Huskies basketball star Suraj Gahir returns home after signing to play for the University of Fraser Valley Cascades this fall.
The 6’5 ” goalie returns to British Columbia after spending last season wearing red shirts with the NCAA Division I program at California Baptist University.
In his final year, Gahir led North Delta Secondary to a BC High School Boys 3A basketball championship title in 2019, breaking a 29-year dry spell for the Huskies.
Along the way, Gahir dropped a three-point buzzer-beater to lift the NDSS past the Duchess Park Condors 62-61 in the semifinals, before scoring 18 points in the game lead as the Huskies beat the Vernon Panthers 46-44 in the Championship game.
A four-time high school star from British Columbia, Gahir added a Fraser Valley Tournament MVP honor to his resume in 2018. He spent the 2019-20 season at Edge School, an athlete prep school based in Calgary, before heading to the United States for redshirt. at Cal Baptist in 2020-21.
For the upcoming 2021-22 season, Gahir has decided to return to Canada in search of a greater opportunity to make an impact on the pitch.
“As I started to visit Canadian schools and returned home, I was in contact with Coach Joe [Enevoldson] and coach [Jason] Price and I just liked what they were doing, ”Gahir said. “It was a good fit for me and my style of play, and if I was ever to come back to Canada it would be somewhere near my home so my family could watch me play. The staff and teammates are one family, which is great in a team sport, to have that chemistry. “
Cascades head coach Joe Enevoldson described Gahir as a versatile “Swiss Army Knife” who can play the point or the wing with equal effectiveness due to his size and athleticism.
“For the direction of our program, in terms of the level of talent and victory in the region (in recruiting), Suraj is a huge signing for us,” said Enevoldson, noting that assistant coach Jason Price played a role. determining in the recruitment of Gahir.
“Suraj won a title in North Delta, he had a winning shot along the way, and as far as the long-term projection goes, he’s a player who could be a future Canada West star. He was at a very high level at Cal Baptist, and for us, being the program he ended up in when he got home is huge.
Gahir will have all five years of eligibility at his disposal when he makes his Cascades debut this fall, where he joins other 2021 rookies, including Spain striker Dario Lopez (Movistar Estudiantes U18, Madrid, Spain), the Chilliwack point guard Clay Kurtz (GW Graham Secondary), Dylan Kinley, high combo guard in Surrey (a transfer from the Douglas College Royals), Mississauga, Ont. goalie Jomel Puno (John Polanyi Collegiate / Toronto Basketball Academy) and Saskatoon, Sask. guard Daniel McCulloug (St. Joseph High School / CTA West).
The UFV Cascades will kick off their 2021-2022 Canada West season on October 29 with a home game against the UBC Okanagan Heat.
editor@northdeltareporter.com
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