The University of Victoria Vikes men’s basketball team are pleased to announce the commitment of 17-year-old Oak Bay Secondary standout Diego Maffia for the 2019-20 season.
“We are thrilled to welcome Diego to our program next year,” said Vikes head coach Craig Beaucamp.”He is a generational talent who has been one of the top high school player in British Columbia the past few years. Diego has the ability to score in a variety of ways and is arguably one of the greatest shooters in B.C. high school basketball history. We truly believe he has the potential to be an elite U SPORTS athlete.”
Maffia was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil before moving to Victoria in 2015 where he has spent his high school days playing for Oak Bay secondary starting in grade nine. The Brazilian has also been apart of the Vikes Nation club basketball program from 2016-2018, spending significant time playing under current Vikes assistant coach Josh Mullen.
“It is special moment for our coaching staff knowing that Diego has grown his game within our Vikes Nation program and down the road at Oak Bay under coach Chris Franklin,” added Beaucamp. “We are lucky to have had the chance to see him develop right before our eyes.”
The six-foot-one point guard already has several individual athlete awards, tournament MVP awards and team accomplishments on his basketball resume. Most notably Maffia was named a First Team All-Star as a member of the B.C. provincial team at the 2018 Canada Basketball National Championships.
“Diego’s strength is definitely his ability to score but he also has a tremendous feel for the game,” said Beaucamp. “He has the ability to make the players around him better as he draws more and more attention from opposing defenders.”
Diego Maffia in action at Oak Bay Secondary in Victoria
Maffia holds the B.C. provincial boys single-game scoring record. The Oak Bay guard posted 94 points in his team’s 114-88 win against the Ross Shepard Thunderbirds on Feb. 9, 2019 at the Western Canadian Invitational tournament in Kelowna, B.C. The 94-point performance beat the previous record set by Greg DeVries in 1991. DeVries went on to play for the Alberta Golden Bears for his university career.
“I am very excited to begin my university basketball career next fall at UVic,” said Maffia. “The facilities I will have the opportunity to train and play in are outstanding and I am looking forward to working with the coaching staff in preparations for my first season.”
Maffia plans to enroll in Kinesiology when he arrives at the University of Victoria campus in the fall of 2019.
“I believe UVic has everything I need to be successful both on and off the court. What the school has to offer is a perfect fit for myself both academically and athletically.”
Full Name: Diego Maffia
Current Age: 17
Position: Point guard
Intended Major/program: Kinesiology
Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Previous Teams: Oak Bay High School (2015-2019), Vikes Nation Club (2016-2018) and Sociedade Hipica de Campinas (2013-2015)
Previous team placings/tournaments/awards
-1stPlace at 2016 Emerald Tournament
-1stPlace at 2017 Tsumura Invitational Tournament
-1stPlace at 2017 Islands Championships
-1stPlace at 2018 Emerald Tournament
-1stPlace at 2018 Islands Championships
-1stPlace at 2018 3D Spring Showcase
-1stPlace at 2018 Drive Spring Classic
-1stPlace at 2018 Vikes Nation Shootout
-1stPlace at 2018 Athelite Summer Classic
-1stPlace at 2019 Islands Championships
Previous Individual Awards
-2016/2017 Junior Male Athlete of the Year
-2017/2018 Senior Male Athlete of the Year
-2017 Gary Taylor Tournament First Team All-Star
-2017 Tsumura Tournament MVP
-2018 Emerald Tournament MVP
-2018 Island Championships MVP
-2018 Western Canadian Championship Second Team All-Star
-2018 Gary Taylor Tournament First Team All-Star
-2018 Canada Basketball National Championship First Team All-Star
-2019 Island Championships MVP
-2019 Western Canadian Championship First Team All-Star
