Williams Lake’s Ana Lomavatu will have a chance to suit up for the Trinity Western Spartans women’s basketball team this October.
The five-foot-10 forward, who graduated from Williams Lake Secondary School last year, averaged 17.8 points per game and 11 rebounds per game playing at the centre position.
During her Grade 12 season Lomavatu earned MVP honours at five different tournaments and, for the second consecutive year, was named a first team all-star for B.C.’s North Central Zone.
“We are excited to welcome Ana to the Spartan’s women’s basketball program,” said head coach Cheryl Jean-Paul. “She is a great fit for where we’re heading and will really excel at TWU. She’s a great student and she embodies the Complete Champion Approach while also bringing solid athleticism to our roster. Coming from Williams Lake, she is a diamond in the rough with raw abilities that our staff is excited to develop.”
Jean-Paul added Lomavatu’s skillset will merge perfectly with the Spartans’ style of play.
“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. “Her intelligence, work ethic, strength and explosiveness will all be great tools for her to use to develop into a solid CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) student-athlete.”
In her Grade 11 year Lomavatu was also named Williams Lake secondary’s top female athlete.
“For the last two years Ana has been a player her teammates have looked up to,” said Raj Lalli, Lomavatu’s basketball coach at WLSS.
“She has worked hard during the off-season to improve her fitness, ball handling and her outside shot. 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.”
Lomavatu, an honour roll student at WLSS, plans to study human kinetics while at TWU.
“While I’m attending TWU to pursue human kinetics, I’m very excited to join the Spartan’s team, especially as it gives me the opportunity to learn from the senior players and coaches,” she said.
“I know I’ll be stretched and challenged and I’m looking forward to this opportunity God provided.”
The Spartans open its season Oct. 11 against the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves.