Preview by Steve Braverman in the Vancouver Echo ahead of the 1993 city championships (the clipping carries no printed date; the issue is the one immediately before the championships of Feb. 10-13, 1993, most likely Wednesday, February 3). John Oliver finished the league season 10-0, closing it out by beating Killarney 116-94 on the Monday night, and Killarney ended 8-2, its only losses to JO. The article contains the line Brian Seebaran remembered word for word for over thirty years: the Cougar who "clawed out 37 points" in the loss. It also confirms, in print, the year before: John Oliver "was knocked out in the Lower Mainland playoffs by their East Vancouver nemesis 91-73 last year" — Killarney's 91-73 elimination of the Jokers in 1992. JO coach Joe Kainer called Jason Zoney and Brian Seebaran "the two best offensive players in the zone," and Seebaran — held up as the Cougars' leader, with Zoney shut down to 13 points on the Monday — wanted one more meeting in the city final: "We can beat them... It's always a big game for us." The full article text appears in the photograph above.
Transcription (as printed):
Headline: “JO’s Kainer looks to cap season at city championships” — By Steve Braverman, Echo Reporter:
What could be worse than putting a perfect season on the line in the City Championships?
That is the question plaguing John Oliver Jokers senior boys basketball team head coach, Joe Kainer, after his team finished league play at 10-0.
“They’re confident in their abilities and sense that they are a good team,” said Kainer after the 116-94 victory over the Killarney Cougars Monday afternoon to close out the regular season. “I don’t think losing ever gives you confidence.”
Killarney ended its season 8-2, with its only losses to JO.
Ironically, their positions were reversed last year with the Jokers’ only losses at the hands of the Cougars.
And John Oliver was knocked out in the Lower Mainland playoffs by their East Vancouver nemesis 91-73 last year so this is poetic justice for Kainer and his boys.
“We’ve always had good competition against Killarney,” said Kainer. “Jason Zoney and Brian Seebaran are the two best offensive players in the zone.”
So the only direction to look now is forward to the City Championships where previous records are erased and every team that qualified is unbeaten.
Kainer predicts his team will likely face the Magee Flying Lions from Vancouver West, even though he hasn’t seen them play.
“I know nothing about them,” said Kainer Monday before scouting Magee yesterday. “You look for defensive tendencies, what they do on offence and if they have special players.”
Cusick says he will also take some time and watch a few potential opponents although he does not work at it too intensely.
“I don’t even take a pen or pencil,” quipped Cusick. “But I try to recognize ball players to see if they consistently go left or right.
“I see if they play a zone defence or man-to-man and how they handle a press.”
Brian Seebaran, the Cougar who clawed out 37 points leading the Killarney scoring parade again in their Monday night loss, knows the Jokers only too well and looks forward to another meeting. Just one more.
That game — perhaps coincidentally, perhaps a matter of divine intervention — would come in the city championship finals.
“We can beat them,” says the gangly Seebaran who has consistently led the Cougars all year along with Jason Zoney, the forward who was shut down by JO Monday night and counted only 13 points. “I know we can beat them and we’d like one more chance to play them this year.” The game that would come in little over a week from now.
“It’s always a big game for us. We like to play JO and I’m really looking forward to playing them one more time. I really think we can beat them.”
Transcribed from the cleaned scan, 2026-10-20.
Source: The Vancouver Echo, February 1993 (issue before the Feb. 10-13, 1993 city championships).