Vancouver, BC- While the last few weeks were extremely quiet in Canadian university sports, the news cycle picked up over the last seven days, as athletics programs continue to prepare for a 2021-22 U SPORTS season.
Deb Huband retires from UBC Women’s Basketball
One of the most successful coaches in U SPORTS won’t be on the sidelines when Canada West basketball returns in the fall, as UBC’s Deb Huband has announced her retirement after more than 27 years.
Over her tenure as the T-Birds head coach, Huband led UBC to three U SPORTS National Championships and four Canada West titles. She was also awarded the U SPORTS Coach of the Year in 2003-04.
“Coaching at UBC has been a privilege, and I am extremely proud of our women’s basketball program, the staff and the players,” said Huband in a press release.
In 2020, Huband became the winningest coach in Canada West history and ranks fourth all-time across U SPORTS. Just weeks after becoming the winningest coach in Canada West, she was named to the Top-100 players in U SPORTS women’s basketball from the past century.
Also a member of the BC Football Hall of Fame, Huband leaves substantial shoes to fill for whoever comes into the UBC women’s basketball head coaching role.
Now that Huband has retired, only one of the top four winningest women’s basketball coaches is still active, being Queen’s Dave Wilson.
Brock Badgers name new athletic director
The Brock University Badgers have named Melissa Krist as their newest athletic director, and she will take over the role on June 1, 2021.
Krist will be in charge of all athletics at Brock, which includes over 900 student-athletes throughout its teams. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Krist has been at her alma mater in other positions over the last three decades. For the last 11 years, she has been the Manager of Intercollegiate Sport within the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
She is a first-generation Canadian, as her parents immigrated from Croatia and a former student-athlete with the U of T women’s basketball program.
Already on several committees in U SPORTS and the OUA, Krist will become more present in Canadian university sport in her new role.
CEBL and CPL postpone seasons
The Canadian Premier League and the Canadian Elite Basketball League have postponed their seasons that were set to kick off in May and June, respectively.
The CPL, which was to begin on May 22, postponed indefinitely on Wednesday and is pivoting to new plans to put on a 2021 season. “We are working on a number of scenarios to adapt to the latest situation,” said league commissioner David Clanachan in a statement.
The CEBL, however, only pushed their start date back by a few weeks from June 5 to June 24, with plans to play in home markets.
Both leagues played in bubble tournaments in 2020, with the CPL at the University of Prince Edward Island and the CEBL in Niagara. Stay tuned to each league’s website for further information.
UBC soccer legend Dick Mosher passes away
Dick Mosher, the longtime Head Coach of the UBC men’s and women’s soccer programs, passed away on April 24 at 77.
Through a 24-year coaching career, Mosher helped establish UBC as one of the top soccer schools in the country, winning 12 Canada West titles and leading the school to a combined 14 U SPORTS Nationals appearances. He won six U SPORTS titles with the men’s team, a national record, while also winning three championships with the women.
A former student and professor at UBC, Mosher moved to the women’s program exclusively in 1996 and retired from coaching in 2009. He is a member of the UBC and Canada West sports hall of fame.
Mosher is survived by his family, a few of whom are still involved in the UBC soccer programs. The Mosher family is encouraging donations to the Dick Mosher Memorial Fund, supporting students following in his footsteps at UBC.