UBC Sports Hall of Fame
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British Columbia has been fortunate to have Deb Huband in its midst since the 1980s. Originally from Ontario, Deb moved to BC to complete her Masters of Science, Audiology and Speech Therapy at UBC. Upon graduation she worked in this field in addition to serving as an assistant coach with UBC’s women's basketball program.
Because of her basketball background and strong character, Deb soon took the reins as head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds women’s basketball team. Following her two seasons as assistant coach at UBC she embarked upon a UBC record 26 seasons as women’s basketball head coach, the most of any female coach in UBC history, of any sport.
Deb’s teams won three U Sport national championships while her 2007/08 Thunderbird team won a total of 35 games which set a UBC record. As her historically successful coaching career advanced through to retirement in 2021, Deb had established a new Canada West record for women’s basketball career coaching victories. She broke this record originally set by Kathy Shields- a former Thunderbird player.
Deb also embraced the historical component of UBC women’s basketball and was a catalyst in forming relationships with players of the past such as Ruth Wilson, Mary Campbell, Mary McDonald, Darlene Currie, and many members of UBC’s early 1970s teams. They have re-connected and supported UBC in various ways mainly through and because of Deb.
Stellar in recruiting and mentoring, Deb also coached Canada’s national team guiding it to a silver medal at the 1999 Pan Am Games and was the head coach of Canada’s team at the World University Games in 2003. She was Canada’s assistant coach at the 2000 Olympics. As a player, Deb was not only an All-Canadian selection but captained Canada’s team at the 1984 Olympics and at the World Championships in 1979 and 1986.
Deb has received many acknowledgments including 2003/04 U Sports Coach of the Year, 2008 Basketball BC University Coach of the Year and the Basketball BC Coaching Award of Excellence in 2011/12. In 2018 Deb was honoured by “In her Footsteps” (BC Sports Hall of Fame) for her work in inspiring women in sport. In 2019 she was inducted into the BC Basketball Hall of Fame and ever the athlete, was in 2019 inducted into the BC Football Hall of Fame as a member of Vancouver’s 1980’s-90s women's national champion Touch Football Team. Following her UBC Sports Hall of Fame induction in 2022, Deb was in 2023 inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame
Deb is looked up to and respected by all she is affiliated with, her players, UBC staff and alumni as well as the basketball community across the nation.
Fred Hume, UBC Athletics
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