Former Owls star forward joins the UBC Thunderbirds

The University of British Columbia men's basketball team has signed Grant Shephard, a former forward for the Kelowna Owls and the Montverde Academy in Florida, U.S.

The UBC Thunderbirds and UBC Athletics announced the signing of the 6'10, Junior National Team star on Friday

"This is an incredible day for UBC Basketball," began UBC Head Coach Kevin Hanson. "Getting a player as high profile and as highly skilled as Grant is truly a remarkable day for our program. Despite Grant having several offers from NCAA Division 1 schools, he decided playing and studying at UBC was the right fit for him. He is a special player, a special person, which makes this a special day for UBC basketball."

When playing for the Kelowna Owls in his grade 11 year, Shephard led the team to the quad-A BC Boy’s High School Championship title after scoring 31 points and grabbing 22 rebounds in the championship final game against the Tamanawis (Surrey). Shephard was named the Player of the Game and the Tournament MVP.

"I’ve made the decision to continue both my basketball and academic career at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, Canada," said Shephard. "The amount of positive elements and attributes I recognized during my visit to UBC’s campus, such as the proximity of the university to my family and friends, as well as the basketball opportunities that the university has to offer, made it the perfect fit for me."

"I’d like to thank the coaches and staff at Monteverde Academy for all their help and support along my journey. I'd also like to thank Harry Parmar and his staff at Kelowna Secondary School Owls for all their tutelage and support during my two years with the Owls. I’m very excited to play for the Thunderbirds, UBC head coach Kevin Hanson and his staff and become a part of the close basketball family at UBC."

Here's a video of Grant Shephard in action: