VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds men's basketball program is thrilled to announce the signing of one of the most sought-after homegrown talents in Adam Olsen who will join the squad in the fall of 2023.
 
The Surrey native is a unique recruit who at six-foot-7 and 200 pounds is a silky face up player that can score in transition as a three-point specialist with a quick release. That versatility in a big frame allows Olsen to play shooting guard or small forward and he's expected to have an immediate impact with the T-Birds after starring both in the classroom as a straight-A student and on the court for the Elgin Park Orcas over the last five years. Olsen will turn 18 this coming September when he'll head down the highway to the Point Grey campus to begin his UBC career studying Arts.
 
"We are very excited to soon welcome Adam to our team," said UBC head coach Kevin Hanson. "He's a tremendous basketball player and person, I think from a skillset standpoint being 6-foot-7 and a dead-eye three-point shooter really forces teams to have to expand their defensive tactics against us. He's going to spread the floor, put the ball on the floor, he can score inside by dunking on people, he just has a dynamic offensive skillset. He's obviously spent a lot of time on his craft, he loves the game, loves to compete, the desire to compete and play is extreme and just as important he thrives on the academic side as well with a desire to be a high achiever. That certainly bodes well for us and UBC that we're getting a quality student and person coming here to play."
 

Olsen is coming off back-to-back athlete of the year awards at Elgin Park where he's been a dual-sport threat from grade eight through grade 12 and last season led the Orcas to second place finishes at the Triple A provincial championship in both basketball and volleyball. The first-team provincial all-star in basketball credits some volleyball fundamentals for helping improve his vertical and balance, all skills that cross over well between the court sports and have no doubt helped him average 30 points, six rebounds and five assists to set the bar for the Orcas in his grade 12 season.
 
"I'm very confident in my shooting abilities from anywhere on the court and my work ethic has always been a calling card," commented Olsen, while visiting historic War Memorial Gym on signing day." I look forward to testing myself at the next level while also focusing on improving my physical strength and defensive presence."
 
Olsen's basketball journey became increasingly serious beginning in grade three when he joined the Drive Basketball club and developed his game there until grade 9. In grade 10, Olsen moved to the AthElite club program where he started to take off and credits coach, Rupinder Dahia and co-owner Aman Heren for their guidance and flexibility in opening the gym for him on most days at 6:30 a.m. to train before school. Olsen is also grateful to his most recent mentor in Orcas head coach Kirk Homenick, whose substantially helped shape his overall game including the mental side of it over the last two seasons and together they prepare for another run at the Triple A provincial championship tournament this spring.
 
Undeniably helping in Olsen's upward trajectory was a significant growth spurt during the summer heading into grade 11 that saw six inches added to his frame. Usually such a big change in a short time could make for on-court awkwardness and time needed to adjust your game accordingly, however Olsen adapted quickly. He credits the most influential basketball figure in his life, his father Mark for ensuring that transition was as smooth as possible. Mark, was a standout player in his own right as a power forward for Langara College in the mid 1970s before he joined the UBC Thunderbirds for the 1977-78 season paving the way for the blue and gold to beckon the family some 45 years later. Mark coached Adam from grade 5 to grade 10 and one of his ardent philosophies was to always have Adam play significant time as a point guard no matter what size he was in order for him to get continuous touches on the ball while encouraging an understanding of court vision.


 
"I chose to study and play at UBC because of the high standard of education that is offered combined with the rich athletic history and expectations that go along with being a Thunderbird," added Olsen. "The opportunity to play in my hometown was a big factor and to be able to make a name for myself especially after my dad played here back in the day. I think it's pretty special to follow in his footsteps and I appreciate his impact on me and my game. I look forward to growing with my teammates and coaches in a proven program."


 
"My wife Evon and I are so excited at Adam's opportunity," said Mark Olsen. He's going to play for a great coach in Kevin Hanson and an excellent program while getting a valuable education. It will also be special to see him wear the same jersey and compete on the same court that I did years ago, there are some great memories here and we look forward to making more."
 
Olsen has gained valuable experience and proven he can play at several levels, last summer he was a starter for the Under-18 BC provincial team that earned the silver medal competing against team Ontario at the Canada Games championship final in Niagara Falls, Ont. Prior to that opportunity Olsen was named MVP of the Surrey RCMP basketball tournament in January of 2022 after leading Elgin Park to a third place finish, he was the first recipient to earn the award and not be in the championship game.


 
"He has set high goals for himself, he's expressed a vision of how he wants basketball and his life to go," expressed Hanson. "He's still a young man but that is the sign of a really mature student-athlete and this is why we worked so hard to recruit Adam. There was keen interest in him as a high commodity as a player, we've been following him for a few years, had the chance to see him play and he just kept getting better and better. He's very well rounded with good habits, he's an incredible scorer, teams look to double team him and he's very adept at passing the ball to his teammates even though he wants the ball when the game is on the line but it really caught my eye how he involves his teammates.
 
Hanson is fully aware that Olsen is a rare find who promises to bolster the 'Birds attack heading into the 2023-24 season.
 
"I'm not hesitant to say that I have extremely high expectations for Adam," concluded Hanson. "There's some players in high school that you recruit and they need time to adapt but he's played against older guys at high levels and he never backs down from anybody so I'm expecting him to be a big contributor to our team next year."