Ss Soccer team wins accolades The Langara women’s team finished mid-table, with three players earning PACWEST awards. By WARREN JANE forgotten. The Langara women’s team fin- ished in fourth place with seven wins, one draw and six losses, but three play- ers received special recognition for their performance. Chelsea Brown and Jodie Davis were both named to the PACWEST Second Team All-Star squad while Courtney Sheppard was named to the PACWEST First Team All-Star squad and was named PACWEST Rookie of the Year. “Overall, | was quite happy with the [team’s] performance,” said Falcons coach Ryan Birt. “The league was so tight this year and the difference be- tween winning a provincial champion- ship and not winning a provincial championship [was] miniscule.” Birt described this year’s team as “very young”. Indeed, it was the first year of playing college-level soccer for all three women to receive recognition. However, they have all been playing soccer for over a decade and it wasn’t their first time sharing the field togeth- er. “Me and Courtney were actually good friends and played together be- fore we came to Langara,” said Davis. “And the funny thing is we played against Chelsea too.” Brown, whose twin sister Amelia is also on the team, fondly recalled a road trip to the Okanagan as the most mem- orable experience of the season. “TIt] was probably going to Kam- loops and Kelowna and staying with the teammates, bonding and getting to know each other.” Though the season is over, spring training is about to begin. The Langara women’s soccer ID camp is going to take place on Mar. 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Burnaby Lake West. Te soccer season is over, but not WARREN JANE photo Chelsea Brown, named to PAC- WEST Second-Team All-Star squad, poses with ball outside Langara. BEN BULMER photo The Langara men’s team huddle up to listen to Coach Ebe during a practice session in preparation for this week’s tournament. Provincials, here we come ... Men’s basketball team enter PACWEST playoffs as favourites to win By BEN BULMER e Langara men’s basketball team is heading to the provincial championships in Victoria this weekend as the top seed. Six men’s and women’s teams from the Lower Mainland and Victoria Is- land will take part at the PACWEST Provincial Championships at Camosun College starting today (Thursday). The men’s team had a near perfect season finishing 20-1, which set a new PACWEST record for wins, and helped Langara to a first round bye in the tour- nament. Falcons head coach Paul Eberhardt said morale was high and that the team expects to win. “The boys are pretty confident, but not over the top, they still respect the teams they’re playing,” said Eberhardt. Winning the provincials would mean a place in the national championship tournament in Quebec this March. Tournament director Graham Mat- thews said there may be scouts from universities at the event, but nothing is confirmed. The pressure of the competition, combined with the possibility of scouts adds extra stress to an already busy training schedule, but Eberhardt is confident this won’t affect the team. “As coaches throughout the season we simulate enough stress for them so when they get into those games it’s just another game for them.” Langara Falcons Jesse Jeffers said playing in the provincials is different from a regular league game. “The energy levels of everyone are higher, we perform a little better.” Fellow player Mark Kol said he’d played in the provincials several times at high schoo] but had never won it. “Tt’s pretty awesome,” said Kol, “We have probably the best chance ever to actually win it.” The women’s basketball team came seventh in the league, just missing the cut for a place in the provincials. The women’s team finished with the same overall points (16) as Camosun College [sixth place], but having more points against kept Langara in seventh place and from advancing. The championships run from Feb. 28 to Mar. 2. Ticket prices start at $38 for students rising to $5 for the final. For more information, and to stream games live, see: www.pacwestbc.ca/ basketball2013/. Jeams in e mix Seed #1 Langara College Seed #2 Victoria Island University Seed #3 Douglas College Seed #4 Quest University Seed #5 Capilano College Seed #6 Camosun College Langara's Brody Greig: PACWEST Player of f the Year Greig heads into this weekend’s tournament at the peak of his game By JESSE ADAMSON the Langara men’s basketball team into the provincials this weekend after dominating the league with his playmaking abilities. He finished the season with a league- high of 195 assists in 21 games, thus averaging 9.29 assists per game. The next player closest to him, Jordan Elve- dahl of Camosun College, finished with 87 assists less than Greig. It’s no wonder then that Greig was given PACWEST Player of the Year honours earlier this week, and named to the First Team All-Star squad. “My job’s easy,” said Greig, “I just get them the ball and they do the hard part and score.” When asked to compare himself to an NBA point guard, Greig chose Bos- ton Celtics assist machine. “T do like Rajon Rondo,” said Greig. “He’s all about assists as well and isn’t worried about scoring.” Greig admits to being somewhat su- S': point guard Brody Greig leads perstitious. He has a routine he follows before and during games, even if it re- sults in his teammates giving him a hard time. “The team makes fun of me because I always have a piece of gum in my mouth and one in my sock,” said Greig. “At halftime I make the switch. I always have two Gatorades as well and I al- ways eat pasta before the game.” Greig gives a lot of credit for the team’s success to head coach Paul Eb- erhardt. “We all love to play for him,” said Greig. “He’s put in a good system that works for all of us.” Coach Ebe, as he is known, has a similar respect for Greig as an athlete and as a person. “He’s so good at finding the open guy,” said Eberhardt. “Everybody wants to play with him. Off the court .. . he’s a little quiet and pretty laid back.” Although Greig is known for assists, he knows when he needs to be more selfish and score points himself. “He’s really starting to recognize when he needs to put up points,” said Eberhardt. “He is more than just a passer. Earlier this season he put up 45 points against Columbia Bible College so we know he’s capable of it.” Player stats Postion/Year Point guard/3 Jersey No. 6 Height 63" Hometown: Richmond, BC High-School: RA McMath Sec. Favourite Player Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics Passer Game-time Routine JESSE ADAMSON photo Gum Chewer Brody Greig, Langara men’s start- ing point guard, named PACWEST Player of the Year.