The Simon Fraser University men’s basketball program has signed its first two student-athletes in the 2018 recruiting class, inking B.C. High School Boys 4-A MVP Jusuf Sehic from the provincial champion Burnaby South Rebels and six-foot-four guard Wilfried Balata out of prestigious Thetford Academy in Thetford Mines, Que.
The duo will be joining the Clan men’s program in the fall of 2018.
Sehic led the eighth-seeded Rebels to their first provincial title in 29 years with an 80-72 win over Semiahmoo Totems in March.
A six-foot-seven forward, Sehic put up 18 points and 10 rebounds against the Totems. He had 17 points and 17 rebounds in a 78-66 win over the top-seeded Oak Bay Bays earlier in the tournament.
“Jusuf made the move from being more of a centre-forward to a perimeter player in Grade 11 and that’s not an easy transition at any level,” said SFU head coach Steve Hanson. “But that switch enabled him to expand his game and to give Burnaby South a lot of options when Jusuf had mismatches.”
Sehic will be entering the faculty of computing science at SFU.
Balata comes to the Clan from the outstanding program in Thetford Academy where the school plays one of the most competitive schedules in Canada and the U.S., creating battle-tested players that are NCAA-ready.
Balata played both guard positions in high school, averaging 19.7 points per game, 6.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He was a first-team provincial all-star.
“Wilfried is a solid defender and he rebounds the ball really well,” said Hanson. “He’s a very unselfish player who will be able to push the ball up the floor and create opportunities in transition.”
SFU’s Beedie School of Business was a key factor in Balata’s decision.
Basketball is a family affair for the Quebec native. His younger sister, Wayny, represented Canada at the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship.
Hanson also acknowledged that four underclassmen will not be returning to the team in 2018-19. Junior forward Tyrell Lewin, sophomore forward Aleks Vranjes, freshman forward Matthew O’Brien and redshirt centre EJ Christie have all moved on. Lewin started 27 games, averaging six points and 5.1 rebounds while Vranjes and O’Brien, who was injured early in the season, saw limited minutes.
