Saskatoon may not be at the top of your list of winter destinations, but that hasn't stopped the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's basketball team from attracting top international talent.
Over the past decade, the Huskies have added European players to their roster while winning three national championships.
Head coach Lisa Thomaidis is a big reason why the Huskies have been able to recruit international players. Thomaidis was the head coach of the Canadian and German national teams, which gave her a number of contacts around the world.
The first major recruit in 2016 was the Latvian guard Sabina Dukate.
“She really got us thinking about recruiting more internationally,” Thomaidis said.
“She won two national championships with us and just made the difference.”
The top-ranked Huskies have a pair of internationals on their roster this year in Swedish forward Olivia Harm and English guard Charlie Rowe.
“It's a big trend to leave Sweden and play in the States,” said Harm, who is in her second year with the Huskies.
Thomaidis recruited her out of high school.
“I came to visit and was able to meet some of the alumni and they spoke so highly of the program that it was hard not to love it,” Harm said. “And they have a great business program. I'm a business major. So it was like a lot of pieces were coming together that felt really great.”
Thomaidis says attracting a player is not an easy process.
“I remember once I was talking with people from Finland, Germany, Australia, Israel, the USA.
“It’s just the contacts you make over the years, especially coaching internationally and just seeing if there are players there that are interested in coming to Canada.”
Charlie Rowe, from Manchester, spent two years in the US before moving north.
“I really enjoyed my time in the States, but there was a lot going on, you know, politically. And I just found my footing here,” Rowe said.
Thomaidis said the quality of education at the University of the South, as well as the success of the program, is a big plus. And also the atmosphere in the USA
“Charlie was the one who came to me last year and part of it was just the situation in the States… gun violence and unrest. Both politically and socially it was very different from what they were used to,” Thomaidis said.
More of a team game
Rowe said there is a big difference in how the game is played here versus how it is played in college in the States.
“I think it's a lot faster and physical and a lot more technical,” Rowe said. “In the States they are more one-on-one oriented, but here everyone is together as a team.
“If you see us play, that’s what we do: always one extra pass, looking for each other.”
Harm said it took some time to adjust to life in Saskatoon.
“The cultural difference is difficult to explain,” said Harm, from Stockholm.
“Having to realize that people here are so talkative, and it was a very big culture shock when I came. Even like if you go shopping, like they'll reach out to you, if you go to a restaurant, like there's so much casual conversation that I really had to get used to.”
The University of Saskatchewan women's basketball team was a dominant force throughout the decade, winning three national titles during that time. While the team has always had outstanding homegrown talent, players from other countries also add depth to the Huskies.
Harm, who is recovering from a broken foot, said it took her a few months in her first season to start feeling comfortable.
“About November [2024]everything just started clicking…basketball was becoming really fun. The school began to adapt. And then obviously winning the national championship was really, really fun.”
While Harm is used to the cold weather, Rowe is a little nervous about his first winter in Saskatchewan.
“Oh God, it’s so cold here,” she said. “Obviously it's raining at home. I was in Texas, so it was really hot. So it's a big adjustment just getting a winter coat and everything.”
Thomaidis said these two players will hopefully play a key role in the team's continued development.
“Liv will continue to get better. She's very tough. She can shoot the three. She can rebound well. So she played her role very well last year,” Thomaidis said.
“And we needed some sort of backup at point guard, someone who could learn from [fifth-year] Gage [Grassick] a year before graduation. And Charlie has the experience we need.”
Harm said the Huskies are hungry to become national champions again.
“We know how much hard work it takes,” she said.
“For me, I need to get back to being able to play basketball, but then also improve and get better than last year.”
Rowe hopes to learn as much as possible from veteran defenseman Gage Grassick.
“We have high expectations for ourselves as a team this year that we want to achieve. So I'm just doing everything I can to help the team achieve our goals and be successful.”
The Huskies got off to a great start, winning their first four games of the regular season by lopsided margins.
They will play their next games on Thursday and Friday in Winnipeg against the Manitoba Bisons.
