VANCOUVER – UBC men's basketball head coach Kevin Hanson has landed another superstar recruit as guard Jadon Cohee has committed to playing for the Thunderbirds starting this upcoming season.

"Jadon is a proven winner," said Hanson. "He won a high school provincial championship and was named MVP in that tournament. His ability to come off of ball screens and make plays is exceptional and his skill set is very well suited for the FIBA-ruled game. In just a couple of runs this summer, he has shown great leadership skills, he will have an immediate impact on our team."

Cohee, a 6-foot-4 guard from Langley, B.C., will be trading one T-Birds jersey for another, as he transfers from Southern Utah University, an NCAA Division I school in Cedar City that competes in the Big Sky Conference. Cohee will have two years of U SPORTS eligibility remaining.

"It's close to home, Vancouver's a beautiful city, a lot of my friends and family can come watch me play which I like," said Cohee. "You look at someone like Conor (Morgan) who's playing professionally now. If we can go win a national championship we can put our names out there and help build the resume for a pro career."

He's the second NCAA transfer introduced in as many days by UBC basketball after the announcement of Manroop Clair's signing yesterday. The pair will be reunited after playing club basketball at Drive, and for a couple of years at Seattle University.

"I had a ton of Division I offers, 40 plus, it was tough to decide if I should come home or not but ultimately I want to win a national championship and leave a legacy here before I go play professionally," said Cohee. "Manroop and I have always talked about teaming up and it kind of fell into place."
 

The graduate of Walnut Grove Secondary School appeared in 32 games last season for SUU, starting 31, and had the most floor time of any player on the roster (1,076 minutes played).

Cohee led the Thunderbirds with 98 assists, and averaged 12.6 points per game, third best on the SUU roster. He was the squad's top scorer in eight contests, with his season high being a 25-point performance on Dec. 6, 2017 against Long Beach State. Cohee pulled in a career-high eight rebounds vs. Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) on Nov. 21, 2017, concluding the year with a total of 79.

After making 105 of 132 opportunities (79.5 per cent), Cohee also topped all SUU players in free throws made.
 

"His ability to shoot the ball has really improved," commented Hanson. "His game will really blossom with the FIBA rules, lots of ball screens, him coming off ball screens, making plays. He loves to pass the ball so he's not just a shooting guard or a point guard, he's a universal player. I'm looking forward to helping him reach his ultimate goal of playing professional basketball after university."

Before Southern Utah, Cohee played two years at Seattle University, an NCAA Division I program in the Western Athletic Conference.

In his rookie season (2014-15), Cohee averaged 5.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 18.4 minutes played per contest. He recorded 7.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 20.8 minutes per appearance for Seattle in the 2015-16 season.

In his Grade 11 year at Walnut Grove, Cohee was named the Most Valuable Player of the BC High School Boys 4A Basketball Tournament after leading the Gators to the provincial title.
 

Cohee also brings international experience to UBC. He was the starting point guard for the Canadian team that placed fifth at the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Heraklion, Greece, where he led the team in assists per game while shooting 45.8 per cent from the field and 36.4 per cent from distance.

With Phil Jalalpoor, Conor Morgan, and Luka Zaharijevic graduating from last year's roster, Hanson is excited to bring in a pair of star players with previous university experience in Cohee and Clair.

"Having these two guys sign is a huge asset for us," said Hanson. "They get a chance now to really come in here to a situation where they can be impact players right away and play a huge role in the development of some really talented younger players we have in the program.

The latest signing rounds out this year's recruiting class for UBC basketball, a group that also includes Clair, guard Jack Cruz-Dumont of Vancouver, and forward Lincoln Rosebush of Guelph, Ont.