The UNBC men’s basketball team has addressed its backcourt needs in a major way, officially announcing the commitment of lightning-quick guard Yve Nsanzinshuti for the 2022-23 Canada West season and beyond.
UNBC head coach Todd Jordan said goodbye to three senior guards this year with the graduation of Tyrell Laing, Vova Pluzhnikov, and Payton Tirrell. A chance to add a dynamic playmaker with college experience in the Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (fomerly known as Quebec Student Sports Association) was an opportunity the T-wolves needed to seize, and Jordan couldn’t be more excited to welcome the point guard to the mix.
“Yve is a dynamic guard who can create for others, and who has experience playing a good level in the RSEQ,” said Jordan. “He’s also a former Team Quebec U17 provincial team player who has experience playing at a high level of competition.
“We really think he will be able to step in and contribute right away. He will have all five years of eligibility remaining and we are excited to have a player with his experience that will be able to grow and develop in our program. I am thrilled to add Yve to the Timberwolves program.”
Nsanzinshuti has forged a unique path to the green and gold compared to what many basketball fans are familiar with in Western Canada. In Quebec, an academic system exists where a student can transition from high school to the post-secondary level while playing university basketball without losing any U SPORTS eligibility. Nsanzinshuti took that path, playing for coach Dan Martin of Champlain St. Lambert in the RSEQ, before committing to the Timberwolves.
“I feel great. I feel blessed,” he said. “I am happy to come to UNBC and I can’t wait to be there. If I wasn’t playing basketball, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Since I was a kid, I was going to school because of basketball. It was my motivation. I love basketball.
“I saw the city and I saw the campus, and I really liked it. Basketball-wise, I saw the team play with a ball-screen, and I really love playing with a ball screen. As a point guard, I love it. I think Todd (Jordan) and I are going to have a really good relationship.”
Standing five-foot-10, what Nsanzinshuti lacks in size he more than makes up for with speed and vision. With Champlain St. Lambert he averaged 13 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.7 steals per game. His passing numbers were good for fourth in the RSEQ, while his steals were second-most in the conference.
“I am looking forward to winning, but also looking to become a better point guard,” Nsanzinshuti said. “If the coaching staff and my teammates can help me to be the best point guard I can be, that would be great.”
A graduate of E.S. Jean de Breubeuf in Quebec City, the 20-year-old is excited to join his new teammates at the highest level of university sport in the country. Though expecting a step up in competition, Nsanzinshuti is ready to come to Prince George and compete on behalf of the Timberwolves faithful in Northern B.C.
“I expect to fight for my spot,” he said. “I love playing off screens, I love to shoot the ball, I have really good handles, and I like passing the ball. That’s me.”
A social sciences student, the multiple Academic All-Star will arrive in August to prepare for the Canada West season and continue a basketball journey he started when he was 11 years old.
“I didn’t think that one day I would be going to university to play with a big school like UNBC,” he said. “I am ready. I am ready to fight and win with you guys. Let’s go Timberwolves.”
