Semiahmoo hoop stars will be rivals in NCAA
Semiahmoo Totems stars Deja Lee and Izzy Forsyth are headed in different directions when their high school hoops careers end next spring, albeit they’ll end up in proximity in the process.
Lee and Forsyth, who are back for Semiahmoo’s run for a third consecutive provincial girls’ basketball title this coming season, have verbally committed to university rivals for 2021-22.
Both will head to Big West Conference programs in about 16 months, with Lee set for the University of California Irvine Anteaters and Forsyth destined for the UC San Diego Tritons. They are expected to sign official letters of intent in November.
Tara Wallack, who’s also a part of the Totem triumvirate that’s powered this run, hasn’t decided where she’s heading after this season but, like Lee and Forsyth, took unofficial visits to various California schools last February.
“It’ll be very weird to play against Izzy at first,” said Lee, a 5-9 point guard. “We started playing together in Grade 5. Outside of scrimmages at practice, I can’t remember a time that I’ve played against her.
“We talked about what we were thinking. When it all came together for both of us, it was ‘Hey, I guess that means we’ll be seeing each other for a while longer.’”
Forsyth added: “It’s going to be a little bit crazy having to go against her. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been playing with Deja.”
Lee, 6-1 forward Forsyth and 6-2 forward Wallack saw major minutes in their Grade 9 years for coach Allison Mcneill with a Semiahmoo side that made the triple-a provincial Final Four in 2018. As Grade 10s, the trio led the Surrey-based Totems to the triple-a title and Lee was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
This past season, girls basketball started the Quad-a tier, and the Totems dominated, including outscoring their opponents by a 431-215 margin in four games at the provincials, held in Langley Events Centre. That wrapped up with a 114-62 romp over Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox Ravens in the final. Wallack was named the tournament MVP. Lee said she was happy to have this out of the way before her Grade 12 year starts and especially since there are “no guarantees” about this coming season even happening because of the physical-distancing measures brought about by the novel coronavirus.
“I was fortunate to get in an unofficial visit there,” said Lee. “You get a different feel just being there. It’s a comfort. You can get an idea of what things potentially could be like for you. There’s nothing you can really do to emulate actually going to the school physically.”
Dominic Parolin understands that. The Centennial Centaurs’ standout centre is slated to begin his freshman season this fall with the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, a Patriot League team from Bethlehem, Pa., but he only started talking scholarship with Lehigh coach Brett Reed after COVID-19 wiped out a chance to travel. Parolin did his visit virtually. “It’s not the same thing as actually being there, but it’s the best option we had,” Parolin said.
The Patriot League is one of the NCAA Division 1 circuits known for its focus on education, along with the Ivy League.
“I talked to a bunch of schools. I was seriously considering three or four. Lehigh had the best combination of basketball and academics. It’s a very good school. Even if we don’t have a season because of COVID-19, I’ll still have the academics,” Parolin said.
A spot up front with Lehigh came open when James Karnik, a Surrey native who moved to Ontario to finish his high school ball at Orangeville Prep, announced he was transferring for his senior season.
The 6-8 Parolin averaged 28 points and 19 rebounds for a Coquitlam-based Centaur side that was No. 1 in the rankings for a portion of the year.
“There are open minutes there,” Parolin said of attending Lehigh.
The Centaurs were the No. 2 seeds at the provincials, but were upset 70-67 in the quarter-finals. Parolin had 50 points and 21 rebounds in his final high school contest. He was named to the tourney’s first all-star team.