After helping to rebuild the South Burnaby Metro Club’s soccer program in the 1990s, Ken Meehan’s attention turned from the pitch to the hardwood. Meehan had noticed there wasn’t any organized youth basketball in Burnaby, so he founded one at SBMC in 1996. Meehan got some SBMC members to form a committee and then recruited former NBA player and Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame member Lars Hansen to run the boys program and local coaching legend Norm Roberts to run the girls.

Meehan managed and operated the boys program by himself. He registered players, organized teams, planned game and practice schedules, coached house league teams, did budgets and assembled volunteer coaches.

Over the years the SBMC Eagles program grew with more and more boys and girls joining. And they were good. The U13 elite teams alone have won 22 titles. Local high schools have been beneficiaries of the program too. St. Thomas More Collegiate has had many SBMC players on its teams that have advanced to 3A provincial championships while Burnaby South has become a powerhouse capturing the provincial 4A title in 2018, 2020 and 2022 thanks in part to the skills groundwork laid by the program that Meehan built.

In his high school career Jimmy Zaborniak playing basketball for Burnaby South, Jimmy Zaborniak led the Rebels to three provincial titles.

Once for junior boys in 2019 and then the senior titles in 2020 and 2022. Zaborniak currently plays for the Simon Fraser University men’s basketball team

Majok Deng
Sport – Basketball
School – Byrne Creek

Jacey Bailey
Sport – Basketball
School: Burnaby Mountain

Julia Hodanic
Sport – Basketball
School – Burnaby Mountain

Middle: George Chapman, Don Cousins, Ray Pletcher.

Front: Gordon Eddy, Jack Newstead, Lorne Barnes, Bob Ramsay, Howard Peterson, Terry Julian – coach.

The 1953 Burnaby South Rebels boys’ basketball team was the first team from Burnaby to win the B.C. inter-high school basketball tournament. The Rebels won the George Sparling trophy with a heart-stopping 53-51 victory over defending three-time champion Duke of Connaught. Don Steen and Bob Ramsay are the only two players in the 64-year tournament to share the honour as most valuable player in the provincial tournament.

In the final minute of the championship game, Jack Newstead nailed two free throws to knot the contest at 51-51. Ramsay then intercepted a long, in-bounds pass with 20 seconds left to play and raced down the court before launching the game-winning bucket with a long, one-handed shot that put South into the record books.

Steen, who had a team-high 19 points in the final game, set a new tournamentscoring record with 83 total points.

Forward Jessica Kaczowka was named the CIS player of the year, while Teresa Kleindienst was chosen the nation’s top defensive player. Bruce Langford earned coach of the year honours. Lani Kramer was the team’s assistant coach. The Clan team, including Gaby Salazar, Jen Van De Walle, Kirsten Wood, Maren Corrigal, Jennifer McElgunn, Devon Campbell, Morgan McLaughlin and Dani Langford, averaged 77 points per game, while holding its combined opposition to just 49.3 points during that stretch.

Team members:

Not in order of apprearance in photo
Coach Bruce Langford, and assistant coach Lani Kramer. Players: Teresa Kleindienst , Gaby Salazar, Jen Van De Walle, Kirsten Wood, Maren Corrigal, Jennifer McElgunn, Devon Campbell, Morgan McLaughlin and Dani Langford

Stan Stewardson built Simon Fraser University men’s basketball into a winning program in two separate decades. Stewardson guided the Clan to successful seasons &endash; once in in the 1970s and again in the 1980s &endash; on both occasions taking the team from single-digit victories to 20-win seasons.

He coached at SFU for a combined nine seasons. His 1986/87 team recorded a 24-10 season, the best-ever season for a Clan men’s basketball team.

Stewardson coached 11 national team players and 16 went on to professional careers, including B.C. hall of fame player Jay Triano.

Allison McNeill served as the SFU women’s basketball coach for 13 seasons, compiling an amazing 363-79 record.

During that time she led the Clan to 11 consecutive NAIA national championship berths and two NAIA final four appearances.

In 1992, McNeill was named NAIA coach of the year and in ’95 was selected a YWCA Woman of Distinction for her success as a coach and her dedication to female athletes.

She is currently and assistant coach with the University of Oregon women’s team.

“I’m honoured. I’ve never been elected to a hall of fame. It’s a real thrill. We had some great years up at SFU. It just feels really good and I’m honoured for all the girls who played up there,” McNeill said.

“It (the induction) brought back all the years and all the great kids that played there. I always thought of Simon Fraser as Burnaby’s university.”

Bill Popowich is a Burnaby native and Burnaby South grad began coaching in the New Westminster high school district and soon after became involved at the executive level in staging championship basketball tournaments at the zone and provincial levels.

Popowich remained the B.C. association’s tournament games coordinator for more than 31 years and he is still active on the group’s scholarship committee. He was presented with an honorary life membership in 1990. As a youth, Popowich, sports writers named a multi-sport athlete, rookie of the year in the local Coast soccer league for the St. Andrews club. Later, he also helped organize and develop juvenile soccer at Wesburn for more than two decades.

As a teacher, Popowich was a volunteer referee and coach in a variety of sports and is still active in the provincial association as chair of the MVP selection committee and on the appeal board. Popowich was also true to high school track and field with more than 40 years of service to the sport in many capacities. He also received an honorary life membership from the athletics association.

Popowich has also had two trophies dedicated in his name in high school sports for dedication and outstanding contribution.