Two brand new recruits are set to wear the green at the University of the Fraser Valley next fall.
Victoria Jacobse, a point guard from Abbotsford’s W.J. Mouat Secondary, and Jessica Cameron, a wing out of Calgary’s Western Canada High School, have committed to the UFV women’s basketball program.
Jacobse and Cameron are the first two signees in head coach Al Tuchscherer’s 2015-16 recruiting class.
“We’re really pleased to bring in two quality players,” Tuchscherer said. “Both have versatility to their games and add some length to our lineup, and both are first-class individuals. We’re excited about the strong young core we’re building with our team, and adding them to that mix.”
Tuchscherer had the opportunity to coach Jacobse with the Junior Cascades club program in the summer of 2014, and came away impressed with her work ethic and the positive impact she had on her teammates.
“I love the way she interacts and the energy she brings to the team,” he said. “On the court, she really thinks the game well, sees things before they transpire, and makes her teammates better. She’s a creative facilitator and can score in a variety of different ways. I think she has the ability and approaches the game in a way that is going to allow her to have a great university career.”
Jacobse earned a plethora of accolades during her youth basketball career. In 2012, she won a gold medal at the BC Summer Games with the Fraser Valley zone team.
The following year, she was named tournament MVP at the B.C. Grade 9 provincial championship, and her Mouat Hawks won the silver medal.
In 2014-15, Jacobse came off the bench for a stacked Mouat senior girls squad which finished second at the B.C. AAA high school provincials, and she played for the B.C. U17 provincial team this past summer.
She plans to pursue a bachelor of science degree at UFV, with an eye on moving on to medical school after that and becoming a surgeon.
“I just love everything here,” Jacobse said, reflecting on her decision to sign with the Cascades. “Great coaches, great players, great team, great environment. I know most of the players, so I kind of already feel a part of the family.”
Cameron is a rare out-of-province recruit for Tuchscherer – all but two members of his current 15-player roster (including redshirts) hail from B.C.
“We saw her play last spring when she was out in Abbotsford with her club team, and I immediately fell in love with her game,” Tuchscherer said. “She plays with a lot of determination, a lot of grit, and she has a lot of versatility. I think there’s a ton of potential for her to be a great CIS player. I’m really excited to work with her.”
Cameron got to know the UFV women’s basketball program better, and vice versa, this past summer when she joined the Junior Cascades U17 team for a tournament in Las Vegas.
“It’s going to be exciting,” Cameron said of joining the Cascades. “Their basketball teais really good, it’s a really nice school, and I really like the coaches.”
Cameron, who plans to study business at UFV, is in her third season with the senior girls basketball team at Western Canada High. In 2014-15 (her Grade 11 season), she helped the Redhawks earn an Alberta 4A high school provincial championship berth, and over the summer, she earned all-star honours at the NBC Basketball Camp in Olds, Alta.
