BCWBS is proud to announce the 11 athletes representing BC at the upcoming CWBL Open Finals.
After multiple BCWBS performance camps the team was whittled down to a strong group of veterans and a couple making their CWBL Open debuts. Team BC finished 4th at last year’s CWBL Finals in Fredericton, NS and look to better that finish this year in Montreal, Quebec.
“We are excited to announce our roster for the CWBL Open Finals,” said Tara Llanes, head coach of the CWBL Open Team. “Over the past few months, our team has shown incredible dedication, progress, and commitment to improving individually and as a team. I am in a new role as head coach and their trust and dedication has been key to our growth. I know we’re all looking forward to getting to Montreal and playing against the best in Canada.
Eight athletes who represented BC at Open Finals last year will compete in Montreal, including Zak Madell, Matt Norris, Cameron Gelowitz, Jeffer Ward, Nick Van Bakel, Joel Aukema, Gabe Harrison, and Alphonsus “Fonzie” To. Keaton MacEachern and Caden Hyde will be making their CWBL Open Finals debut. Five-time Paralympian and Captain Robert “Bo” Hedges will be leading the team now that he’s made the move back to beautiful British Columbia.
“It feels good to be back playing in BC with this group,” said Hedges, who is headed to his 13th CWBL Open Finals. “We have a great roster of young talented players. It’s exciting to have this opportunity to play against the best teams in Canada,”
BC will compete in Pool B in Montreal against CIVA and Saskatchewan in the two-pool tournament including the Gladiateurs de Laval, Alberta Northern Lights, and Twin City Spinners. The team open the tournament against CIVA, April 11th at 4:45pm PST.
BC Grizzlies coach and two-time Paralympian, Tara Llanes, had this to say. “We’ve had a few camps since January in hopes of putting our team towards the top of that podium. There are some very seasoned teams heading to Montreal for finals and we hope to compete throughout pool play and work towards that top step.”
All games will be streamed on the Wheelchair Basketball Canada YouTube page.
https://www.youtube.com/@WheelchairBasketballCanada
