Kelowna athlete poised to make UBC sports history

It will be a rare achievement if a Kelowna athlete hits the hardwood on the basketball court at UBC-Okanagan this weekend.

Parker Simson is expected to make his playing debut for the UBC Thunderbirds as they visit the UBC Okanagan Heat in regular season games Friday and Saturday night.

Simson was a defensive back for the UBC Thunderbirds football team this season.

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Because of an injury, he wasn’t able to suit up for the basketball team until December.

If Simson gets playing time in the basketball games in his hometown, he becomes just the second UBC athlete to play both basketball and football in the same academic year in 57 years.

And it’s also a homecoming for two other members of the UBC basketball team.

Grant Shephard and Mason Bourcier are both from Kelowna.

In a league game last Friday, Bourcier’s 40 minutes of playing time were the most ever for a freshman under UBC head coach Kevin Hanson.

The three Kelowna athletes were team-mates on the Kelowna Secondary School Owls in 2016 when the squad won a provincial championship and the Interior Savings Western Canada Basketball Tournament.