), was t-2nd with 19 assists and 2nd overall with 10 steals.

In other action, le Gladiateurs de Laval recovered from a slow start to win the Bronze over CIVA by a score of 69-62. They trailed by as much as 12 points in the first half, but pulled off the victory with the continued strong play of Eng and Marc Antoine Ducharme who notched 35 and 24 points respectively.

Carl Pelletier was the best player for CIVA. He recorded a double-double thanks to a 26 point – 10 rebound effort.

Tim Frick Named 2008  Canadian Coach of the Year

Tim Frick
Photo courtesy Canadian Wheelchair
Basketball Association

Douglas College Sports Science instructor and Wheelchair Basketball coach Tim Frick has received the highest award in Canada for a coach in athletics, this is the 8th national coaching award he has received. He accepts this award after leading the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball team to a 5th place finish at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

"In his 19 years at the helm, Frick guided his team to three Paralympic Games titles and four world championship gold medals. The successes include nine straight podium finishes at major international competitions. Frick, a seven-time winner of the Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Award, is a passionate educator and a master tactician and technician who consistently demonstrates outstanding knowledge of the game and a keen ability to analyze and react in game situations. Prior to joining the women's team, he coached both Terry Fox and Rick Hansen. For many years a physical education instructor at Douglas College, he was also head coach of the collegeÍs women's wheelchair basketball team.

"Tim Frick is the epitome of the professional coach and his approach to coaching has earned admiration and respect worldwide," says Coaches of Canada president Steven Sugar of Newmarket, ON. "He is above all a quality person who has had a profound impact on his sport and beyond. Jack Donohue left a powerful legacy and Tim fills his shoes admirably."

Douglas College, the Centre for Campus Life, and the department of Sports Science would like to congratulate Tim on this outstanding achievement.