Canada boasts five in final four of women’s NCAA basketball tourney
While Canada’s rise in basketball is evident at March Madness, perhaps it is even more apparent in the women’s NCAA tournament where five Canadian players are heading to the final four on three teams.
When the tournament began on March 18th, there were a total of 22 Canadian women on 13 different teams. With the April 3 tip-off to decide who will compete for the National Championship looming, five Canadians remain on three of the remaining four rosters. This means the tournament is guaranteed to have at least one Canadian representative competing for the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.
Lisa Thomaidis, head coach of the national team that will be competing in the Olympic Games this summer in Rio, tweeted out her support for the remaining Canadians.
So who remains?
Kia Nurse
Nurse has become accustom to showing up big in tournaments. She scored 33 points in the gold medal game against the United States this past summer, leading Canada to win gold at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. She also won gold and an Olympic spot with Canada at the 2015 FIBA America’s Women’s Championships, as well as silver at the same tournament in 2013. Now she looks to help Connecticut (ranked no. 1) win back-to-back National Championships.
Canadians showing up for March Madness
Last week one of North America’s most talked about sports events, the NCAA Tournament – March Madness, kicked off in the United States.
This legendary tourney has become much more than just a U.S. collegiate Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, it has also become a launchpad for Canadian basketball talent to assert itself.
Every year millions of people including those who aren’t even fans become “bracketologists” filling out their March Madness brackets in trying to predict who will be crowned National Champions. What makes this tournament so exciting is the potential for an upset, where a low ranked seed potentially beats a top rated team to move on in the tournament. Those who cheer for underdogs were treated to eight upsets that included two teams led by Canadian talent.
So who were Canada’s standouts?
Jamal Murray
The silver medallist at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games has made quite an impact in his one season with the Kentucky Wildcats. He set a school freshman record for points scored in a season with 720, passing former UK star Brandon Knight’s mark of 657. He also tied the school record for consecutive 20-point games (12), a record that has stood since 1975 when Kevin Grevey originally set the mark. Kentucky may have been eliminated from the tournament in the second round but it certainly wasn’t without a fight. In his two games in the March Madness tournament, Murray had a combined 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks and 35 points. Murray led the Wildcats to an 85-57 victory over Stony Brook in the opening round but suffered a heart breaking 73-67 loss to Indiana, falling short of reaching the Sweet 16. This potential Top-10 NBA pick will have to decide between another shot at the tournament next year or entering the NBA draft.
Medals, medals, medals: Canada’s most decorated summer Olympians
Any Canadian athlete that dons the maple leaf also dreams of standing on the Olympic podium with the Canadian flag draped across their back.
Inching closer to Rio 2016, highlighted by the recent unveiling of Team Canada’s Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic collection, as well as the Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials, it’s time to look into Canada’s rich history at the summer Olympic Games and check out some of its most decorated summer athletes.
The Five Medals Club
Lesley Thompson-Willie
Rowing (1 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze)
Lesley Thompson-Willie is the legendary coxswain of the Canadian women’s eight rowing team. She is an eight-time Olympian (1980-2000, 2008-12) and five-time Olympic medallist, starting with coxed fours silver at Los Angeles 1984 and most recently coxed eight silver at London 2012. Having guided the women’s eight to gold at Barcelona 1992, Thompson-Willie looks to add to her illustrious medal collection at Rio 2016. Outside of the Olympic Games, Thompson-Willie has competed at 18 world championships, winning 10 medals (1 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Bronze).
Long Balls: The longest shots in sports
After watching Stephen Curry hit this spectacular 30-foot three-pointer, it left us wondering who else has some of the longest shots in sports?
This is a list of some of sport’s longest and most amazing shots ever made (ranked in order of distance from least to greatest).
82 Ft 2 In (25.04m) – Backward Basketball Shot
The Harlem Globetrotters have forever been known as the epitome of entertainment in basketball and they continue to impress. According to Guinness World Records, Thunder Law (yes that is his name) successfully attempted a 25m (82’2″) backwards shot at the US Airways Center on November 3rd, 2014.
don schram 
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