BB: All-Star and All-Rookie Teams Announced

2024 Canada West Basketball Championships begin Wednesday

20 February 2024

Feb. 20, 2024 - Canada West has announced its 2023-24 men's and women's basketball All-Star and All-Rookie team selections, as the conference's basketball championships are set to tip-off tomorrow afternoon.

WBB | All-Stars headlined by trio of Huskies

The province of Saskatchewan was well-represented on this year's women's basketball all-star list, headlined by a pair of Saskatchewan born products. Regina's hometown sensation Jade Belmore, who led the conference in scoring with 18.3 points-per-game, was recognized with her second straight first team nod, while University of Saskatchewan guard Gage Grassick, a Prince Albert, Sask. product, was also named to the first team after leading the Huskies to a dominant 19-1 regular season record.

The Huskies led all teams with three all-star selections, including second team all-star Tea DeMong and third team all-star Carly Ahlstrom.

Championship host UFV had a pair all-stars recognized, including first team member Maddy Gobeil and third team selection Deanna Tuchscherer. The dynamic pair led the Cascades to a 17-3 record and will be looking to use home floor advantage this week as they pursue a championship title.

Calgary's Louise Rouse and Alberta's Jenna Harpe rounded out the first team All-Star selections. Rouse led the conference in offensive rebounds (93) and was third in field goal percentage (53.4%), while Harpe was second in total 3PT shots made (50) and sixth in total points (309).

Sharp shooters Jaeli Ibbetson (UBCO), Jayden Gill (Trinity Western) and Mona Berlitz (UBC) headlined the second team selections, with all three players placing in the top five in conference scoring on a points-per-game basis.

A strong rookie class was also recognized, with Makena Anderson (Victoria), Ella Rees (Alberta), Courtney McKee (Lethbridge), Ryenn Schutz (Regina) and Blessing Ibekwe (Trinity Western) earning All-Rookie team nods.

MBB | Maffia, Hildebrandt repeat as First Team All-Stars

A pair of familiar names headlined the men's selections, as Victoria's Diego Maffia and Manitoba's Simon Hildebrandt were named first team All-Stars for the second straight year.

Maffia ran away with the conference scoring title, averaging 26.6 points-per-game while leading his hometown Vikes (17-3) to the top record in the conference.

Meanwhile, Hildebrandt had a dynamic sophomore season and will look to continue his impressive play as the Bisons host the conference championship tournament this week.

Calgary's Nate Petrone was recognized as a first-team All-Star after an incredible debut season with the Dinos. The third-year guard, who was named a second team All-Star in 2022 while with the MRU Cougars, averaged 20.7 points-per-game in his return to CW action this season.

Brian Wallack (UBC) and Adam Paige (Alberta) rounded out the first team all-star list. Wallack gave opposing teams fits all season long while recording the fourth highest rebounds per game (9.4) and fifth most points-per-game (18.8) in the conference, while Paige's leadership and two-way game led the Golden Bears to an impressive 14-6 record.

A pair of offensive drivers headlined the second All-Star team, as Mount Royal's Keivonte Watts and Brandon's Sultan Haider Bhatti were recognized after placing third and fourth in conference scoring respectively. Watts recorded 19.6 points-per-game, while Haider-Bhatti was close behind with 19.1.

A strong All-Rookie team included Easton Thimm (Saskatchewan), Griffin Arnatt (Victoria), Gurshan Sran (Calgary), Adam Olsen (UBC) and Kato Jaro (Winnipeg).

The conference's major award recipients will be announced tomorrow morning.

Canada West basketball fans are preparing for a week unlike any other, as the conference's postseason championship tournament moves to a single-site format this season. The women's tournament will be hosted by UFV in Abbotsford, B.C. while the men's competition heads to Winnipeg, hosted by the University of Manitoba.

Ticket and schedule information for both championships is available at WinTheWest.ca.

Fans can ensure they don't miss a moment of the action by streaming all matches on Canada West TV.