University of British Columbia Athletics

The last UBC team to have won the CIS (CIAU) men’s basketball championship was that of 1971-72, a team coached by Peter Mullins (1995 inductee) and led by future national team players Ron Thorsen (1993 inductee) and John Mills. After finishing first in the Canada West division of the Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Association with a 13-3 record, the Thunderbirds defeated second-place Alberta Golden Bears (11-5) in two games of a best-of-three conference championship. They then met Great Plains division champion Saskatchewan Huskies for the league championship, prevailing two games to one. With just a 10-man roster, UBC then played host to the national championship tournament at War Memorial Gym. Led by league scoring leader Thorsen’s 43-point performance, the Thunderbirds defeated Ontario champion Windsor Lancers by a convincing margin of 117-84 in a sudden death semi-final. As a capacity hometown crowd looked on, Mullins and his charges then won the national title in a hard-fought battle with Atlantic champion Acadia Axemen, taking an 87-80 victory with Mills leading the scoring with 27 points.

“The important story in my view of the 1972 team is Ron Thorsen,” reflected Mills many years after one of the most triumphant moments in War Memorial Gym history. “Sadly, he is no longer here to tell his own story, but he was a marvel. He could easily light it up for 40 or more by himself or deliver the ball miraculously into the hands of a waiting teammate for a lay-up. Any success I enjoyed was purely as an extension of Ron’s genius. Instructions were simple... get open, get your hands up, make the lay-up.”

Individual Highlights

• Ron Thorsen – first-team Canada West all-star and league scoring leader averaged 18.8 ppg
• Stan Callegari – second team Canada West all-star and fourth in league scoring averaged 13.4 ppg
• John Mills – second team Canada West all-star and sixth in league scoring with 13.2 ppg

Note: 1971-72 season pre-dates All Canadian selection. CIS Tournament MVP not awarded in 1971-72.

Team Members

John Mills, Stan Callegari, Peter Herd, Ron Thorsen, Darryl Gjernes, Jack Hoy, Rod Matheson, Bob Dickson, Bob Phillips, Doug Cripps, Coach: Peter Mullins, Manager: Derek Swain