'Ready to play': Kodiaks women’s basketball team prepares to host 2023 ACAC Championships

The Kodiaks women's basketball team is hosting the 2023 ACAC Basketball Championships this year.

LETHBRIDGE -

The ball has dropped at the Val Matteotti Gymnasium for the 2023 ACAC Women’s Basketball Championships.

"We're super thrilled it's here," said Catriona Smith, a member of the Kodiaks women's basketball team.

"We can have home-court advantage with the crowd and hopefully a lot of people come out and support us. But we're just happy to be at home."

The women's basketball team is hosting the 2023 ACAC Basketball Championships this year.

"I feel like we're at a good point in our season where we've been kind of on an uphill a bit and getting better every day, so I feel like we're ready to play as long as we're playing as a team," said Courtney Deemter, also a member of the Kodiaks women's basketball team.

This year's team features multiple rookies on the roster. Head coach Ken McMurray says the team has had its fair share of challenges and perseverance this season.

"When you start with a team at the middle of September, you hope that by the end of February you're playing your best basketball and you've grown and I've seen a ton of growth in these girls," McMurray said.

This season, the women recorded 14 wins and seven losses, which put them in third spot in the south division.

Deemter says she's proud to see where the team is at ahead of the championships.

"At the beginning, trying to figure out everyone's position and we're a shorter team," Deemter added.

"So, there's a lot of us that we're playing the same position and having to figure out where we all fit. But, as the season went on, we've been able to learn our roles and have been able to adapt to that younger team and learned how to play up to the level of ACAC."

The men's basketball team is also competing in the ACAC Championships at Ambrose University this weekend.

"As far as I know, this is the first time every single Kodiaks team has qualified for championships, so we got nothing to be but proud," said Todd Caughlin, manager of Kodiaks Athletics and recreation services.

"Our volleyball, basketball, soccer and futsal teams have all made championships this year and I couldn’t be happier. We're thrilled to be hosting this year."

Caughlin, who has been organizing the championships, says "it takes a village to put on a tournament like this."

"It's such a perfect opportunity to showcase Lethbridge College and Lethbridge to a lot of people. We seven teams coming in for four days – it's a good chance for Lethbridge to shine," Caughlin said.

The women are set to play Game 1 against the Augustana Vikings on Thursday night.

No matter the outcome, McMurray says he's proud they've made it this far.

"I'm just really excited for the girls. You put in all this work and time throughout the year, you build relationships, you build chemistry – this is exciting for these girls," McMurray said.

As for the men's team, they tip off against the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves on Thursday afternoon.

For a full schedule or to see the results of the games, visit here.