The Rise of Spring & Summer Basketball on Vancouver Island.
When former UCLA All-American and Denver Nugget star forward Kiki Vandeweghe was asked one year why he did not have a dark tan after spending the summer back at his California home he replied, "There is no sunlight in the gym."
That answer may explain why many basketball players in the Victoria area go back to school each September looking extremely pale. For the keen players who want to focus on developing their basketball skills, they can find year-round basketball opportunities through the South Vancouver Island Basketball Association's (SVIBA)programs which was founded by Gary Mols (Spencer Jr.), Dave Hutchings (Oak Bay H.S.) and Brett Westcott (Spectrum H.S.) in (1986). Within a couple of years (1988) because of the interest in summer basketball in the Westshore area Gary Mols and Peter Songhurst Spencer Jr. formed a sister basketball organization called Wes-Comm Amateur Basketball Assn to focus programs specifically geared for that locality.
Then in 1992 with much more participation from Duncan, Ladysmith and Nanaimo area basketball players, Vancouver Island Amateur Basketball Association (VIBA) was formed by Gary Mols, Brett Westcott, Peter Songhurst and Bryn Barker (Esquimalt HS).
It was at this time that Island basketball players started to travel off the Island to play in summer tournaments in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and other summer tournaments in the United States for both girls and boys teams. As well, SVIBA sponsored several Island girls teams that travelled even further to places like Hawaii, Fiji and Australia.
Since its inception in 1986, the SVIBA and VIBA have grown to include spring leagues, all-star games, spring camps, coaches clinics and summer select travelling teams. During the 2008 spring and summer months, over 600 players and coaches participated in these programs.
The original goal of the SVIBA program was to provide local players with the opportunity to stay in shape and to keep their skills sharp prior to attending provincial team camps. The backbone of the SVIBA program has become the Run and Gun Spring League which includes divisions for boys and girls in grades six to university graduates. Participants play once each week on teams composed of players from different schools with the goal of allowing kids to play without many restrictions. The expansion of the Run and Gun League to include a youth league with divisions for boys and girls in grades 6-8 gives more kids at an early age the opportunity to develop their basketball skills in a fun environment.
Brett Westcott through SVIBA offers the annual Vancouver Island Seniors Classic which matches the top Victoria area grade 12 players
against those from the North Island in boys and girls all-star games. This series has become the province's premier high-school seniors showcase every year and includes two boys' games and one girls game each year with the 22nd edition to be played Saturday, April 4, 2009, at the St. Margaret's New Gym.
Perhaps the highest profile program under the SVIBA banner has become the FAB 50 Select Camp held every April. Coaches nominate players to be invited to attend this camp which features instruction from local coaches, competitions and guest presentations from B. C.'s top university coaches, including Scott Reeves of Thompson Rivers University, Bruce Langford of Simon Fraser University and Deb Huband of University of B. C. At the conclusion of this camp, touring select teams are selected.
