Capilano Blues men’s basketball team secures another PACWEST championship win
Lea Krusemeyer (she/her) // Sports Editor
Cam (he/him) // Crew Illustrator
For the second time in three years, Capilano University’s men’s basketball team, the Capilano Blues, have been crowned Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) men’s basketball champions—and this time, they did it in front of a roaring home crowd.
CapU, the number three seed in the PACWEST tournament, pulled off a 75–70 win over the number one seed Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners on March 1, 2025. The victory secured the Blues a highly competitive spot at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championship.
From the first moment of the game, the atmosphere inside CapU’s Centre for Sport and Wellness was electric. The game remained a nail-biter, tied 55–55 heading into the final quarter. Two minutes into the fourth, Kash Lang drilled a crucial three-pointer to give CapU a lead they never surrendered. Moments later, Ahmad Athman sank a jumper, followed by another deep three from Arshya Ghasemi, forcing VIU to call a timeout.
The Mariners fought back, with Kai Leighton hitting back-to-back threes to keep the pressure on. But with just 19 seconds left, CapU’s David Featherston Jr. sealed the win with a two-handed dunk that sent the crowd full of excited Blues athletes into a frenzy. As the final buzzer sounded, students stormed the court in celebration, embracing the players who had delivered a championship on home soil.
Athman was the undeniable star of the night, finishing with 21 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals. His dominant performances throughout the tournament—totalling 42 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds over the semifinals and finals—earned him both Player of the Game and tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) honours.
The Blues’ journey to the championship was anything but easy. They eased past Douglas College 89–63 in the quarterfinals but had to go into double overtime against Camosun College in the semifinals, eventually winning 75–66 behind a 14-point, 22-rebound effort from Damein Coleman. Blues athletes Featherston Jr. and Coleman were later named to the tournament All-Star Team.
Earlier in the day, the CapU women’s team added to the school’s medal count, securing a bronze with a 64–49 victory over Douglas College. Madeleine Coffin’s stellar play earned her a spot on the tournament All-Star Team as well.
With this win, the Blues men’s team has now medaled in four consecutive PACWEST tournaments—silver in 2022, gold in 2023, bronze in 2024 and gold once again in 2025. Go Blues!