‘It’s a dream’: UVic Vikes basketball teammates reunited on Team Canada

Published 1:00 pm Saturday, July 18, 2026

Tyler Felt, along with incoming UVic Vikes transfer Cole Bekkering, have been chosen to represent Canada at the FIBA 3x3 Nations League in Asunción, Paraguay. (Photo courtesy of @vikesmbb/Instagram)

Years after sharing the court as kids in Victoria, Tyler Felt and Cole Bekkering are about to pull on the maple leaf together.

The UVic Vikes teammates have been named to Canada’s U21 men’s team for the FIBA 3×3 Nations League in Asunción, Paraguay.

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The call-up reunites the pair, who shared the floor long before arriving at UVic.

Before heading to Edge School in Calgary, Bekkering played alongside Felt with Bay Nation Basketball Club, where the pair also shared the floor with current Vikes Toren Franklin and Justin Hinrichsen.

“Getting to play with a guy I grew up with at the international level is a dream and I think having our chemistry together will be really good for the team,” Felt told Saanich News.

Canada opens the tournament Monday (July 20) against Argentina before competing in six one-day tournaments over seven days.

Each stop features pool play followed by a final, with teams earning standings points throughout the week.

The top-ranked nation at the end of the tournament will qualify for the 2026 FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup, scheduled for Sept. 15 to 19 in Wuhan, China.

Unlike the traditional five-on-five game, 3×3 is played on a single half court with one basket. Teams have three players on the floor and one substitute, with 10-minute games, a 12-second shot clock and no halftime or quarters. Play continues after made baskets. The first team to 21 points wins, and if the score is tied after regulation, the first team to score two points in overtime takes the game.

Felt believes the fast-paced format suits his game.

“I really like playing in small actions and 3×3 is all about that so I think my play style will work well with that. But it’ll be fun doing things I don’t usually do in games because there is so much more space and movement,” he said.

The six-foot-nine forward is coming off his first season with the Vikes after graduating from Spectrum Community School in 2025. He appeared in 25 games last season, averaging 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, before taking part in the Vancouver Bandits university combine earlier this summer.

Bekkering transferred to UVic in May after spending his freshman season at NCAA Division II Biola University. The six-foot-five guard, originally from Victoria, played his high school basketball at Edge School in Calgary before heading south last season, appearing in 10 games for the Eagles.

With much of the Vikes roster staying in town over the summer, Felt said preparing for the international stage has been a team effort.

“Just getting in at UVic as much as possible, we’re lucky to have so many guys in town for the summer so there has been a consistent plan all through the break,” he said.

The condensed tournament schedule means recovery will be just as important as execution on the court.

“Just making sure we’re taking care of our bodies in between every game so we’re in the best position possible to win. Our goal here is to win the whole thing and secure that qualification for worlds,” he said.

The Vikes duo joins Joshua Ahayere, Andrew McKenna, Nylan Roberts and Andrew Urosevic on Canada’s roster, while the country’s U21 women’s team will also compete in Paraguay during the week-long event.

It marks the second straight year two Vikes have represented Canada at the tournament after Shadynn Smid and Ethan Boag earned national team selections in 2025.

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