Hoopla surrounds national team
Canadian women’s program happy to make Edmonton home
When Shona Thorburn first started playing for Canadian women’s basketball team more than seven years ago, she says the program could not have been more different than it is now.
“It was kind of night and day, to be honest,” she said. “I remember when I was younger in our first few years, we would get together, practise for two weeks and then get thrown into a big tournament. That was it.”
Even when it came to tryouts for the national team, things were drastically different. “There are more people at training camp today than there ever were when I was younger.”
Things have certainly changed for women’s basketball.
The national team officially made Edmonton and the Saville Community Sports Centre its home base last year and now spends a majority of the summer training for upcoming tournaments. In July, the team will host an exhibition series against the No. 7 ranked Brazil team. Canada is ranked ninth.
The training schedule isn’t the only thing that has got more intense.
When the hopefuls hit the hardwood Thursday, it looked more like a playoff game, not a tryout for the team.
T he scrimmages between the familiar teammates were fierce, with no woman on the court holding back. Three referees were on hand, helping transform the practice into something that felt more like a tournament game. There were even a couple of fouls called.
From the side of the court, one coach sounded as if she were giving the team a halftime pep talk, telling the girls “we know what we are doing here. We can do this!”
The intensity at the practices, says senior women’s basketball head coach Lisa Thomaidis, is an indicator of just how far the sport has come in Canada.
“The talent level is as deep as it’s ever been in this country,” Thomaidis said. “It’s a great sign in terms of the quality of players that we have in camp.
“We’re getting a lot of players too who individually are very dynamic, very athletic and have been go-to players for their professional or collegiate teams.”
A mong those talented players are Edmonton twins Michelle and Katherine Plouffe, who are both thrilled to have their hometown be Canada’s home for women’s basketball.
The pair haven’t played together in four years, after having played college basketball at different schools, Michelle at University of Utah and Katherine at Marquette University.
The Plouffes took a break from basketball last summer to work on development and focus on school, but were eager to return to their home court in Edmonton this year. Although they haven’t made the national team, the Plouffes are excited for the exhibition series against Brazil.
“It’s going to be really exciting to play on home soil and have Canada see how our senior team is developing,” said Katherine.
“I think it’s going to bring a lot of attention to women’s basketball,” said Michelle. “We haven’t had this kind of event here at this level, and I think it’s going to kind of build our fan base in Edmonton and also bring attention to Basketball Alberta.”
The Plouffes aren’t the only ones happy to call Edmonton home.
Thorburn said having a place to regularly train out of has benefited the women’s team.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to have a place to call our home,” she said. “Just the fact that Edmonton has shown such a strong desire to have us here and the commitment they put into basketball, we are so appreciative of.”
In the meantime, Thom aid is and her staff have difficult decisions ahead of them. By the end of the weekend, they will dwindle the group of 20-odd women vying for the limited spots on the senior women’s basketball team to around 15.
“It’s going to be extremely tough,” Thomaidis said. “All these players have shown dedication and commitment to be at this level.”
At the same time, it’s good problem to have.
“Our team is getting bigger every year and we’re getting more experience, ”Thomaid is said. “We have a lot of people playing overseas in professional leagues … it’s a great sign for us.”