and both left their mark on Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 basketball community.

This weekend, the duo and former teammates with the KSS Owls are coming home.

Shephard, Bourcier and the T-Birds will pay a visit to the UBC Okanagan campus for a pair of Canada West men乌鸦传媒檚 basketball games against the hometown Heat.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 going to be a cool experience, coming home and seeing a lot of the people I played basketball with and grew up with,乌鸦传媒� said Bourcier, a 6-foot-4 guard who is averaging 24 minutes and 4.7 points per game in his freshman season. 乌鸦传媒淚 know in talking to my dad, he said quite a few people are planning on coming. It should be a fun atmosphere.乌鸦传媒�

Ex-Owl teammate Parker Simson is also a member of the UBC roster but has yet to suit up for the T-Birds this season.

As Grade 11 players, Bourcier and Shephard乌鸦传媒攁long with Simson乌鸦传媒攆ormed a potent combination at KSS, helping lead the Owls to both the B.C. 4A boys high school title and Western Canada Basketball Tournament title in 2016.

When Shephard moved to Florida for his senior year of high school, Bourcier remained in Kelowna, guiding the Owls back to the final of the provincial championship and a silver-medal finish.

Both players spent many hours at the UBC Okanagan campus, honing their skills with the Heat program, eventually leading to the start of their university careers at UBC.

Like Bourcier, Shephard is excited to be headed back into familiar territory. Among the players on the hometown UBCO roster is an ex-Owls乌鸦传媒� teammate, Owen Keyes.

乌鸦传媒淚 played and trained a lot at UBCO, so it乌鸦传媒檚 a special place for me,乌鸦传媒� said the 6-foot-10 Shephard. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檒l be great to see friends and family, kind of bit of a throwback weekend, I guess.

乌鸦传媒淚 think people will be cheering for both sides,乌鸦传媒� Shephard added. 乌鸦传媒淚 think it乌鸦传媒檚 going to be awesome.乌鸦传媒�

After signing with UBC last spring, Shephard went on to enjoy international success, helping Canada to its first ever gold medal at the FIBA U-19 world championship in Cairo, Egypt.

乌鸦传媒淚t was an amazing experience, something I乌鸦传媒檒l never forget,乌鸦传媒� he said.

At UBC, Shephard and Bouricer have been on a learning curve in their freshman seasons with the Thunderbirds (11-3), currently ranked the No. 6 men乌鸦传媒檚 team in the country.

Shephard, who has been averaging 14 minutes and nine points per game this season, said he feels his 乌鸦传媒渄evelopment has come along the last couple of months and my shot is a lot better.乌鸦传媒�

Bourcier, logging 24 minutes and averaging 4.7 points per night, says he乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒渓earned a lot the first couple of months, not just as a basketball player, but I乌鸦传媒檝e grown as a person, too.乌鸦传媒�

As for his new team乌鸦传媒檚 potential, Bourcier likes the T-Birds chances of taking the 2017-18 season deep into the playoffs.

乌鸦传媒淲e have a really good team and lot of good players here,乌鸦传媒� Bourcier said. 乌鸦传媒淚 feel like we really do have a shot at a national title.乌鸦传媒�

The Heat and Thunderbirds will tip off Friday乌鸦传媒檚 game at the UBCO campus gym at 8 p.m. The teams will meet again Saturday at 7 p.m.