A pair of weekend wins over the UBC Thunderbirds have boosted the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades to new heights in the national men’s basketball rankings.
The Cascades, who knocked off former Pacific Division front-runner UBC 77-72 on Friday and 94-83 on Saturday, moved up from No. 8 to No. 5 in the new Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) poll released Tuesday morning. The T-Birds fell from No. 3 to No. 7.
Barnaby Craddock’s UFV squad has earned a top-10 mention every week this season, fluctuating between No. 7-10. This week’s ranking represents a new high water mark for the program.
“I think I’m most impressed with the commitment of the athletes,” Craddock said. “Their level of play has allowed to get to this point in the rankings. The guys made the commitment to work hard in the off-season and in practice, and it’s rewarding to see it come together.”
The UFV women’s hoopsters, coming off a weekend split with UBC, re-entered the rankings at No. 10.
The Cascades basketball teams wrap up the Canada West regular season on Thursday, as they visit their local rival Trinity Western Spartans (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre).
