DRIVE Basketball :: Player Spotlight : Calvin Westbrook

(Pictured: Left to right, Calvin has helped guide his GP Vanier team to a 23-1 overall record and has been a member of the U-17 provincial team for the past 2 summers.)

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: CALVIN WESTBROOK

Calvin Westbrook has been a local fixture on the BC high school basketball scene for the past 3 years. He has represented BC on the U-15 provincial team and the U-17 (Twice) where he was an intricate part of the team’s success. He was also named to Canada’s Cadet Men’s (U-17) National team that competed in the 2005 USA Youth Development Festival Roster.

This season Calvin has been on an absolute tear help guiding his GP Vanier team to a 23-1 overall record with their only loss coming early in the season to top 10 Centennial Centaurs. Already this season Calvin has garnished the Gus Vesterback MVP, NSIT 1st Team All-star, Mt.Carmel (San Diego) Invitational 1st team All-star, and the Mt. Douglas Rams Invitational MVP. Most recently Calvin has committed to NCAA Division 2 California State University Stanislaus where he looks to take his game to the next level. This season Calvin is averaging and outstanding 32 PPG, 12 RPG, and 5 APG while help leading his team to a top 10 ranking.

Calvin is a silky smooth swingman who is capable of hurting you in numerous ways on the court. “Calvin is a dynamic scorer” says U-17 provincial team coach Scott Allen. “He posesses an offensive game that is pretty rare in BC. Calvin’s fast twitch fiber and explosiveness make him extremely hard to guard as his shooting range opens up the court for easy assists for his teammates.” It was this experience playing with the best players in BC for the past 2 summers that has ultimately helped Calvin get to where he is at today. “Playing with the u17 program not only helped me develop as a player but also as a person” says Westbrook. “Living away from home for the summer and training every day gave me an insight to what university will be like, and how I will be able to adapt to it. It helped me to understand how I need to push myself every minute, whether in practice or in a game, and be selfless to better lead my team. The team and individual coaching I received from Rich Goulet and Scott Allen is the type of coaching that all players in BC need to experience at some point in their basketball careers if they wish to reach the next level. Those two really helped me to understand the finer points of the game mentally and physically. Although in the end I was disappointed with our finish at Canada Summer Games, I still gained a lot of knowledge from two years spent with the BC U-17's.”

Playing for team BC has helped catapult Calvin to an outstanding senior year. “Calvin is one of the hardest workers I've coached,” says Allen. “His work ethic will take him far in his career of basketball and life.” He is the undeniable leader on his team that is focused on winning and nothing else. GP Vanier has a highly skilled team and now they have the player who pushes everyone around him to excel and reach the next level. “We’re strictly focused on winning championships. First the North Islands, then Islands, and finally Provincials, we may be a long shot, but who can forget what Wellington almost pulled off last year.”

DRIVE would like to wish Calvin and his GP Vanier Teammates the best of luck this season.

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