By Libaan Osman
OTTAWA—The U Sports All-Canadian awards reception took place at the Canadian Museum of History on March 4—and Ryerson Rams men’s basketball guard Tevaun Kokko was named to the All-Canadian second-team.
Kokko led Ryerson this season in scoring, averaging 23.7 points per game on 45.2 per cent shooting from deep.
After leaving Laurier University in 2018 and taking a year off school, Kokko transferred to Ryerson this past summer to continue his playing career.
“There was a time where I didn’t want to play basketball,” Kokko told The Eye. “With the love I had, the motivation and maturity I gained from being out last year, I knew that I’d be in a much better position.”
The third-year guard couldn’t be in attendance for the reception, as he’s currently studying for midterms back at Ryerson, but he credited his friends and family for helping him get to this point.
“My family, my grandmother and obviously my teammates,” said Kokko. “They stuck with me, they were confident in me [and] kept believing in me.”
This is the first time Kokko has been named to a U Sports All-Canadian team.
“You don’t really think about [winning these awards] during the season,” said Kokko. “But reflecting back, you appreciate the recognition.”
Kokko was previously selected twice as an Ontario University Athletics second-team all-star in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 season.
The reception was highlighted by Jenna Mae Ellsworth from the University of Prince Edward Island and Brett Layton from the Calgary Dinos being named U Sports women’s and men’s players of the year.
Also, earning coach of the year was Brock women’s basketball head coach Mike Rao and Dalhousie men’s basketball coach Rick Plato.
