T-Birds bolster their roster ahead of 2025-26 campaign

VANCOUVER – With the 2025-26 Canada West season set to begin in October, the UBC Thunderbirds have added to their ranks with a high-level recruiting class.

In addition to high school standouts Frank Linder and Zeru Abera, who committed earlier this year, the 'Birds are bringing in four more athletes with varying levels of collegiate experience. Those new Thunderbirds are Calgary native Holt Tomie, Montreal's Édouard Gauthier, Sacramento's TJ Maveety, and Immanuel Oludele from Niagara Falls, Ontario.

The recruits add talent and depth to a UBC squad preparing for its first season under new interim head coach Phil Jalalpoor. Jalalpoor served as an assistant last year under longtime coach Kevin Hanson, after previously starring as a point guard for the T-Birds from 2015 to 2018. He then played professionally in Spain, Austria, Iceland and his native Germany, and also represented Iran at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

"This group brings a great mix of maturity, edge, and upside," states Jalalpoor. "Most importantly, they're all high-character guys who are about the right things and fit the identity we're continuing to build. We believe they'll each raise our standard in different ways, and they all want to be part of something special at UBC."

The new coach now has a new experienced point guard of his own in Holt Tomie, who joins UBC after playing four seasons at Mount Royal University. He was named a Canada West All-Star in the 2022-23 campaign after averaging 23.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. One of the greatest players in Cougars' history, he holds the school's all-time records for career points, rebounds and assists.

Tomie helped lead MRU to the program's first-ever playoff win in the 2021-22 season, and the business major now aims to achieve more postseason success here in Vancouver.

"I'm looking forward to attending classes at such an impressive campus and excited to compete and help lead the Thunderbirds varsity program," says Tomie. "I take great pride in being one of Coach Jalalpoor's first recruits and I'm excited to be a part of the program for the 2025-26 season."
 

Édouard Gauthier arrives as another decorated player, coming off a fantastic 2024-25 season with Jean-de-Brébeuf in the CCAA. The 19-year-old earned the RSEQ MVP award after averaging 20.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

He was then named to the CCAA National Championship All-Star Team after leading Jean-de-Brébeuf to a bronze medal finish, the best result in school history. His strongest performance came in the semifinals, where despite a loss he put up 37 points and 11 rebounds against Durham.

"I want to bring another championship to UBC while getting an amazing education and improving every day on campus," remarks Gauthier, who plans on studying communications.
 

The next piece of this year's recruiting class is TJ Maveety, a 6'7" forward from California. Mature and very strong academically, he served as the first freshman captain in program history at Cuesta College, before playing a year at Yuba College and now heading up north.

Maveety brings a strong outside game, shooting over 40% from three in both of his two years of college ball as well as in high school, when he led the Granite Bay Grizzlies to their first-ever section championship game.

"What stood out to me about UBC was the chance to challenge myself both academically and athletically at one of Canada's top universities," reflects Maveety, an economics and political science student. "The program's culture of winning and player development really attracted me, especially the opportunity to play for a coach who competed at a high level himself."

"Knowing he understands what it takes to succeed at the next level makes me confident I'll get the guidance and mentorship to grow both on and off the court. Plus, UBC's strong support for student-athletes balancing competition and academics made it the perfect fit for me."
 

Last but certainly not least is Immanuel Oludele, an Ontario native who is familiar with the Lower Mainland after playing for two years at Simon Fraser University. He then spent the 2024-25 season at Saint Martin's University in Washington before now coming to UBC as a biology student.

He was a Great Northwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year finalist in his first season of post-secondary ball, after averaging 10.3 points and 3.7 rebounds as an immediate starter for SFU. Jalalpoor touts his work ethic, physicality and high IQ as key factors of his impact on the court.

"I wanted to come to UBC for the level of basketball and the high-level education I can receive here for my degree," says Oludele.
 

After earning a Canada West silver medal this past season, the Thunderbirds are aiming for another strong campaign in a year full of a transition. They begin the regular season at home against the Fraser Valley Cascades on Friday, October 24th, inside War Memorial Gym.