The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Ffrench connection with Raptors star
New Minas hoops star has close ties with Acadia honourary doctor Kyle Lowry
Whitney Ffrench didn't offer any advice to Kyle Lowry on his recent video address to the graduating class of Acadia University.
“He's a professional so I don't need to give him advice on anything,” joked Ffrench in a phone interview Monday from her home in New Jersey. “I did tell him about some of the places that he had been when he came for my wedding just to remind him.”
Ffrench, who hails from New Minas, played basketball at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia and was a teammate, roommate and best friend to Ayahna Cornish, the future Mrs. Kyle Lowry.
When Ffrench got married in 2013, the Lowrys travelled to Nova Scotia to be in the wedding party.
It was her father, Robert Ffrench, a member of Acadia's board of governors, who nominated Lowry to receive an honourary doctorate from the university.
On Sunday, the Toronto Raptors star celebrated his Doctor of Humanities with a lengthy address which detailed his challenging childhood in North Philadelphia, the community support he received to attend university and eventually become a six-time NBA all-star and the charitable foundation he and his wife started to help underprivileged people in Toronto and Philadelphia.
“I thought his speech was great,” the 36-year-old Ffrench said. “He was really appreciative and the speech was genuine and heartfelt. I think it was wonderful.”
Ffrench was a point guard for four seasons, three as a starter, at St. Joseph's from 2003 to 2007. Lowry, who played for nearby Villanova University, was omnipresent for their home games.
Cornish and Ffrench were co-captains during their senior year of 2006-07. The St. Joseph's team bio for that season described Ffrench as “a savvy ball handler and adept passer” and an “athletic and aggressive offensive player.”
She was among the Atlantic 10 conference leaders in assists and freethrow percentage in each of her seasons as a starter.
Following her playing career, Ffrench obtained a Masters of Education degree then turned to coaching. She spent five years as an assistant at Wagner College on Staten Island in New York and Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J.
“As a point guard, you have that innate coaching sensibility about you anyway. You are out on the court directing traffic, telling people where to go and what to do. It was quite seamless,” said Ffrench, a mother of two young daughters who currently works as a private basketball trainer for 12- and 13-yearolds.
“I love teaching the game. But coaching is 365 and I wanted to start my family.”
Eighteen years after she realized her dream of playing NCAA Division 1 basketball, another Nova Scotian will follow in Ffrench's footsteps and don the St. Joseph's jersey.
Last month, Mackenzie Smith of Shelburne signed with the university and will play for the Hawks women's hoops program this fall.
Smith, who like Ffrench is a fivefoot-10 guard, had spent the past two years at King's-edgehill School. Marc
Ffrench — Whitney's uncle — is the director of operations and head coach of the prep girls' basketball team at the Windsor private school.
“It was great to hear about Mackenzie,” said Ffrench, who added that she didn't have any influence on Smith's or the university's decision.
“I was not involved in any way. She was highly sought after and maybe the coaching staff was hopeful I would put a bug in her ear. I stayed completely out of it. It's her future, her opportunity. I was thrilled that she did choose St. Joe's. I was quickly contacted by her coach Griffin (St. Joseph's head coach Cindy Griffin) and a few of the assistants and was a sent a picture of Mackenzie signing her letter of content with the caption, ‘the next great Nova Scotian is coming to St. Joe's.'
“They are very excited and I'm really pleased to hear that they were a cut above and that she selected them over her other options.”
Ffrench was a high school all-star at Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass., and led the school to a 48-2 record and backto-back New England Prep School titles in her final two years at Tabor.
As a freshman at St. Joseph's in 200304, Ffrench appeared in just nine games off the bench and averaged 1.8 points and 0.7 assists per game. She acknowledged the acclimation to college hoops and college life took time.
“Coming from Nova Scotia and coming into the U.S., it's going to be an adjustment,” Ffrench said. “I've experienced it as a freshman and as a former Division 1 coach, I have seen it with incoming freshmen. The recruitment process, that's the fun part. Once you're there, sometimes it can get overwhelming with the instant expectations not only on the court but in the classroom. My advice to her is to just do your best.
“One of the beautiful things about St. Joe's is, for starters, as a mid-major, resources abound both academically and athletically. And if it's not offered to you at the outset, all you have to do is ask and they will provide. She's really set up for success in multiple ways as long as she does her best in the classroom and on the court. She's going to be great.”
Expectations are significant for Division 1 student-athletes. Both sport and school — and finding the right balance between each — requires hard work and sacrifice.
But the benefits can be substantial. Ffrench can attest to that.
“Overall, it was a great experience especially as a young woman coming from Nova Scotia,” Ffrench said. “It opens up doors into the U.S., whether it's continuing to play basketball here or overseas or job placements. I had multiple internships in downtown Philadelphia in different fields when I was at St. Joe's. It's all about opportunity and St. Joe's provided me with ample opportunity both professionally and athletically.
“But I won't paint a perfect picture,” she continued. “It's a lot of hard work. Division 1 basketball – Division 1 in any sport — is a lot of hard work especially making that jump from high school. It was a wake-up call. I did not realize the massive amount of expectations put on me from Day 1. I'm the first to admit that it took me a bit to figure it out. Once I did, it was awesome.”