Traer finds new Olympic path: Women’s 3-on-3 basketball
Catherine Traer was on top of the basketball world during her fifth and final university season in 2017-18.
The political science master’s student from Chelsea had every right to feel that way as her Carleton Ravens women’s team experienced an improbable season.
The Ravens played 28 regular season and playoff games and never experienced defeat. Traer was player of the game in the OUA final against the University of Windsor, contributing significantly in all stats columns.
At the U Sports championship, Carleton celebrated its first national women’s basketball title and Traer again was a driving force. She scored a miraculous basketball with 1.6 seconds left for a 46-44 semifinal win over McGill University. In the final, she had a game-high 21 points as Carleton stormed past the University of Saskatchewan 69-48. Traer was the Ravens’ player of the game both times and a tournament all-star.
Three weeks later, she was in Australia, playing for Canada at the Commonwealth Games. Averaging more than 21 minutes of floor time, Traer was a regular contributor as Canada finished fourth.
Everything was good in Traer’s basketball world. She was filled with confidence and looking forward to playing professionally in Europe. The sounds of success were still ringing in her ears.
Then, suddenly, everything went silent. Traer never heard from any European clubs. There were no contract offers. It was devastating for the determined two-way player, whose life away from the classroom revolved around a basketball court.
“I tried to go pro, follow
Tommy (Scrubb, her fiancé) and talk to agents and teams. But there was nothing. It was a hard reality check,” Traer said. “I had an identity crisis. Where do I go from here?”
Scrubb, who married Traer in August, had strong credentials coming out of Dave Smart’s men’s program in 2015 and has played top-flight basketball in Europe since. He signed with
SIG Strasbourg in France for the 2019-20 season after playing in Italy in 2018-19.
Being offered a European women’s club pro contract isn’t easy, as teams can take a maximum of only two imports, which are usually filled by WNBA players.
Last January, Traer retreated from the court and took a contract job in Ottawa with Global Affairs Canada. Basketball was gently pushed to the back burner. But she continued to train just in case. Smart move.
In June, her cellphone rang. It was a moment that would put the air back in her basketball and may even take her to her first Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.
“I got a call from one of the Plouffe sisters (Michelle) and she asked me if I’d be interested in joining her team. It took me back into basketball,” Traer said about accepting an invitation to play 3-on-3, a brand that’s relatively new to Canada.
Michelle had suffered a broken hand, and the team needed a capable replacement.
For Traer, 3-on-3 would be an eye-opener.
“It took me the whole summer to adjust. It’s like basketball rugby. The refs are told to let things go.”
FIBA, the world governing body, had earlier developed this off-season game for men, but only introduced the five-month 3-on-3 Women’s Series in May. For the Canadian team, which was organized by twin former national team players Michelle and Katherine Plouffe, it was an expensive adventure.
There were 28 women’s teams, each with a maximum roster of six players, and 27 represented their national federations. The players from Canada weren’t financially supported by Canada Basketball because the national association didn’t have funds to assist the team.
As frustrating as that was for a team that had a $70,000 budget, no federal aid, no sponsorships and a pay-to-play rule, Canada became the second-best team in the Women’s Series.
These pioneer players — the Plouffes, Traer, Brittany Johnson, Paige Crozon and Mariah Nunes — dug deep to pay the FIBA registration fee and for travel, accommodation and food.
To make matters worse, the Canadian players can only dream of the money they could have won to cover their costs. The Canadian team played in seven of the 15 tour stops and won its final four tournaments in Prague, Bucharest, Montreal and Edmonton with a 19-1 record.
If the women had the same prize money schedule as the men, they would have received $120,000, or $30,000 for each tournament win. Instead, the Canadian women received watches for their titles as FIBA couldn’t find sponsors for the Women’s Series.
Traer played in three tournaments. She was flying to France in mid-July for her brother’s wedding, so she changed her flight to go a week earlier to play outdoors in the blistering heat in front of city hall in Poitiers.
She drove to Montreal, where the games were held inside a huge tent near a bridge. She flew to Edmonton on airline points and played inside the West Edmonton Mall.
The 3-on-3 game is like rugby sevens and beach volleyball. It is a fast-paced, dynamic and edgier version of the traditional game. It caught the eye of the International Olympic Committee and is part of the 2020 Summer Games program.
There will be eight women’s 3-on-3 basketball teams at the 2020 Olympics. Canada hopes to earn its ticket by finishing in the top three at a qualifying tournament in March 2020.
“(Playing 3-on-3 has) given me a confidence boost to play again,” Traer said. “My husband plays and he supports my hobby. I am lucky and grateful.”
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