VANCOUVER – UBC Thunderbirds men's basketball and head coach Kevin Hanson will welcome a dynamic point guard to the team next season with the addition of Philip Jalalpoor, a native of Shifferstadt, Germany, for the upcoming 2015-16 campaign.
 
"There is a lot to like about Phil," said Hanson. "He's strong academically and is a competitive guy who wants to play in a strong program. When we brought him here for a visit, we really liked him. Phil's a pass-first point guard and we've talked about playing him and Jordan (Jensen-Whyte) together.
 
"The main reason that made me choose UBC was the opportunity offered to me by a great coaching staff to help lead this team as a point guard to make a run at the national title next year," said Jalalpoor. "The world-famous academic status that UBC possesses plus the incredible campus in this beautiful city of Vancouver also were key factors.
 
"Coach Hanson made me feel like that this was the right place with the right coaches that can help me make my final improvements before I will follow my ultimate goal of becoming a professional basketball player."
 
Jalalpoor is a 6-foot-2 guard who is transferring from Olds College in Alberta. He will have three years of eligibility left with UBC.
 
"We want to put the best team possible on the floor and we've certainly found some pieces and we think Phil is a huge piece to this puzzle as we head into next season and the national championship," said Hanson.
 
With Olds, Jalalpoor played 28 games overall and led the Broncos to a bronze medal at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) championship tournament in March. His 5.25 assists per game was best on the Olds roster and his 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per outing ranked him second on the squad in both categories.
 
For his efforts, Jalalpoor was named Olds men's basketball's Player of the Year and earned a spot on the ACAC's Second All-Conference Team.
 
 "He got along so well with Jordan, Conor (Morgan) and Will (Ondrik), three of our key guys for next season. They connected and those guys said Phil was a player we needed to get so that was a big selling point for us as coaches."
 
Jalalpoor will be joining a UBC team that will host the CIS men's basketball FInal 8 national championship tournament at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre on campus March 17-20, 2016.