Kayla Ivicak is approaching her last performance on the basketball stage with mixed emotions.
“It will be weird. You’ve known me since high school and I’ve been playing before that so it’s been my life for quite some time,” said the fifth-year guard for the MacEwan Griffins.
“I only have eight more games in my career so it’s starting to hit me a little bit more,” Ivicak added. “I would definitely say it’s a bittersweet moment but the old body is telling me it’s about time to be done.”
The final home game at David Atkinson Gymnasium is Senior Night on Jan. 26 against the Brandon Bobcats before the Canada West regular season wraps up Feb. 1-2 against the Vikes in Victoria.
“I don’t really know how that’s going to go but it will definitely be something else,” said the high school product of the St. Albert Skyhawks.
Ivicak, 22, closed out the first half of her swan song season as MacEwan’s top player with 10.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game despite a nagging injury.
“I’m pretty happy with how it’s going especially with the back issues I’m dealing with. I can’t complain that’s for sure,” said the five-foot-eight Griffin averaging a team-high 27.9 minutes as a starter in all 12 conference games.
“At the beginning of the year I hurt my back and I wasn’t too sure how this season was going to go. I didn’t know how much it was going to impede on my game because I went into one game and I was trying to play my game but I couldn’t be that aggressive, assertive kind of player that I am. It just hurt too much but I think I've been able to play my game so far,” said the third highest-ranked rebounder in the conference.
The last hurrah for Ivicak coincides with the team’s playoff drive starting with the Jan. 11-12 series against the visiting Calgary Dinos (9-3) as MacEwan (4-8) is tied with the Winnipeg Wesmen for the 12th and final qualifying spot at the halfway point.
“Making playoffs was one of our goals and another was to win X amount of games but even before winning X amount games I would like to leave something to show the young ones what MacEwan is all about and how things are done and are still being carried on and passed down. That’s the biggest thing I want to leave them with and leave the program.”
Ivicak arrived at MacEwan as a prized recruit from the bronze-medal winning Skyhawks at the 2014 4A provincials and in a blink of an eye it’s almost over for the bachelor of commerce student.
“It’s flown by. Every year has gone faster,” Ivicak said. “At the beginning of the year it was like oh yeah the season is starting and then all of a sudden we’re at Christmas break and it’s like how did 12 games go by that fast?”
Ivicak’s first season was a feeling out process on and off the court.
“I was kind of seeing how things were going and seeing where I fit in. It was a big transition trying to figure out school and then basketball on top of that. The game was completely different, way faster and you’re playing against girls more stronger. It was a big change,” said the recipient of MacEwan’s most improved player award that season. “I ended up playing a decent amount and I ended up playing point guard which was a little out of my forte I guess I would say, but it worked out well. It was good. It developed me in that area.
“The second year we got a new coach so my role kind of changed a little bit more. I went to a two-three and a bit more was expected of me to do, but I was still kind of again figuring out how I was doing because I was playing a different kind of role again.
“And then the third year because we graduated a lot of players it was me and (former Skyhawks) Paige (Knull) and Kendall (Lydon) kind of left and I was coming into a leadership role to kind of play with (the newcomers) and help the team out in that way so figuring out how to be a good leader was that year.”
With the graduation of Lydon, Ivicak continued to lead by example in her fourth season along with Knull, who was winding down her MacEwan career.
“That was the year we got in a lot of rookies out of high school, I think there was seven of them, so it was all about trying to figure out how to transition them into the game and still accomplish the goals we wanted like winning games or being the team we want to be and trying to help everyone figure that out so that was a big challenge,” said Ivicak, who averaged 13.3 points, nine rebounds and 31.8 minutes in 20 games as MacEwan missed the playoffs for the first time during her tenure.
“This year it’s about trying to leave something for the young ones that MacEwan has always been known for so they can pass it on when they’re done and just enjoy myself.”
A career highlight for Ivicak was breaking the MacEwan record for the most double-doubles in a Canada West season with nine in her 19th game last season. Kelly Fagan, a high school standout with the Paul Kane Blues, set the mark in 2014-15 before Ivicak posted 20 points and 11 rebounds in the 66-55 loss to the Trinity Western Spartans on Feb. 2 at David Atkinson Gymnasium.
“It shows the determination of being an athlete and being a student athlete for five years. I was pretty proud of that,” said Ivicak, a model of consistency with five double-doubles this season and the latest was 13 points and 14 rebounds in the 69-54 win over the Mount Royal University Cougars (2-10) Nov. 24 in Calgary.
The night before, Ivicak shredded the Cougars for 21 points and 19 rebounds, plus four steals and three assists in 29 minutes, during the 73-66 victory.
Ivicak made the leap of faith to MacEwan after contributing mightily to the Skyhawks winning back-to-back 3A provincial banners, as well as metro Edmonton premier championships in 2012 and 2013, before the bronze-medal breakthrough in the team’s 4A provincial debut.
“It helped having that drive to want to win and that drive to always be the best that you can because it helps the team and it helps yourself and it shows in the games that we played and the titles that we won,” said Ivicak, a Grade 9 hoopster with the Vincent J. Maloney Marauders, the 2011 SAPEC city finalists. “But I also think it stems even earlier than the Skyhawks by having my dad (Joe) coach me and having that kind of mentality itself and passing it down to myself and (sister) Jessa.
“It all comes down to having that drive and having coaches that see that in you and seeing the potential in the team and how they are pushing everyone and it just carried on into my university career.”
Basketball is a way of life for Ivicak, a member of Team Alberta at the U16 and U17 levels who competed at the 2013 Canada Summer Games.
“I dipped my toes in every sport, I played some volleyball and did some track, but none of them were comparable to basketball like being a pretty aggressive, I want to get out there and go do it fun sport. It was the one that I was attracted to the most,” Ivicak said. “Obviously it helped growing up with my dad and him coaching me and watching him but for playing other sports I like them but it’s not the same as basketball so that’s what I stuck with and excelled at.”
