The U Sports Canada West conference basketball all-star teams were announced Thursday and UNBC Timberwolves figured prominently on the lists.
T-wolves’ fifth-year post Vasiliki Louka was named to the women’s first team, fourth-year guard Maria Mongomo was a third-team selection and T-wolves men’s team fifth-year guard Jovan Leamy was picked for the third team.
For Louka, a second-team all-star in 2018, her last season of university basketball was her best. The native of Athens, Greece, led Canada West in rebounding with a 12.7 average and put up 18 double-doubles in a 20-game season, while finishing eighth in scoring with a 17.3 point-per-game average. She also cracked the Canada West top-five in blocks, offensive rebounds and free-throw percentage. Louka completed her career as the T-wolves’ all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, double-doubles and minutes played.
She’s the first UNBC athlete to earn a first-team all-star nod since UNBC joined Canada West in 2012.
Mongomo, a native of Las Palmas, Spain, finished in the top five in the conference in scoring average (19.9 points) and steals (2.5 per game). She averaged 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists and her 29-point game in the first playoff round led UNBC to its first-ever playoff win. Mongomo was a second-team all-star in 2018.
In his second and final season with the T-wolves since moving west from Toronto, Leamy broke the UNBC single-season record for points with 362 and his 18.1 average ranked ninth in Canada West. He led the conference and the country in steals with 61 and finished in the Canada West top 20 in rebounds. He racked up 23 blocks to put himself in the top five in that category.
He helped the T-wolves make the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Leamy becomes the second T-wolves player to make a men’s all-star team, following in the footsteps of Franco Kouagnia in 2015.
