Luca Schmidt will be staying close to home for her university basketball.
The point guard from Brookswood Secondary is joining the Trinity Western Spartans women’s program in the fall.
“She is one of the premier point guards in the province and has really shown a competitive edge that never gives up yet still demonstrates character that always puts others ahead,” said Trinity Western coach Cheryl Jean-Paul.
“She is humble yet confident, which is a great combination for any high school student as they prepare to shine at the CIS level.”
In her final year of high school, the five-foot-seven Schmidt averaged ten points, 5.1 assists and five rebounds per game for the Bobcats, who were ranked first or second for much of the season.
The ’Cats wound up finishing fourth at the B.C. AAA senior girls championships.
Jean-Paul figures Schmidt’s background from basketball powerhouse Brookswood will definitely speed up her learning curve in the CIS.
“Her coach, Neil Brown, has developed a top program at Brookswood and Luca has really benefited from playing under his watchful eye,” she said.
“He is a coach who has dedicated himself to building up players and preparing them for the hard work they will face at the next level, and Luca will jump into our training with the ability to catch on quickly.”
Schmidt was among a quartet of new players announced for the Spartans.
Also wearing the Spartan blue and gold will be Jamie Andrews Stobart, Natalie Carkner and Maddie Lougheed.
Stobart is a five-foot-eight wing player who averaged 22 points per game with Edmonton Christian. She also played for Alberta’s U17 provincial team which finished sixth at the national championships.
Carkner joins her older sister Stephanie on the Trinity Western roster, and just like her sibling, is a point guard.
This past season, she helped Port Coquitlam’s Riverside Rapids to a third-place finish at the provincial championships.
Carkner’s stat line was 10 points, five assists and five steals per game.
And Lougheed is a six-foot-one post player from Owen Sound, Ont. She averaged nearly 20 points, 13 rebounds and more than four blocks per game.
