A pair of Richmond standouts helped a team from B.C. finish second at the Junior NBA Global Canadian Finals held in Toronto.
Marina Radocaj and Caitlin Kippan were members of VK Basketball — a high performance U14 club team run by coaching legends Paul and Bruce Langford.
The B.C. representatives fell 67-42 to Ontario in the championship game as the Brampton team capped a dominating run.
VK’s road to the final included earlier wins over Quebec (55-48) and Nova Scotia (54-35), before defeating Manitoba (54-35) in the semi-finals.
Brampton will now represent Canada at the Junior NBA Global Championships in Orlando this summer.
The tournament was played at the Pan Am Sports Centre and unfolded as the Toronto Raptors captured their first-ever NBA championship. It created an instant bond between the participating teams, watching the Raptors complete their historical run.
They also got to meet Raptors’ Super Fan Nav Bahatia and Canadian star Jamal Murray who plays for the Denver Nuggets.
Radocaj overcame illness to earn a Jr. NBA Teamwork Award —one of four presented at the tournament. It was her second time being honoured. She attended last year’s event as an aged up player with VK Basketball.
Both Radocaj and Kippan came through the Richmond Youth Basketball League and had significant roles with the city champion McMath Wildcats senior girls team during the recent high school season.
