RAGE ERAS eee

PLAYOFF time came around for his team. UBC Thunderbirds sophomore Derek Christiansen prepared the way he always did before high school basketball games — by watching Michael Jordan's video, Come Fly With Me.

WHEN

By Guido Marziali

Contributing Writer

And as always, Christiansen ac- cepted the invitation gleefully. The 19-year-old) North Vancouver forward netted 25 or more points in three of fixe playoff games, outscoring everyone but the T- Birds’ living legend, point guard J.D. Jackson. In the last of those games, on March 2, Jackson and Christiansen Jed their squad with 25 points each. and the T-Birds clinched the Canada West con- ference with a 93-92 victory over University of Victoria. Starting on Friday, UBC will compete for the national title at the CIAU cham- pionships in Halifax.

Before he lett for Nova Scotia with the rest of the team, Chris- tiansen Jooked back on the highlights of the previous two weeks. Wearing a Michael Jordan T-shirt and sitting within reach of a big-screen TV and his favorite video, the 6'6’ teenager first recalls, not surprisingly, (two dunks against the University of Lethbridge.

Secondly, he remembers going to the foul line for two free throws with nine seconds left, in the first game against UVic. The Vikings trailed by two points, and two misses, or even one, could

CAP Blues forward (right) fights for the ball with a member of the 86er reserves at Capilano Col-

lege.

SPO)

Derek Christiansen: I-B

SOPHOMORE FORWARD Derek Christiansen is a leading scorer on UBC’s Thunderbirds who travel

this week to Halifax for the CIAU championships.

have allowed them to tie the game.

In such a pressure situation Christiansen mow asks himself, only half-jokingly, ‘What would Michael Jordan do?”’ Christiansen answered his own question by sinking both shots.

“Usually I'm super tense, but

this time | just sort of made myself relax and just walked over there totally confidently, really cocky."*

Appearances can deceive. Chris- Uiansen may seem unsure, but he never plays fike it. Conversely, those who know him see a fragile psyche inside the body of a na-

MEWS photo Neil Lucente

Skiers qualify for championships

THREE NORTH Shore skiers have qualified for the Pepsi

Canadian Juvenile Alpine Championships slated = March 18-23 at Nakiska, Alberta. Sam Posner, Drew Hawkshaw and Joseph Gib- bons are among 12) boys and five girly aved [3 and 14

selected after the recent: Pepsi B.C. finaly held at Blackcomb and Whistler mountains. Poyner, 14. of West) Vin- couser, won the Super Go at Whistler while Hawkshaw, 14, ot North Vancouver, registered a fourth and l9¢h in the stalom at Blackeontbh and a fourth and

seventh in Super Gat Whistler.

Gibbons, 14. of West Van- couser, skied to eighth and’ 1th-place finishes in slalom at Blackcomb and a seventh and {Oth in Super Gat Whistler.

All three skiers are members of the Whisder Mountain Ski Club.

Wednesday. March 13, 1991 - North Shore News - 15

ees

NEWS photo Neil Lucente

tionally ranked power forward. Said T-bird coach Bruce Enns: “In his first year, [ think Derek was very much in awe of what was going on around him, both in terms of being away from home — he was no longer in the sheltered environment of high school and living at home — but

TOTNES RE LE RE IONE ST TREE a ES

irds’ mild olant

as a plases. Ptkhe most freshmen, they qustosat in awe of esersthing that was going on”

tinns credits a summer of one- onmone couching and a promising tryout with dhe junior national team) with tuming Christiansen around.

“He's becoming a very good offensive player. He takes the ball to the basket well. he’s got a nice touch as a shooter, and with that big body of his — he’s very. very quick for his size.”

Nevertheless, continues Enns, many players on the team still take a protective attitude towards the mild giant. ‘Derek is very shy. He's very unassuming. | think he's a very ingenuous per- son, What you see is what you get — a very. very shy kind of guy who's really not all that sure of himself at times. He's anything but cocky. and uhis was kind of interesting, because when | recruited him in high school there were people who said that Derek was arrogant, that) Derek was cocky, and he's anything but."

Capilano Blues basketball coach Ken Sherk, who coached Derek and his older brothers, Axel and Eric, at Sentinel Secondary agrees, saying ‘‘he’s not a primadonna, in high school he never was.*’ Chris- tiansen’s only ambition, Sherk stresses, was to excel.

**He shot the ball since he was 12 years old. He said, ‘I'm going to be better than Eric, better than Axel,’ and he shot and shot and shot.”"

This weekend, Enns and the T-Birds expect nothing more than for Christiansen to keep shooting.

Cap squad surrenders to 86er reserves

THE CAPILANO College soccer team are the reigning men’s Ca- nadian collegiate champions. To coach Joe facobellis and his players, that simple truth is more

than a pleasant thought these days: it is therapy. By Guido Marziali

Contributing Writer

Capilano dominated their col- legiate rivals last fall, but have been ailing in spring competition against university and professional sides. Including Saturday’s 4-0 mashing at home, courtesy of the Vancouver 86ers Reserves, the Capilano College Soccer Club boasts a single tie against three losses.

lacobellis blamed the most re- cent debacle on low confidence among his players.

‘They don’t believe in themselves against the higher calibre. They feel very, very good about college play, but maybe not against professionals,’” he said.

And the 86ers happen to be the top professional side in Canada. The group which took the field on Saturday inctuded players like midfielder Doug Meckinty, who according to coach Alan Err- ington, ‘‘came on very strong last year and was a big part in us be- ing successful in winning the third (CSL) championship."

lacebellis explained, “*l said to them at the beginning of the game: ‘Gentlemen, you're not ready for this game, you haven't prepared properly — if you don’t start to concentrate immediately, you're going to be down three

CAPILANO COLLEGE SPORTS

goals by 15 minutes."”" Concentration must have been in short supply, because the goals were not. lacobellis’ prediction came true to the minute thanks to Dave Fiorvento, who bagged his second goal just inside the quarter-hour to put the 86ers up 3-0. (Rob Aujla had opened the

scoring). All three goals stemmed from mental errors — missed passes,

giveaways, and a general lethargy in aerial challenges. Not all of the Capilano players escaped praise, however, as lacobellis com- plimented Kurt Friesen, Matt Humphries, and especially Ken Campbell for ‘‘a great first half.”"

The flurry of activity had the referee trotting to the sideline to shed his jacket, but for the rest of the half the home team settled down and played their best soccer of the match.

All the same, Humphries and the others continued to press. Despite a late mistake which the 86ers’ McKinty exploited for the fourth and final goal, Capilano looked at least competent.

The second half was less re- markable for the soccer than for the boxing.

The actual soccer was less entertaining. Concluded. lacobellis, “In the second half. yeah, we played with them, but we didn’t play brilliantly or anything, we just played with them and did what we had to, which is goad to

see,

ESSE UD as a a