WBB: Huskies first in preseason poll

Coaches from across Canada West have once again voted the Saskatchewan Huskies as favourites this season, as the conference has released its 2023-24 women's basketball preseason coaches poll.

The Huskies topped the poll in commanding fashion with 13 first place votes. Defending conference champion Alberta placed second and received three first place votes, while last year's runner-up Calgary Dinos were third and also received a first place vote.

The regular season schedule kicks off Thursday night with Brandon visiting Manitoba, with a full slate of games to follow on Friday and Saturday.

Saskatchewan will be hungry to get back on top of the conference after suffering playoff disappointment last season. The Huskies enjoyed a terrific 17-3 regular season campaign before ultimately being upset by Alberta in the semifinals. They'll be led by forward Carly Ahlstrom, the 2022 Canada West MVP who returns for her fifth year. Ahlstrom averaged 19.8 points per game last season and also represented Canada this summer on the 3 x 3 national team.

In Edmonton, expectations are high for a Pandas team coming off their first Canada West title, and as the host for the upcoming U SPORTS Championship in March. For the Pandas to remain among the best in U SPORTS, they will need forward Claire Signatovich to again be one of the best players in the nation. Signatovich was named the Canada West and U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, while also contributing offensively to the tune of 13.8 points per game and 12.6 rebounds per game.

After reaching the CW final, expectations will also be high for the the Calgary Dinos. With a young group that features six newcomers, the team will look to the veteran leadership of fourth-year local product Mya Proctor. Last year, Proctor played a big role in helping Calgary earn its third trip to nationals in the past five seasons,

UFV set to host CW WBB Championships

The UFV Athletic Centre will be rocking next February as the UFV Cascades welcome the conference's best women's basketball talent to the Fraser Valley. The championship tournament moves to a single-site location this year, which will create an exciting atmosphere for fans and teams alike.

"Given the great history of high school and club basketball in the Fraser Valley, we plan to invite all ages to experience the excitement of competition in a smaller venue," says Steve Tuckwood, Cascades Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation. "Adding live entertainment, great food, participation of our alumni and our community, we will be able to showcase Canada West's amazing athletes to our fans and the basketball enthusiasts we have in the Valley."

UFV came in fourth in the pre-season poll and will look to enter the tournament as a title contender. The Cascades went 14-6 last season and were nationally ranked for most of the year. Head coach Al Tuchscherer indicates the program will return every player for the 2023-24 season, including first team Canada West all-star Maddy Gobeil.

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2023-24 CW WBB PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Team - Points (First-place votes)

1. Saskatchewan Huskies - 253 (13)
2. Alberta Pandas - 240 (3)
3. Calgary Dinos - 228 (1)
4. Fraser Valley Cascades - 207
5. Regina Cougars - 191
6. UBC Thunderbirds - 181
7. Victoria Vikes - 163
8. UBCO Heat - 148
9. Mount Royal Cougars - 140
10. Trinity Western Spartans - 136
11. UNBC Timberwolves - 97
12. Manitoba Bisons - 94
13. Lethbridge Pronghorns - 70
14. Winnipeg Wesmen - 63
15. Thompson Rivers WolfPack- 50
16. MacEwan Griffins - 40
17. Brandon Bobcats - 21

NOTE: Coaches ranked all opponents 1-16. First-place votes worth 16 points, second-place worth 15 points, etc.  

1. Saskatchewan Huskies

Key Performer: Carly Ahlstrom

After representing Canada this summer on the 3 x 3 team, Carly Ahlstrom, the 2022 Canada West MVP is back for her fifth year with the Huskies. She will continue to play a major role on the team, supported by a talented cast of returning players who are hungry for more success. - Head Coach Lisa Thomaidis

From the coach: "With most of last year's roster returning, including Canada West MVP, Carly Ahlstrom, we are looking to improve upon our finish last season. The return of Andi Dodig to the lineup gives a boost to our our team defense and overall depth." - Lisa Thomaidis

2. Alberta Pandas

Key Performer: Claire Signatovich

Expectations are high for a Pandas team coming off their first Canada West title, and as the host for the upcoming U SPORTS Championship in March.

For the Pandas to remain among the best in U SPORTS, they will need Claire Signatovich to again be one of the best players in the nation. Signatovich was named the Canada West and U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, and will need to be a force on both ends this season for the Pandas.

3. Calgary Dinos

Key Performer: Mya Proctor

Mya Proctor is one of the veteran leaders this year's young Dinos squad. Last year, Proctor played a big role in helping Calgary earn its third trip to nationals in the past five seasons. This season, she will be leaned upon as Calgary has six newcomers and seven first or second years on this year's roster.

From the coach: "After another appearance at Nationals last season, there is always a sense of looking to repeat the same as you enter a new year; however, we under no illusions as to the difficulty of the task for our middle-aged to young Calgary team in 2023-24. We are thrilled with how this group has chosen to play in pre-season, and we look forward to taking on the regular season competition, before hopefully heading into an exciting play-off format at UFV." – Damian Jennings

4. Fraser Valley Cascades

Key Performer: Maddy Gobeil

A Canada West first team all star in 2022-23, Maddy Gobeil leads the Cascades into the new campaign. The fourth -year guard ranked seventh in CW with 18.1 ppg, second in three point percentage (.435) and third in steals per game (2.8). After setting a program single game record with a 38 point performance last season against Winnipeg, the always dynamic Gobeil will be a focal point of a UFV team that has high hopes for 2023-24.

5. Regina Cougars

Key Performer: Jade Belmore

Simply put, Jade Belmore has established herself as one of the top players in the country in her two seasons with the U of R. A double-double machine, Belmore averaged 19.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for the Cougars last year while earning Canada West first-team all-star and second-team All-Canadian honours. Canada Basketball took notice of Belmore's play, naming her to the U23 national team which competed at the GLOBL JAM in Toronto in July.

From the coach: "Jade Belmore will carry our team especially until Cara Misskey returns from injury. Adding Kianna Wiens for her 5th year has been critical. Our other 5th year Dayna Pearce adds scoring. If team can get healthy for the second half of season we will be a threat to make Nationals." – Dave Taylor

6. UBC Thunderbirds

Key Performer: Olivia Weekes

Olivia is an uber-versatile player who can play anywhere offensively and defensively on the floor. She broke out in her sophomore season to take over as the team's leading scorer and rebounder by a significant margin while using her remarkable combination of size and athleticism to guard the opponent's best forward or wing scorer.

7. Victoria Vikes

Key Performer: Abigail Becker

Abigail Becker returns for the Vikes as the returning leader in points per game as well as the team's leader in blocks during the 2022-23 campaign, while her 114 rebounds ranked third on the team last season. Becker will help guide a young Vikes squad on the court in 2023-24.

From the coach: "The Vikes have brought in six new players for the 2023-24 season, and have graduated leading scorer and 3-time CW All-Star Ashlyn Day. The team will bring versatility and tenacity on both ends of the court. Returning players Abigail Becker and Tana Pankratz look to have strong seasons, while rookies Makena Anderson and Karis DePaiva have had an impact so far this pre-season." - Carrie Watts

8. UBCO Heat

Key Performer: Lauren Foullong

Entering her third year with the Heat, Foullong is poised for a breakout season. An excellent shooter, particularly from three-point range, head coach Bobby Mitchell expects Foullong to take that next step in 2023-24 which will help create space for the rest of the team. However, it's not just on the offensive end of the floor where Foullong will have an impact as her wing-span makes her an excellent defender for UBCO.

From the coach: "Our experience with returning four of five starters and our depth will be key for us. Our outlook is to have another strong regular season and return to the playoffs and put ourselves in position to have success using the experiences of being there before." – Bobby Mitchell

9. Mount Royal Cougars 

Key Performer: Jamie Lalor

Jamie Lalor is the heart and soul of the Cougars both on and off the court. She makes an impact in every aspect of the game, offensively and defensively. She comes into the 2023-24 season with an even bigger role and will hope to lead the consistently improving Cougars women's basketball program.

10. Trinity Western Spartans

Key Performer: Jayden Gill

Jayden was playing at an all-star level last season and has worked hard this off-season to take her game to another level. We’re looking forward to seeing her continued development.

From the coach: "We are excited to see what happens this year. Who we will be to start the season won't be the same team by the end. Jayden Gill will look to continue making an impact on the game as she did last season, and we will see a few new faces emerge as our team will have different players have great moments at different times." - Cheryl Jean-Paul

11. UNBC Timberwolves

Key Performer: Sveta Boykova

The veteran leader of an incredibly young team, Boykova has established herself as a premier forward in Canada West. Hauling in 437 rebounds over her first two years in green and gold, the left-handed post is effective as an offensive hub, using her basketball IQ to find open teammates and understand defensive formations. Sergey Shchepotkin's team consists of predominantly first and second year players, so Boykova will need to being poise and leadership in her third UNBC campaign.

From the coach: "We graduated a number of starters and long time contributors last season, so our team will be young and full of players hungry for bigger roles. Sveta Boykova is back for her third season, having grabbed 437 rebounds in her first two Canada West seasons. The roster is full of first- and second-year players, like Amrit Manak, Nene Padhal, and Viktoriia Filatova, who will be leaned on to contribute. We have a very tough schedule, but it will be full of great growing opportunities, taking on some of the best programs in the country." - Sergey Shchepotkin

12. Manitoba Bisons

Key Performer: Lauren Bartlett

Fourth-year guard Lauren Bartlett will be Manitoba's quarterback for the fourth straight season.

The Canada West minutes per game leader from 2022-23 is approaching or leading many team records. She holds the program best for assists per game in a career, at 4.6, and is second in steals per game, at 2.8. She also holds the program record for minutes played per game, at 33.4 and she also has the highest career three point percentage, at 42.3.

A two-way player who does a bit of everything, Bartlett also set the single-game assists record last year, with 11, breaking a 16-year record. She posted the fifth triple double in program history in the same game, with 11 assists and ten steals.

From the coach: "We want to use a strong mix of veterans and young talent to have different leaders each night. Want to try and push pace of play for 40 minutes." - Michele Sung

13. Lethbridge Pronghorns

Key Performer: Kyra Collier

Kyra Collier returns to Horns Women's Basketball for the third season, bringing leadership to the team following a breakout performance in the 2022-23 season. Collier is a dynamic athlete who can drive to the hoop, as well as knockdown the shot from outside.

From the coach: "The Pronghorns will consist of key returners mixed with exciting new faces to make up this year's squad.  Starters from last season, including Kyra Collier, Tobore Okome & Abby Graves will blend into an up-tempo, aggressive style with transfer Kamryn DeKlerk and first year players, Courtney McKee & Mhari Matuli." - Dave Waknuk

14. Winnipeg Wesmen

Key Performer: Anna Kernaghan

The returnee with the most games as a Wesmen, Kernaghan is the lynchpin for Winnipeg, with an all-around game that impacts a variety of areas. On a team that lost more than 70 per cent of its scoring to graduation in the off-season, Kernaghan will be called upon to lead a young Wesmen squad in more ways than one.

From the coach: "This year we bring in seven new players and are focused on establishing the culture and style of play we want to develop over the next few seasons. We are an athletic group, with a veteran guard in Anna Kernaghan who will lead the ship for us. A few keys to success will be playing with composure, being disruptive defensively, and for at least one or two of our freshmen to take big leaps in their game as we near the second half of the season. We have some young talent on this team with a high ceiling of potential, we hope to see them come into their own through the regular season." - Alyssa Cox

15. Thompson Rivers WolfPack

Key Performer: Danijela Kovacevic

A dynamo with the ball in her hands, Danijela Kovacevic has just gotten better and better throughout her time with the WolfPack. Now entering her third year with the program, Kovacevic boasts an explosive first step and a great ability to distribute the ball. The product of Serbia is poised to set the pace for a young WolfPack squad this season.

From the coach: "The TRU Wolfpack this season is defined by youth with 10 incoming first year athletes the learning curve will be high." - Todd Warnick

16. MacEwan Griffins

Key Performer: Noelle Kilbreath

The fourth-year guard can score in multiple ways, hitting from the outside or fearlessly driving the lane, while possessing strong ball distribution skills to spur MacEwan's offensive production.

Defensively, Kilbreath brings tenacity and mobility, making life tough on opposing guards around the conference. Her veteran leadership is key for a young team trying to get back to the post-season.

17. Brandon Bobcats

Key Performer: Reetta Tulkki

Tulkki has shown to be an elite shooter when given the opportunity to convert on open looks. On top of her proficiency from beyond the arc, the third year guard has a tremendous basketball IQ, partially developed from her time with the Finland U20 National team.