University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball coach Adam Friesen has begun the process of reloading his roster for the 2016-17 season, signing a trio of recruits who played their high school basketball in B.C.
Andrew Morris, a transfer from the University of Victoria, and Surrey high school seniors Daniel Adediran (Pacific Academy) and Sagar Dulay (Tamanawis Secondary) will suit up for the Cascades this fall.
Morris and Adediran both stand 6'5" and will add great size and skill to UFV's wing rotation, while Dulay brings excellent playmaking and shooting ability at the point guard spot.
As a senior at St. Thomas More Collegiate, Morris averaged 20.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game and led his Knights squad to a silver medal at the 2012 B.C. AA high school basketball championship. He also earned MVP honours at the St. Thomas More Chancellor tournament, which the Knights won.
Morris began his post-secondary basketball career at Simon Fraser University, redshirting the 2012-13 season.
He spent the next two years with the Capilano Blues of the PacWest conference, earning a PacWest second team all-star nod in 2013-14 and first team all-star honours in 2014-15.
He averaged 18.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in his second year with the Blues, and was named Capilano's male athlete of the year.
Friesen is thrilled to be adding a talented veteran of Morris's ilk to the Cascades roster.
"He's a versatile player who impacts the game in a lot of different ways," Friesen said. "Offensively, he's a threat behind the three-point line as well as being able to take it all the way to the rim, and on defence, he's an active, athletic defender who can guard multiple positions."
Adediran is coming off a strong performance at the B.C. AA provincial championship – he averaged 32.5 points, 16.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 55 per cent from the field, and earned the tournament's top defensive player award. His Pacific Academy Breakers squad finished 12th.
Adediran garnered a slew of other all-star awards during his senior season, highlighted by a first team all-star nod after leading his team to a silver medal at the Fraser Valley AA championships.
He was also named MVP at the Westsyde tournament and an all-star at the W.J. Mouat Hawkball, Brentwood and Surrey RCMP tourneys. In addition, he's been selected to play in the upcoming Surrey city all-star game.
"I think he can be an elite defensive player and rebounder for his position, Friesen said. "And offensively, he has tremendous hands and finishes well around the basket. His jump shot is good, but it's going to continue to improve."
Dulay becomes the second member of his family to suit up for the Cascades – older brother Manny has been a key player for UFV over the past four seasons, and returns this fall for his fifth year.
The younger Dulay recently put the finishing touches on a successful high school hoops career at Tamanawis, helping the Wildcats win the Fraser Valley zone championship and a silver medal at the B.C. AAAA provincials.
He was a second team all-star at both the Fraser Valleys and provincials, and added tourney all-star nods at the Surrey RCMP Classic and the Tamanawis Holiday Invitational. He'll also be joining Adediran at the Surrey city all-star game.
"Sagar shoots well, passes well, dribbles well, and has a high IQ," Friesen said.
For more information on the team, visit ufvcascades.ca.