Kelly Fagan is embracing every minute of every day with the MacEwan University Griffins as her stellar basketball career winds down.
“It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling but I’m loving it,” the St. Albert standout told the Gazette at Monday’s practice. “We have a great team this year and I love playing with all the girls here but at the same time every big thing is the last for me now.”
Fagan, 22, is going out with a bang in the fifth and final hurrah at MacEwan. In Canada West, the six-foot forward is the top shot blocker with 21 in eight games and ranks second in rebounds per game at 10.1.
The Paul Kane High School alumna is also third in points per game at 9.4 and minutes played at 28.9 with MacEwan.
“I feel I’m contributing fairly well to the team but there is definitely areas in my game that I would like to keep working at until the very last moment I’m on the court here,” Fagan said.
Head coach Dave Oldham said Fagan has played a major role in MacEwan’s five-game winning streak at the Christmas break and 7-1 record.
“At the halfway point, Kelly has done very well for us. Coming in we needed her to be a bit of a defensive stopper and not only on the other team’s top forwards but also just a presence inside, a rebounding and shot blocking presence. Last year she broke the Canada West record for blocked shots in a season (with 65 for a 3.2 per game average) so she is a force on the defensive end. She carries a lot of the load for us on the defensive end of the floor and on top of that has the ability to score as well so she a very well rounded player. She and a lot of the players have very high basketball IQs so we’re able to scheme in very different ways and she is a very good ball screen defender,” Oldham said. “Kelly is very important to our team moving forward and how ever far we go a lot will be determined by the fifth years and she is one of those really key ones for us.”
Before arriving at MacEwan, Fagan stood tall defensively during her breakout Grade 9 year with the SAPEC city champion Richard S. Fowler Falcons and three seasons with Paul Kane’s varsity team.
“Probably the big thing that Paul Kane taught me and even Fowler was that defence was so important and that’s really something that I’ve brought to my game. I do a lot of blocking, I really try and apply a lot of pressure and I guard a lot of the very big girls and a lot of times they’re bigger than I am,” said the Canada West co-record holder for offensive rebounds in a game with 11, set last February during a 22-point, 20-rebound performance in the 69-67 win against UBC Okanagan.
“Defence is always something that’s been my strength and Paul Kane helped me refine that a bit and that really got me to where I am now. If I couldn’t play defence back then I don’t think I would’ve made it on this team.”
Fagan developed her skill set at MacEwan during three seasons in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference before the Griffins made the big leap to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport level in Canada West. Last season she averaged identical 11.3 totals for points and rebounds (tied for second in rebounding in Canada West) in 20 starts and 31.6 minutes per game and was honoured as a second-team Canada West all-star.
“Over the past couple of years I’ve definitely expanded the offensive side of my game and become a little more aggressive and confident in that aspect.”
MacEwan is first in the Explorer Division after going 16-4 for second place during the team’s transition from ACAC to CIS.
“It’s a much faster and much tougher game that they play at CIS and (former head coach) Rob Poole did a phenomenal job of preparing us so from when we knew we were going to be in (CIS) we were always prepping to play those games and play those calibre of players and because we put so much preparation into it the step was not as big as it could’ve been. We really managed to take a massive step and make it something that was manageable for our team last year, which attributed to a lot of our success I believe,” Fagan explained.
“This season we’re doing better than we could’ve anticipated. We’re leading the division right now so that's really exciting. Our team has really pulled together and started to play as the unit that we definitely should be. It’s fantastic.”
Fagan’s debut at MacEwan marked the first ACAC championship season in team history as the Griffins finished 24-0 in league play. She averaged 5.8 points in 24 games as one of seven rookies on the roster.
“When I came to MacEwan we were very strong so I was very fortunate because as a first year I was able to get some good minutes and I was able to grow with those girls and we actually made it to nationals that year (and finished fourth in Lethbridge) so that was definitely a big learning experience,” Fagan said. “My second year to now I’ve been a starter so that’s definitely been an amazing experience.
“After five years you’ve been in so many different situations that you learn from all of them and you develop not only your game but also just the mental aspects and when certain plays are more important than others so it’s definitely been a big growth.”
MacEwan’s second ACAC championship in three years ended with a bronze medal at the 2014 nationals.
“We had such an awesome team and to be able to go to Montreal (for nationals) with everybody and be a really big part of that team was just an unbelievable experience,” Fagan said.
“Another highlight was our first year in CIS and it was obviously unbelievable. It was a fairly good success. We made it to the (quarter-finals) so that was definitely better than we could’ve anticipated.
“But being named to the second team all-star last year was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my career personally because it was just out of the blue. I was so surprised.”
Basketball is more than a sport for Fagan, it’s a way of life.
“Gosh, I think all of us would say we just love the sport. It’s just an amazing game to play and be a part of, and the team aspect of it is just phenomenal. Being this close to a group of players and having everyone going though the same thing you’re going through just gives you such an incredible support system. I know coming into college for me personally it’s hard for anybody and you add athletics on top of it. I really think it helps because you have 12 other girls who have been exactly where you are, doing the same things you are too. You have 12 people who you can lean on in a way and you can’t really rely on other people who don’t understand exactly what it’s like to be in this calibre of sports so the team aspect is just amazing,” said the biological science student who plans on becoming a researcher in medical genetics.
