Universiade (Aug. 10): Family reunion in Shenzhen

Photo credit Francois Laplante, Freestyle Photography

SHENZHEN, China (CIS) – Growing up in Canada, the dream for any athlete is to have the opportunity to wear the Maple Leaf emblazoned across your chest at an international competition. For University of British Columbia men’s basketball player Nathan Yu, the dream intersects with his family’s personal journey, returning to the place his father called home to represent Canada at the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, China.

Yu, who hails from Prince George, B.C., is one of six Canadian athletes set to compete in Shenzhen either born in China or who hold Chinese passports, a list that includes John Chan (Taekwondo/UBC/Richmond, B.C.), Peng Guo (Table Tennis/Ecole de technologie supérieure/Montreal), Carl Ho (Tennis/University of New Mexico/Richmond, B.C.), Ling Kun Yang (Table Tennis/Vanier College/Laval, Que.) and Jessica Ho (Rhythmic Gymnastics/UBC/Vancouver).

Nathan’s father Simon left Hong Kong at the age of 16, sent to boarding school in Prince George without knowing a word of English. As a student, Simon watched one day as one of his teachers, an Irish immigrant by the name of John Furlong (the same Furlong who would later serve as chief executive officer for VANOC), picked up a basketball and connected on a half court shot. It was love at first sight.

Simon imparted his love for basketball to his children. Nathan’s older brother Jordan played three seasons at UBC and is now the head coach at Capilano University in North Vancouver, while Nathan starred at Vancouver College and in the fall returns to UBC for his fifth year of CIS eligibility.

But when news came that the 2011 Summer Universiade would be taking place in Shenzhen, less than a 45-minute drive from Hong Kong, excitement around the Yu household began to build.

“We knew it was going to be a possibility [of making the team], statistically I had a good [2010-11 season], but you don’t know until you get the call,” said Yu, whose Thunderbirds made their third straight CIS championship semifinal appearance this past spring. “And when I got the news, I remember calling my dad and he was just screaming, it was incredible because I knew how much this meant to him, the journey has come full circle.”

Simon is traveling to the games to watch his son and will be serving as an unofficial tour guide to the men’s basketball team. The plan involves taking the team to some local restaurants, shopping and possibly a trip in to Hong Kong depending on the team’s schedule.
Yu and Team Canada are in Pool B, and open the tournament on Saturday, August 13, against Turkey. The next day, the Canadians face the defending Universiade champions from Serbia. They then compete against Australia on August 17, before closing out pool play on Thursday, August 18, versus of all teams - Hong Kong.

Canada’s men’s basketball team has only been together for a week, however Yu has the added benefit of playing for his UBC head coach Kevin Hanson.

“Playing for Kevin here is awesome, we have a really good relationship and I know he is looking to me to be a leader on this team, because we are so familiar I can help communicate what he is trying to accomplish to the team,” he added. “[Team Canada’s] chemistry is good and we are getting along really well. We are in a really tough and physical pool, we just need to compete as hard as we can and leave it all on the floor.”

-CIS-