Another very successful year for the UBC men's basketball team ended in yet another agonizing defeat at the CIS national tournament, this time seeing the T-Birds edged by two points against conference rival Trinity Western in the 2010-11 semifinals.

It was UBC's third straight medal finish at the national level, but for a team that has enjoyed so much success recently (head coach Kevin Hanson is 118-13 in conference play the past four years), CIS gold remains the only thing missing from the trophy case.

"A lot of factors come into play for a team to win a championship," Hanson said. "Sometimes it's years in the making, and we are proud of what we have built the program into and to be contending every year. People often take for winning for granted when you win a bunch of games like we have, but we're still trying to win the ones that count the most."

Getting back to the big dance is always tough, but it will be that much tougher for Hanson and company this year after losing several key contributors to their recent playoff runs. Former CIS MVP Josh Whyte and fellow fifth-year point guard and Canada West All Star Alex Murphy both graduated, leaving a large hole to fill at the point.

The pair finished first and third respectively in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio and were big reasons for UBC leading the league in turnover margin. They also knew how to fill it up, with Whyte's 18.3 points per game leading the team, and Murphy adding nearly 13.

The T-Birds also move forward without the services of the versatile Brent Malish, who finished second in team scoring and rebounding.

Finally, three-point sniper Melvyn Mayott, who averaged more than eight points off the bench and led the club in three-point shooting percentage, will not return this year either.

Those departures leave the T-Birds with one of the most difficult season-to-season turnovers in recent memory in terms of talent lost. The departing group averaged over 50 combined points per game last season, but Hanson has found ways to get it done before after the departure of star players, and the 'Birds certainly have players on the roster with a history of filling the basket.

"We're still searching for a team identity," Hanson said. "Certainly it was Josh's team last year and now its Nate Yu's team. Our top five or six guys will have to play their best basketball for us to be successful."

Fifth-year guard Nathan Yu will be the focal point of the offence this year. The sweet-shooting Yu has made his CIS career coming off the bench to add a scoring spark thus far, but will move from his two-guard spot to be the team's starting point guard this season.

Yu got some experience playing the point for Hanson this summer on Canada's Universiade silver medalist team. Last year for the 'Birds he averaged 12.5 points and made more three-pointers than anyone else on the roster on .386 shooting from long distance.

Doug Plumb will also be relied on for an increased offensive output in his fifth season of eligibility. He can be a very effective inside scorer, as evidenced by his 11 points per game on nearly .500 shooting in his first year as a T-Bird. Plumb's high energy playing style made him a regular contributor in all aspects of the game, adding more than a steal, two assists and four rebounds per game.

Rounding out the fifth-years are forwards Balraj Bains, Kamar Burke and Graham Bath. Bath and Bains have been T-Birds since day one, while Burke is entering his third season under Hanson, but all three figure to combine for the lion's share of playing time in the UBC front court this year.

Burke averaged eight rebounds per game to lead the team last year. He also chipped in more than eight points and showed signs of an outside game offensively, but a low shooting percentage and a tendency to pass up shots too frequently hurt his production.

"We know he's going to rebound and he has always done that, but he has to contribute more on offense," said Hanson. "He's an unselfish player always looking to pass first, but he has to be able to put the ball in the hoop so this year we need him to be more selfish and take more shots."

Bath, on the other hand, has always been an efficient shooter for the 'Birds, albeit in significantly fewer attempts than Burke. He chipped in almost six points per game last year on .525 shooting, and although he is not an impact rebounder as a relatively undersized post player (6'5), his toughness under the basket has made him a tough and reliable defender for UBC.

Bains saw the least court time of the trio last year, clocking in at about 11 minutes per game, but at 6'9 he does have the length and certainly the experience in his fifth year to make a difference under the basket for Hanson's 2011-12 T-Birds. Despite his fairly limited minutes, Bains has led the T-Birds in blocked shots in three of his four seasons with the team.

"I've seen huge strides in them already," Hanson said of Bains and Bath. "They have doubled their minutes per game this year and we're counting on their experience. Those guys have to be good and tough. They know our stuff and what we're running. They know me and the players as well as anyone."

Tommy Nixon looks to have a bright future ahead of him based on his strong rookie season. He chipped in five points per game and showed the ability to score inside and out. He also has the size and skills to play multiple positions which should help him see the court more frequently as his career progresses.

Last year's redshirts, Geoff Pippus and Mike Lewandowski, should both get the court time to prove themselves this year.

Hanson calls Pippus "a deadeye three-point shooter" who he hopes to have available for the second half of the season as he continues to rehab a foot injury.

Lewandowski and true freshman David Wagner are both impressing Hanson in the preseason and look to have bright futures ahead of them in the UBC front court.

"I'm really happy with David and Mike so far," said Hanson. "They are going to be huge impact post guys for us in the future and will get a lot of minutes this year too."

Glenn Gravengard and Jermaine Cherry are the most experienced newcomers to the roster as college transfers. Gravengard is a fourth year guard out of Capilano with previous CIS experience playing at Western who made the team as a walk-on. That means a later start to the preseason than most players on the roster had, but Hanson likes his shooting ability and sees some minutes at point guard in Gravengard's future as he familiarizes himself with the team.

Malcom Williams, a freshman from Pitt Meadows, is "close to CIS ready defensively, but offensively still has to get to the next speed level," according to Hanson. He and redshirt freshman Mamadou Sakho may still have work to do to get ready for the CIS game, but both are progressing well and have a chance to make a splash in a more freshman-oriented lineup than UBC has had in the past.

"Our fifth-years and more experienced guys will log a lot of minutes. It's going to be a shorter bench than in past years. But we've also been playing more freshmen than we ever have," said Hanson. "Nakai Luyken started at point guard while Nate was at the Pan Am games. Athletically, he is superior to everybody. He won the 100 metre championships in high school. He just needs some more CIS experience at this point."

Luyken comes to UBC from Yale Secondary.

Even without the stars of his recent powerhouse teams, Hanson sees great things ahead for his group in 2011-12.

"Every single year our goal is to get to the national championships. Every single game is about process, and we're really focused on that. Doing the same things and preparing one game at a time. We aren't a good enough team at this point to be overlooking anybody or looking ahead to nationals.  We're going to be a team that, even if we have to take some on the chin early in the year, we will be very solid in the second half, and will keep pursuing that goal of getting back to nationals."

The quest for another CIS tournament berth begins at home this weekend. The T-Birds host Brandon on Friday at 8 p.m. followed by Regina on Saturday at 5 p.m. All home games are at War Memorial Gym.