VIU men’s and women’s basketball teams legitimate contenders for PACWEST titles

Heading into the tournament Kuzminski said he’ll be counting on his three seniors to lead the way.

Richard Henderson, Tori Odom and Landon Radliff will all be looked upon to bring previous PACWEST experience to the court.

In the 2023 portion of the Mariners schedule their closest game was an eight point victory over Langara in January.

Many of VIU’s wins have been by large margins which is why Kuzminski sprinkled in exhibition matches against high quality opponents along the way.

“We played USports programs and those games were right down to the wire. So we’ve had some late game experience where we’ve had to execute plays and we’ve had to manage the clock down the stretch so that’s been helpful.”

In the women’s semifinal, it’s a matinee game between VIU and the host team from Camosun in Victoria.

The Mariners swept the season series but coach Tony Bryce knows provincials provide a blank slate.

“Playoffs are a different vibe, there’s a different feel to it,” Bryce said. “There’s a lot that can happen in two hours.”

Bryce said success on the weekend won’t come down to just one or two players.

“I think we’re best when we’re trusting each other and sharing the basketball and I think the girls are seeing that now as well. For me it’s are you willing to do the little things that need to be done without the basketball that are going to be the difference.”

The women’s Mariners take on the Chargers at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3 while the men have a late 8 p.m. game with the Falcons.

Saturday will feature the bronze and gold medal games.

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by Dan Marshall

VIU men’s and women’s basketball teams legitimate contenders for PACWEST titles

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