Two standout hoopers in the Okanagan are elevating their game on the provincial level.
Â鶹AV's Shae Sandhu and Vernon's Chloe Collins are two of 12 players selected to the U17 girls B.C. basketball team.
After a long vetting process in March, the team was finalized in April.
Collins, from Vernon Secondary School, was an alternate on last year's team. This summer, however, her strong high-school season elevated her to a crucial role within this year's team.
"Her shooting and confidence has improved," said head coach Randy Nohr. "She comes off the bench for us and was the reason we won our last game in Montreal."
After four training weekends, the team played in their first competition in June, at Montreal's Summer Slam, where Collins impressed.
The Grade 12 student hit a number of clutch threes, and helped the team to a victory after being down. Her fiery offensive ability prompted several calls from universities inquiring into Collins, according to Nohr.
"University of Toronto reached out, they were impressed with how she played," Nohr added. "Chloe showed that she can come off the bench and be ready to play at the university level."
Sandhu, who plays for the Okanagan Mission Huskies in Â鶹AV, is no stranger to provincial competition.
"I coached Shae on the U15 provincial team, and she was fantastic," said Nohr, who touted her shooting ability as one of the best in the country. "She is so physically strong, and I found that she has had quite a bit of development, just cleaning up the little things."
Now, the team looks ahead to the Canada Summer Games, hosted in St. John's, Newfoundland from Aug. 7-17, which will be a massive opportunity for all the players to showcase their abilities.
"It is one of the biggest sporting events in the country and Canada Basketball puts in money to make it a big event," Nohr said. "In reality, the event is a springboard for many players to get looks on future World Championship teams."
Getting 12 players, most stars on their own high school team, to coexist and play as a team can have its challenges, notably on the defensive side.
"I am pretty demanding, and one of the non-negotiables is defence," said Nohr. "They have all done a great job and responded very well, as I am not asking the players to play 20 hard minutes, I am asking if you can play hard, and defend at a high level for three minutes."
B.C. will be looking for revenge from a season ago, with losses to Ontario and Alberta in the medal rounds, despite big leads.
"Traditionally, Ontario, Alberta, B.C. and Quebec are the top four teams, but because it is a Summer Games year, provinces really stack the deck with players," said Nohr.
Team B.C. will have two training camps in Langley before the 10-day-long competition in Newfoundland.
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