For most of his basketball career on the Point Grey campus, Nathan Yu has come off the bench to give the Thunderbirds a spark as part of the second unit. In fact, even last year, the team’s second leading scorer only started two of thirty-four games, while averaging 12.8 ppg in just over twenty minutes of action. Entering his fifth and final season in the blue and white, Yu will find himself with a whole new role and responsibility for his team.
After years of filling the wing and off guard spot with the task of filling the bucket, Yu will be given the task of piloting the squad as they look to return to the CIS Final 8. For three years, the goal of bringing home the CIS gold has slipped through UBC’s hands, falling in the final twice and dropping out in the semi finals last year. This year, with a number of rookies and transfers on the roster, the coaching staff will be looking to the six seniors, especially Yu to help punch a ticket to Halifax in March.
While playing the point full time, is going to be a new experience for Yu on the War Memorial floor, the position itself is not, as he ran the show during his high school career at Vancouver College and Duchess Park. Should Nathan need any advice in times of need, it is just a phone call away as older brother Jordan (currently the head coach at Capilano University) filled the point guard position for the T-Birds from 2003-06.
In preparation for his final season, Nathan spent the summer as part of Team Canadian at the FISU tournament in Shenzhen China , setting up the offence for a club which captured the silver medal. After taking a short break off once returning home, Yu quickly got familiar with his new and returning teammates as they hosted the Santa Clara Broncos for a pair of exhibition games. With a career high 38 points, Yu and the Birds defeated (or upset, depending how you look at it) the Broncos 98-95 in an overtime classic. Although they dropped the second game 68-63, Yu once again proved to be the focal point of the Thunderbird offence with a team high 21 points.
Four years after Nathan Yu walked onto the War Memorial court as a fresh faced rookie who was ready to take over the world, the patience and growth has proved to serve both him and the team well as good things do in fact come to those who wait.
