By: Kaja Antic, Sports Writer
For the second consecutive year, 12 college basketball teams from across North America streamed through the doors of the Langley Events Centre. The 2024 Division II Conference Commissioners Association Canadian Tip-Off Classic took place from November 1 to 3, as the SFU Red Leafs men’s and women’s teams played host to their NCAA Division II counterparts.
The Red Leafs men’s team was joined by fellow Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) programs from Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon, along with the fifth-ranked Dallas Baptist, 14th-ranked California State University of San Bernardino, and Hawai’i Hilo who went undefeated at the 2023 tournament.
The women’s team was met on the court by GNAC peers Seattle Pacific, along with St. Edward’s from Texas, Dominican from California, 11th–ranked Gannon, and fourth-ranked Tampa.
Spectators filled the rows of seats. Some from local areas came looking for entertainment in the collegiate tournament, while others had seemingly travelled to cheer on a visiting school. I noticed a passionate contingent supporting the University of Hawai’i-Hilo Vulcans, some even carrying pom-poms that would be shaken whenever their team scored a point. Opposing teams not playing at the time would filter in on occasion, likely scoping out their competition for upcoming games.
The Red Leafs women’s squad had a decent showing through the tournament, going 2–1 over the weekend. The team earned wins against St. Edward’s and Dominican, but fell to Tampa 66–51 in the final game. Tampa was one of two women’s teams to go undefeated, with Gannon also earning the 3–0 statline.
Two Red Leafs earned “Player of the Game” honours, with senior Sophia Wisotzki gaining the title by scoring 31 points in a 78–62 win against St. Edward’s, and junior Myrlaine Shelvey being awarded the designation in a 77–67 win over Dominican.
The men’s team struggled throughout the tournament, going without a win over their three games played just as they had in the 2023 Classic. They weren’t the only team to go winless over the weekend, as GNAC rivals Western Oregon also went 0–3. Saint Martin’s, the final GNAC team in the tournament, went undefeated. Despite good offensive performances from players like sophomore Irish Coquia and junior Luke Howard, SFU was outscored 228–189 in losses to Hawai’i Hilo, CSU San Bernardino, and Dallas Baptist.
Two Red Leafs gained spots on the tournament all-star teams, with Wisotzki earning first team honours in the women’s tournament, and Coquia earning second team honours in the men’s tournament.
As both teams’ collegiate seasons begin, the men’s team hopes to improve on a 2023–24 season that saw them placing ninth out of ten in GNAC standings, only above Western Oregon on the conference table. The team went 4–14 against GNAC opponents, and had a 6–23 record overall.
The women’s team also looks for improvements on last year, after their season ended in a 65–51 loss against Central Washington in the GNAC Women’s Basketball Championship. Overall, the team held a 17–14 record for the 2023–24 season, with a 10–8 record against GNAC opponents, earning fifth in conference standings. The 2024–25 campaign already looks promising, as the team’s 2–1 record is an improvement on the 0–3 result they gained in the 2023 Classic.
Both the men’s and women’s programs begin their GNAC campaign on December 5, with the men’s team playing at Central Washington while the women’s team plays host to Seattle Pacific in SFU’s West Gym.
