With eyes on the 2023-24 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Regular Season, the Keyano Huskies Women's Basketball team have been busy filling out their roster for the coming campaign.
"It's a very exciting class," Women's Basketball Head Coach Dwayne Vigilance said. "The recruiting class is interesting.
"People think that we're rebuilding, and we are, but I think some of these freshmen can come in and play big minutes and be an impact right away."
The Huskies went 12-8 in 2022-23, ultimately finishing in sixth place at the 2023 ACAC Women's Basketball Championships.
Earlier in May, the program made their first formal announcement with the recruitment of Albertan Danika Cadieux.
Arian Batallones (Whitehorse, Yukon)
Following the announcement of Danika Cadieux's recruitment, the Huskies announced the recruitment of Batallones, who represented her territory at the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games in basketball and her territory at the South Slave 2018 Arctic Winter Games in snowshoeing.
"This is my first player from the Yukon and from that area," Vigilance said. "She brings some interesting different dynamics because basketball is played very different there.
"Her ability to see the floor and control us I think will be really good. That'll hopefully open the door to bringing more kids from that area."
Arriana Lawrence (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
With the departure of one Manitoban product in Zera Lynn Panesa, the program quickly filled the void with Lawrence. A product of Garden City Collegiate in the provincial capital, she helped her squad make it to the final four on the provincial scene.
Lawrence is also an accomplished athlete in track and field, competing in long jump, as well as the 100-and-200-metre dashes. At the Legion National Youth Track & Field Championships in Quebec last August, Lawrence earned a Bronze medal in the long jump.
"She just brings so much energy and she's so athletic and very conditioned," Vigilance said. "I think she's the type of player that can literally guard every team's best player, which is fantastic.
"The dynamic of her and Joy [Victor] and their athleticism will raise us to another level that we've never been before. I'm very excited to have her on our squad."
Danica Black (Brandon, Manitoba)
Rounding out May's recruitment announcements was the addition of Black, another multi-sport athlete. On the hardcourt, she captured Provincial 3A Gold with the Neelin High School Spartans earlier this year and was named an all-star at the tournament.
Black is also a star on the ball diamond, winning five provincial softball championships. At the 2022 Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association (MHSAA) Girls Fast Pitch Championships, she was recognized as a tournament all-star.
"Danica Black is going to be a really unique player for us. She's a player that can guard essentially almost all five positions. She's strong, really athletic, and her ability to shoot the ball as a big I think will stretch us out a little bit and make us more dynamic.
