Sarah Wierks.
Nicole Wierks.
Courtney Bartel.
Alexa McCarthy.
Shayna Cameron.
Kayli Sartori.
Kaitlyn McDonald.
These are the Chilliwackians who’ve helped build the University of the Fraser Valley women’s basketball team into a Canada West power.
Katherine Holden has looked up to these women the last few years as she’s made a name for herself in high school hoops.
It is in their footsteps she will follow next fall as she becomes the latest local to join the Cascades.
“I’m proud to be the third GW Graham student to go to UFV (following McDonald and Jenika Bannerman),” Holden said. “I’ve been going to UFV games and watching those girls for years, and I always felt I wanted to be part of this team.”
The feisty, physical and supremely skilled point guard has long been on the radar of UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer.
His daughter, Deanna, plays with Holden at GWG and he’s a fixture at home games.
“She’s been a Junior Cascade since she was in Grade 6 or 7 and she’s worked extremely hard on all aspects of her game,” the coach said. “She loves getting better and you can’t help but notice a kid who works that hard.”
“She’s a good-sized guard who can score in a number of different ways. She’s got an excellent shot, she can finish around the hoop under pressure and she plays with a lot of intelligence.”
Tuchscherer’s near-constant presence made it difficult to picture Holden going anywhere else.
But the teenager said she explored all options.
“I was open-minded and at first I was thinking, ‘Let’s go far east, like east coast — kind of a getaway plan’” she said with a laugh. “But then I thought, ‘How often am I going to see my family?’”
“I was really nervous throughout the whole process about which school would want me the most and which would I feel most comfortable going to.”
“I was freaking out.”
In the end, it was her relationship with Tuchscherer that sealed the deal.
“I’ve been with the Junior Cascades program for a long time, so I’ve already got a bond with Al and Sean (assistant coach Bosko) and I feel very comfortable with them.”
“I phoned Al and I was so nervous with butterflies and everything and he said, ‘What are you thinking? Do you want to commit?’” And I said, ‘Yeah, I want to commit.’”
“I felt so relieved because it just felt like home.”
Holden can still look forward to a modified getaway plan.
UFV travels across Canada during the season, going as far east as Manitoba.
National playoffs are often held in Ontario or Quebec.
“Even though it’s going to be really cold, I’m really looking forward to some of those trips,” she said.
Holden knows the transition to the CIS ranks won’t be seamless.
It rarely is.
McDonald was crazy good in her last year with GW Graham, raining down three-point terror on Grizzly opponents. Now in her third year at UFV, she’s still coming off the bench, trying to work her way into a bigger role.
“It’s actually Jenika, who’s two years older than me, who’s told me the most about how big of a leap it is,” Holden said. “Even though you play really talented AAA and AA schools in high school, it’s a really big jump from that into CIS.”
“How fast the game is, how quick everyone is and how many different types of offenses and defenses there are — I’m excited about it, but I’m also a little scared about how overwhelming it may be.”
Tuchscherer likes Holden’s ability to see the floor, find open teammates and move the ball quickly.
“But I would say my ball handling needs to improve more, and shooting three pointers,” she said. “I’m good with three pointers from the high school line, but it’s a little further back at university, so I’ll have to practice a lot to find my rhythm.”
Holden shouldn’t have any issues academically.
She averages in the high 90’s at GWG and looks forward to studying kinesiology.
“I’ve already been accepted into the program,” she said. “I just have to keep my grades up, which I don’t think will be a problem.”
Holden’s Grizzlies are gearing up for Fraser Valleys and, hopefully, a run at provincials.
While Holden’s excited about UFV, she’s also determined to finish strong at GWG.
“We’ve have our ups and downs and it feels we’re still trying to become one,” she said. “But overall, impressed and proud of how far we’ve come as a team.”
Get UFV basketball info online at ufvcascades.ca