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North Vancouver's Kris Young earns second Canada West MVP award

Handsworth grad stars for UBC's women's basketball team in final university season

For the second time in the past three years North Vancouver’s Kris Young of the University of British Columbia women’s basketball team has been named the Canada West Outstanding Player of the Year.

The versatile forward is known for stuffing the stat sheet and she kept that up in her fifth and final season while leading the Thunderbirds to a first-place finish in Canada West’s Pioneer Division. The Handsworth grad finished fourth in the league with an average of 18 points per game, 16th in the league in rebounding with 6.8 per game and 17th in assists with 2.75 per game. She was also 11th in the league in blocks with 15 total and 16th in steals with 35 total.

Young finished her regular season career with 1,551 total points which tied her for 10th all-time in Canada West history. She finished her career as UBC’s regular season all-time leader in points, steals, field goals and field goal attempts. Young is the first UBC player ever to win two Canada West MVP awards.

“Kris has been integral to the success of our team,” stated UBC head coach Deb Huband in a Canada West release. “She has been a tremendous leader on and off the court and consistently performs in every facet of the game. This year beyond the past four, she has found another level and makes her teammates better while she demands the best effort from herself and her teammates. Kris has had an outstanding university basketball career and is very deserving of being named Canada West Player of the Year. It has been a privilege to coach Kris over the past five seasons.”

Young also won the award in 2013 following her third-year season. She is the first player since Calgary’s Veronica Vanderschee (1988 and 1990) to win two MVP awards in non-consecutive seasons.

The 17-3 Thunderbirds will host the University of Regina in a three-game playoff series this weekend with a berth in the Canada West Final Four championship series on the line. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday starting at 7 p.m. at War Memorial Gym with Game 2 slated for Saturday at 5 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, will be played Sunday at 2 p.m.