Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

TRU WOLFPACK ATHLETICS

WolfPack vs Wolf Pack: TRU women’s basketball prepares for tough test against D1 opponents

Aug 3, 2023 | 4:59 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s a young, hungry squad practicing for the TRU women’s basketball team this week.

“We’ve got about four or five returnees, and we’ve got nine incoming freshmen,” head coach Todd Warnick tells CFJC Today.

“I’m excited about our freshmen. They’re high-energy, coming from high-competition programs. A few provincial team athletes, and a few Canada Games medallists, so their ceilings are very high and their character is tremendous. That’s part of why I recruited them.”

The TRU WolfPack are getting ready to square off against another Wolf Pack — this one hails from Reno, Nevada and is on an international preseason tour ahead of their NCAA Division I season. Warnick is excited his athletes get a chance to test themselves against this high-level competition.

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“It’s a great opportunity for [our players] to test where they are,” Warnick says. “A chance for them to see probably the highest level they possibly can figure out a measuring stick for us, and it’s great for Canada West, especially out of this area. Western Canada doesn’t get a lot of Division I matchups with NCAA teams in this area. Most of that happens in Eastern Canada.”

One of the new faces on the team is local kid Jayse Matonovich, who played four years at Sahali Secondary School before playing her final year of high school ball in Ontario with Niagara Prep. She expects her teammates to come out hard against the Nevada Wolf Pack.

“Taking it one possession at a time, always competing, no matter what, working really hard and putting all our effort in,” Matonovich says. “The number one thing is competing and working hard.”

Matonovich is thrilled to be back in her hometown and says she can’t wait to put on the orange and black of the ‘Pack.

“I was so excited to come back home to play for my town, my city, my community,” Matonovich says. “I’ve grown up here, so many coaches have helped me throughout my journey, and I’m just happy to be back in Kamloops with Coach Todd and all my teammates.”

This group is Warnick’s first recruiting class, and he’s excited about the talent level he’s been able to attract to the program. He expects this group to adapt quickly to the high level of play in Canada West.

“It’s still a massive jump and there’s no accounting for experience,” Warnick says. “Experience is still a huge factor in Canada West, but the athletes we’re bringing are kids whose ceilings are high. That will allow us to get on the track that we want to be on, that’ll allow us to be successful in the long run.”