Huskies to unveil championship banner

During Saturday night’s Canada West conference basketball weekend series versus the Brandon University Bobcats, Huskie Athletics will pay tribute to the U of S women’s basketball program’s first national championship victory in March.

Members of that historic Huskies team will receive championship rings from alumni members, while the Canadian Interuniversity Sport—now known as U Sports—national banner will also be unveiled.

For Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis, it will be a memorable moment to commemorate the program’s crowning achievement.

“We are really looking forward to it, especially for the players who are coming back,” said Thomaidis, who has served as Huskies head coach for 18 seasons and also guided Canada’s national women’s basketball team in the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“We are having an alumni function as well on Saturday and our scholarship brunch on Sunday, so it is going to be very special to celebrate with our biggest supporters and players who have been through the program who have really been waiting for this day and anxious for us to cap it off with a national championship. So it will be a weekend full of pride for everyone associated with our program.”

The Huskies defeated the Ryerson University Rams 85-71 in the national final on March 20 in Fredericton, N.B., to hoist the championship trophy—known as the Bronze Baby—for the first time.

Members of the championship team and this year’s players will also be honoured on Sunday at the 16th annual Huskie Women’s Basketball Raise a Paw Scholarship Brunch at TCU Place, beginning at 9:30 am. At the brunch, Thomaidis and her team members will share their stories about clinching the championship title. More on that fundraising event is available here.