A pipeline of St. Albert SLAM talent has the Paul Kane Blues and St. Albert Skyhawks gushing over the new additions to their senior women's basketball teams.
The 2016 midget A SLAM, 27-0 as the Youth Provincial and Edmonton Youth Basketball Association champions, produced three players for the Blues and four the Skyhawks this season.
The Blues lost two players to graduation and captain Allison Hunder is the only Grade 12 on the roster.
"Youngest team in the province that will be top 10 by far," said coach Rick Stanley.
Hunder, the 2016 Grade 11 Alberta Shooting Stars all-star game MVP, is also among seven returnees from the 22-14 Blues, who are 10-4 in the metro Edmonton league as division one semifinalists and 1-2 at 4A provincials with seven Grade 10s in the lineup.
The Skyhawks return five players from their 29-10 season as the 13-2 division one finalists and 3-1 fifth-place team at 4A provincials.
The breakdown of players are four Grade 12s, two Grade 11s and five Grade 10s.
The Skyhawks also graduated a trio of third-year players, including Jamie Bain, the 2016 metro female athlete of the year.
This edition of Skyhawks are "young and talented," according to coach John Dedrick.
Four midget A SLAM players – Bella Cuciz, Brooke Froment, Kenzie Thera and Aine Murphy – hooped it up on the U15 provincial team this summer and are joined by another SLAM midget, Kaya Vandermeer, as a Grade 10 Skyhawk.
Abby Morrison, a U16 provincial player in Grade 11, is back with the Skyhawks.
Making the jump to the Blues from the midget A SLAM are Danika Chrapko, Kaitlyn Kluttig and Ella Stanley.
"They do not look like Grade 10 players and have already shown their talent in two exhibition scrimmages," said Stanley, the midget A SLAM coach the last two seasons who brought on board four SLAM players from the 20-0 midget A provincial and league championship team in 2015.
Ella and Kluttig were also U15 provincial teammates and won back-to-back St. Albert Physical Education Council Tier I city junior high championships with the Lorne Akins Gators.
Ella, the 2016 northern Alberta junior high player of the year, is one of four players in Alberta – two from Calgary and one from Sherwood Park – and 45 girls overall from across the country born in 2001 and 2002 to receive invites to a national team identification camp for U16 tryouts and potential Cadet program.
Players will assemble in mid-December at locations in Edmonton and Toronto.
Ella's sister, Alesha in Grade 11, was the only player in St. Albert on the U17 provincial team and her Paul Kane teammate, Anika Steele in Grade 11, was on the U16 provincial squad.
The Blues were also represented on the Canada West Prairie Elite Basketball League, which runs from April to June, by Bronwen Barter and Alesha on the U17 University of Alberta Pandas, Hunder and Steele on the U17 MacEwan Griffins and Ella on the U15 Griffins and division finalists.
The Blues are expected to be one of the top division one teams again for their fifth 4A provincials in six years and prior to the 2016 tournament they were consolation finalists in consecutive years.
"We are very excited about the talent and cohesion of this team," Stanley said.
The Skyhawks also have high hopes as a 3A school striving for their fourth-straight trip to the 4A provincials after a record-setting four in a row 3A banners.
The team's appearance in the 2016 division one final was the fifth consecutive and sixth in seven years.
The Skyhawks make their season debut Thursday at the 24th annual Totem Hoop Classic at Ross Sheppard Thigh School at 12:30 p.m. against the Strathcona Lords.
Friday the Skyhawks will play the McNally Tigers or the host Thunderbirds at 2:30 p.m. in the semifinals or 4:30 p.m. in the consolation bracket.
Next week the Skyhawks travel to Victoria for tournament action against highly-ranked B.C. teams, starting with an exhibition against Oak Bay Bays.
Also on tap is the 35th annual REB Invitational, Dec 15 to 17 at Jasper Place High School, Paul Kane Classic Jan. 13-14 and in February the 50th annual Green and Gold, hosted by the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute Clippers, and the Panther Classic in Spruce Grove.
"We have probably one of the toughest schedules in the province this year," said Dedrick, the 2016 metro Tier 1 women's basketball coach of the year.
The first tournament for the Blues is the 19th annual Mike Dea Classic, hosted by the St. Francis Xavier Rams, and Thursday's game against the Lumsden Angels of Regina or O'Leary Spartans is 4:30 p.m. at the SFX Sports Centre.
Friday the Blues are back on the court at 2 p.m. on the consolation side or 8 p.m. in the semifinals.
The Blues are also entered in the REB Invitational, featuring the Skyhawks, St. Francis Browns of Calgary, Western Canada Redhawks of Calgary, LCI Clippers, Raymond Comets, Handsworth Royals of North Vancouver and the host Rebels, the defending division one champions who lost the 4A provincial final to the Browns with four Grade 10s, eight Grade11s and no Grade 12s on the roster.
The Skyhawks and Rebels are also confirmed for the Paul Kane Classic, as well as the Spruce Grove Panthers, Bishop Grandin Ghosts of Calgary, Centennial Coyotes of Calgary, Catholic Central Cougars of Lethbridge and Medicine Hat Kwahommies.
Monday marks the division one lid-lifter in the 10-team metro league. The Blues visit the Archbishop MacDonald Marauders and the Skyhawks welcome O'Leary at the SkyDome. Start times are 5 p.m.
The Dec. 19 showdown between the Blues and Skyhawks rattles the rim at 5 p.m. at Paul Kane.
The Skyhawks have not lost to the Blues since the 2011 semifinals, 75-66 at the SkyDome, and in February it was 60-55 for the Skyhawks in their home gym.
Men's basketball
The Blues and Skyhawks will compete in the division two men's league in pool B with the Bellerose Bulldogs and Sturgeon Spirits.
The Blues and Bulldogs hit the floor running Thursday in tournament play. Tip-off times are 12:30 p.m. between the Bulldogs and LeBlous Golden Suns of Regina at the Mike Dea Classic and 7 p.m. for the Blues against the Edmonton Christian Lions at the Totem Hoop Classic.
League play starts Monday. At 5 p.m. the Bulldogs host the Memorial Marauders and at 6:30 p.m. the Blues play at Archbishop MacDonald, Sturgeon is at Edmonton Christian and the Skyhawks entertain the Louis St. Laurent Barons.
The first head-to-head clash of local teams is Dec. 7 between the Blues and Sturgeon at 5 p.m. at Paul Kane.
