The Trinity Western Spartans bolstered its front court presence with the signing of a pair of forwards for the upcoming basketball season.
Williams Lake’s Ana Lomavatu and Winnipeg’s Brooke Pattyn will join the Spartans women’s basketball team for the 2013/14 campaign.
The duo will immediately improve a Spartans team which lacked size last year and will also give the team a stronger presence on the glass.
Pattyn is six-foot-one and has played for Manitoba’s provincial teams the past three years.
“We are really excited to welcome some much-needed size into the program,” said TWU coach Cheryl Jean-Paul.
“Brooke brings an inside presence and a nice shooting touch to our team. We’re looking forward to training with her and developing her into a great CIS post.”
Pattyn’s high school at Fort Richmond Collegiate calls her one of the most coachable athletes she has ever worked with.
“She is a tireless worker who leads by example,” said Allison Laferty.
“She is a low post scorer, but she also has the mobility to play outside.”
The five-foot-10 Lovamatu averaged nearly 18 points and 11 rebounds per game while playing centre. She earned most valuable player honours at five different tournaments.
Jean-Paul said the new recruit brings athleticism to the roster.
“She is a tremendous rebounder and she gives us gritty defensive play while also already demonstrating an ability to move well on the court,” Jean-Paul said.
“She is a diamond in the rough with raw abilities that our staff is excited to develop.”
“She has worked hard during the off-season to improve her fitness, ball handling and her outside shot,” said her high school coach Raj Lalli.
“She has put in the effort to narrow the gap between her abilities and her potential. Ana has the ability to score in and out of the key, and defensively her presence in the lane is overwhelming for opponents.”
The pair join Prince George’s Kayla Gordon and Sherwood Park’s (Alberta) Jenna Bracken to round out the team’s recruiting class.