In a must-win meeting against New Westminster on Wednesday at the Richmond Oval, Ravi Basra took the game into his own hands. The Grade 12 guard scored 38 points, had 10 rebounds and added three steals — one of which sealed the 68-63 win. Defending a three-point lead with 31 seconds on the clock, Basra reached in on an outside Hyack shooter and ripped the ball form his hands. He’d played the majority of the first half with four fouls but still stayed in the game.
He’s done that all year,” said Windermere coach Cole Birnie. “He makes stops, late in the fourth quarter.” The Warriors placed third at the AAAA city championship tournament after Basra stole the ball with eight seconds left and converted a fast-break into a three-point play. They beat Kitsilano. “It’s been an exciting playoff run so far,” said Birnie.
Basra, listed at six-foot, has averaged close to 30 points each game this season and in one loss to David Thompson put up 60 points. To round out his triple-double, he added 16 rebounds and 10 steals. “He’s an exceptional talent,” said his coach, “and he’s a great student with high marks.”
Basra, who also competes for Drive club basketball under Pasha Bains, is keen to play at the post-secondary level and has been compared to some of B.C.’s most remarkable talents. On Wednesday, university recruiters were sizing him up.
“He’s an exceptional ball handler, he’s got a good pull-up jump shot, he plays really hard,” said UBC Thunderbirds assistant coach Spencer McKay. “The only concern we would have right now is his size. Coming in and making an impact right away, I don’t know if he’s that guy. Two years of playing college and he would be someone we’d definitely look at. We’re interested, let’s put it that way.
“It comes down to what our needs are and how our recruiting goes this year. He’s certainly a kid I wouldn’t forget about after this year if he doesn’t come to UBC.”
Basra got his feel for the ball in his family’s backyard, playing as young as three with this older brother Harry. “He taught me everything, ever since then, I fell in love with the game. I learned everything from him,” said Basra.
Before the season ends, Basra could blow up against Thompson a second time. The teams met Thursday in a must-win elimination game. “East Side rising,” he said. “We’re not ready to go home yet.”
