Cooper collects all-star award, Bobcats mens volleyball team pumped for playoffs

BRANDON – Bobcat men’s basketball standout Tyvon Cooper has been chosen as a Canada West second-team all-star.

The Middletown, N.Y. product put on a solid offensive show while leading the Bobcats back to the playoffs for a second straight year.

He reached double digits in all 20-conference games and scored 20 or more points in 10 of those contests.

“It is a team sport, it is never just me out there,” said Cooper. “My teammates put me in a good position to be effective on the court and they deserve a ton of credit. They always find ways to help me improve as a player and the coaching staff also deserves a big pat on the back.”

Cooper’s 2017-18 conference award is one step up from last year when he was named a third-team all-star.

Brandon coach Gil Cheung says Cooper never ceases to amaze him.

“Tyvon is the hardest worker we have and being selected to his second straight all-star team is a testament to the hours he puts in,” added Cheung. “I know he is more proud of leading us to back-to-back playoff appearances more than any individual accomplishment, but he definitely was a standout in Canada West.

Cooper’s most dominating performance came against the Manitoba Bisons on November 24 when he recorded a rare triple-double in BU’s 88-85 overtime win. He nailed a buzzer-beat three-pointer in the extra frame to power the Bobcats to victory. Cooper also collected another three double-doubles during the season.

Canada West has Cooper’s name listed among the league leaders in a host of categories including sixth in scoring at 20.2 points per-game.

He also had a league-leading 94 free throws and his 84.2 percentage was eighth best in the conference.

The Bobcats leaned on Cooper a ton in clutch situations and his total minutes played were sixth most in Canada West.

Bobcats pumped for playoffs

BRANDON – Provincial rivals are on a collision course and the Canada West playoffs will be their battleground.

The Brandon University men’s volleyball team will welcome the Winnipeg Wesmen for a best-of-three quarter-final series at the Healthy Living Centre this coming weekend.

Match 1 – Friday, February 23 at 7:00 pm
Match 2 – Saturday, February 24 at 7:00 pm
Match 3 – Sunday, February 25 at 4:00 pm (if necessary)

Tickets can be purchased at the front desk of the Healthy Living Centre or online through AuthentiGATE. Playoff tickets are $10 for adults; seniors, BU staff, faculty and alumni pay $7 while youth (age 14-17) are $5. Kids 13-and-under can catch the playoff games for free, as can all current BU students.

Photo:
Courtesy Milana Paddock

Brandon clinched home court advantage in the opening round thanks to a fourth-place finish in the conference with a 17-and-7 record. Home court was huge for BU during the regular season as they posted a near perfect record of 10-and-1.

The Bobcats split their home-and-home series with the Wesmen during the regular season. Brandon fell in five sets in Winnipeg on November 28, but rebounded with a five-set victory of their own on December 1 at the HLC.

Brandon also came out on top in their two exhibition meetings with Winnipeg. The Bobcats won a four-set showdown at the end of September as part of BU’s pre-season tournament. They later eliminated Winnipeg from the Wesmen Classic during the Christmas break. The Bobcats swept Winnipeg in the semifinals en route to winning the tournament title.

BU and Winnipeg have a long history and it includes a previous showdown in the post-season. The last time the Bobcats hosted in the playoffs was 2014-15 when BU earned a hard-fought quarter-final series win over the Wesmen.