Timberwolves Unleashed

There might not be another person on the planet who bleeds for UNBC and Prince George quite to the degree that Mr. Timberwolf, Dennis Stark does.

His tenure at UNBC as a basketball player, then coach and employee now spans 18 years (and counting) and includes such honors as: A Wall of Honour induction (2021), a CCAA national championship (2010), two BCCAA Provincial championships and five individual awards.

Today Stark proudly serves as UNBC's Senior Director, Enrolment Management & Strategy - while continuing to support a place and a basketball program that has given him countless memories and life experiences. 

In Episode 22, Stark proudly shares some of those life-changing experiences and so much more!

--

**Programming Note**

The "Timberwolves Unleashed" podcast is taking a break!

Starting Monday, June 16 the host, Dan O'Connor will be starting a Parental Leave as he and his wife are set to welcome their second child to the world. But fear not - Season 2 of the podcast will begin again in early August, right in time for the 2025 soccer seasons.

A sincere thank you to everybody who has supported this show during it's first six months of life, and there are still countless more stories that we are excited to share with you in the months to come.

One of the most competitive and relentless athletes to ever take to the court at UNBC shares his story!

Vova Pluzhnikov (Kharkiv, UKR) remains one of the all-time greats in the history of the UNBC Men's Basketball program. His name is stapled at or near the top of almost all offensive school records, but his impact on this place stretches far beyond the court. 

His "Run for Ukraine" in May, 2022 transcended both sports and UNBC, and managed to unite the Prince George community in an incredibly positive way.

Today he remains a proud resident of Prince George, and contributes to his community as both a Financial Advisor at RBC and also as an assistant coach with the UNBC Men's Basketball program.

As great an ambassador for UNBC as you'll ever find, Vova Pluzhnikov's Episode 21 conversation is one you won't want to miss.

In February of 2019, Olivia Wilson was on top of the Canadian University basketball world. She and her teammates at McMaster University teammates had captured the U SPORTS National Championship, and with two seasons of eligibility still remaining, no doubt there would be opportunities to once again challenge for national supremacy. 

So how did Olivia Wilson go from McMaster University, a 30-minute drive away from her hometown in Oakville, to the University of Northern British Columbia in 2022? Further beyond that, after finishing her U SPORTS basketball journey at UNBC during the 2022-23 season, why did she stay? What is it about UNBC, Prince George and this part of the world that has kept her here? Hint: A passion for this place, a passion for the environment, and an incredible passion for birds!

Yes, in Episode 20 of "Timberwolves Unleashed" we're going to hear all about Olivia's incredible basketball journey that has ultimately led to her serving as an assistant coach on the UNBC Women's basketball sideline. But Wilson also keeps her life plenty busy by working for the Government, and scouting out new birds.

Any guesses as to how many different birds she has seen and photographed so far in her life?

That answer and so much more lies ahead on the latest episode of the "Timberwolves Unleashed" podcast.

Episode 19 is here and features a conversation with one of the most revered, hard-working and humble student athletes to recently walk through these halls - Daniel Zadravec.

Zad's tenure at UNBC spanned six years, and during that time he earned Academic All-Canadian honours six times. Additionally he became a conference all-star (2022), a team MVP (2023) and set the single-season saves record for Canada West which still stands today.

Now a professional goalkeeper with Pacific FC, Dan Zadravec's soccer journey has not always been a smooth one. But luckily the support of his teammates, coaches and family coupled with his god-given talent, has allowed him to continue marching forward, even when times were at their toughest.

We dare you not to smile when you dive in to Dan's journey through life and soccer on Episode 19 of "Timberwolves Unleashed."

Bella Mesquita's time as a student at UNBC Is fast coming to a close.

The Calgary, AB product has spent the past five years here, and in a matter of days the outgoing President of the Timberwolves Student Athlete Society be walking across the convocation stage and straight into the next chapter of her life.

Bella's five-year stint at UNBC wasn't always easy. There were some dark and difficult days to be sure. But Bella's growth and evolution over the course of those five years is undeniable.

The best memories associated with this chapter of her life include: the life-long friendships made, community outreach, and yes even the occasional early morning pushup during basketball practice.

A multiple-time Academic All-Canadian, a recent Leadership Award recipient for her team and a true first-class ambassador of this place, Bella Mesquita's authenticity and kindness are on full display during this Episode 18 conversation.

There’s no other way to better put it: Kaz Ikuta is a UNBC legend.

In 1999 he began his UNBC tenure as a volunteer assistant coach with the UNBC men’s and women’s basketball teams, but fast forward to today, and Ikuta has amassed over 25-years’ worth of memories and stories from this place.

Perhaps best known as the long-time Events Coordinator for UNBC Athletics, Kaz Ikuta personified hard-work, selflessness, and an athlete-first mentality. His legacy continues to be felt positively today thanks to the incredible, yet subtle impact that his words and actions have had on UNBC student-athletes past and present.

It’s an honour to have Kaz Ikuta join the show for Episode 17 of “Timberwolves Unleashed.”

Avery Nystedt was and is a culture-shaper.

The recently graduated alumna from the UNBC Women's Soccer program played a over 3500 minutes for the TWolves over the span of three seasons (2021-2024) and provided consistency, reliability and leadership - to the point where her contributions on and off the pitch continue to be felt positively even though she's no longer attending UNBC.

In Episode 16, Nystedt dives into her family's deep-rooted love for soccer and how a close relationship with her older sister Hallie and a long-standing rapport with TWolves Women's Soccer head coach Neil Sedgwick paved the way for Avery to carve her own unique UNBC path. 

**Please SHARE, SUBSCRIBE and leave a FIVE-STAR rating.**

Episode 15 of "Timberwolves Unleashed" has dropped, and this week features a candid conversation with Year 1 UNBC Men's Soccer midfielder Mehdi Bounaaja.

Mehdi's charm and confidence are immediately evident, but what make's him even easier to root for is the amount of injury adversity he's been forced to deal with over the course of his formative soccer years, including a major spine surgery and a recent knee surgery.

But through the injury challenges, Bounaaja's confidence and self-belief remain unwavering, and as the UNBC Men's soccer program continues to grow with their young core of players - a healthy, motivated Bounaaja figures to play a big part in that future success.

In this conversation, Mehdi touches on his introduction to UNBC and what factors ultimately sold him on this place. Plus he takes us through the highs and lows from Year 1 and shares why he feels so excited about/connected to this place after such a short time.

Episode 14 of the "Timberwolves Unleashed" Podcast has dropped and features an honest, charming conversation with UNBC Women's Basketball forward Brynn Dergousoff.

Dergousoff grew up in Prince George and developed a love for basketball at a very young age. Her love for basketball was pre-destined considering her father Dale's history in the game, and in high school Brynn played a big role on a dominant Duchess Park program.

But when high school ended, plans changed.

Dergousoff put basketball on hold, and hopped on a plane to New Zealand to begin the post-secondary chapter of her life.

But her love for basketball never truly went away, and about a year ago, the time was right for Brynn to return home to take her rightful place on a UNBC Women's basketball roster.

In Episode 14, Brynn touches on all of the above, and dives deeper into an impactful first season at UNBC and all of the excitement that lies ahead for her and her teammates.

In Episode 13 of "Timberwolves Unleashed" we meet the man behind the mic of the UNBC Timberwolves home games.

Brendan Pawliw has done play-by-play for UNBC soccer and basketball since 2015, and over the course of (nearly) 10 years, he's been the voice behind countless big moments on the pitch and the court.

Originally from Regina, SK - Pawliw arrived in Prince George in June of 2015, and before you knew it, he had cannonballed his way into the Prince George sports scene, where he remains as a vital figure today.

Pawliw's passion, energy, reliability and knowledge not only make for entertaining, informative broadcasts - but when the stream begins and Pawliw starts calling the action, he also serves as a direct conduit between the UNBC student-athletes and their family and friends that are tuning in from afar.

In Episode 13 he shares how his love for broadcasting started, and also talks about his early introduction to UNBC athletics and how things have evolved over time. 

As an institution and as a community, we're lucky to have Brendan as a part of our operation, and this conversation is not to be missed.