Canadians made history at last year’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament when one Canuck was represented on each team in the Final Four.
The same four can’t accomplish the same feat this year because of their teams’ placement in the bracket, but they’re all capable of making another deep run.
Stanford’s Alyssa Jerome is back with the defending champs, Arizona’s Shaina Pellington hopes to help the Wildcats improve on their runner-up showing, while South Carolina’s Laeticia Amihere and Connecticut’s Aaliyah Edwards also aim to return to the Final Four.
Twenty players from north of the border are in the tournament and at least one Canadian woman is represented on teams seeded one through 10 in their respective brackets.
The inaugural women’s First Four starts Wednesday with the first full day of the tournament on Friday. The Final Four is in Minneapolis, April 1-3.
Here’s a look at Canadians to watch in this year’s Women’s March Madness
F Laeticia Amihere, South Carolina (No. 1 seed, Greensboro Region)
The six-foot-four forward from Mississauga, Ont., was a member of Canada’s Olympic team last summer in Tokyo. Praised for her versatility by coach Dawn Staley, Amihere is fourth on the top-ranked Gamecocks in scoring (7.2 PPG) and fifth in rebounding (4.0). Amihere’s teammate Aliyah Boston is the favourite to win the national player of the year award.
F Alyssa Jerome, Stanford (No. 1 seed, Spokane Region)
The fifth-year senior from Toronto doesn’t play a ton for the Cardinal, but the human biology major certainly has made the most of her time at the California school on and off the court (one national title, two conference titles, two conference academic honour roll nominations).
G Merissah Russell, Louisville, (No. 1 seed, Wichita Region)
The sophomore from Ottawa got the call to play for Canada in this year’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Japan. Russell plays limited minutes for a talented Cardinals squad. Louisville made a surprising exit in the quarterfinals of its ACC conference tournament in an upset loss to Miami.
F Aaliyah Edwards, UConn, (No. 2 seed, Bridgeport Region)
The six-foot-three sophomore from Kingston, Ont., averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds for the perennially powerful Huskies. Edwards, a member of last year's Olympic team, has scored in double figures in four of her past six games. The Huskies have battled injury and illness all year. Reigning national player of the year Paige Bueckers missed most of the season with a knee injury.
G Shaina Pellington, Arizona, (No. 4 seed, Greensboro Region)
The senior from Pickering, Ont., was excellent in last year’s one-point national championship game loss, scoring 15 points, while adding seven rebounds and three steals. A transfer from Oklahoma, Pellington averaged 10.9 points per game this season, up more than five points from last season. She was second on the Wildcats in scoring this season after suiting up in the Olympics last year.
C Jessica Clarke, G Tara Wallack, Washington State (No. 8 seed, Bridgeport Region)
The Cougars are the only team in the tournament with more than one Canadian on their roster. Washington State is in the tournament for the second year in a row – with its last appearance before that in 1991. Wallack, a freshman from South Surrey, B.C., scored a season-high 16 points and added six rebounds in the team’s most recent game against Utah. Clarke, from North Vancouver, is in her second season with the squad.
F Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga (No. 9 seed, Wichita Region)
The Calgary sophomore was named the sixth woman of the year in the WCC conference. She averaged 10 points and 5.6 rebounds this season in just 20.7 minutes per game.
F Adebola Adeyeye, Buffalo (No. 13 seed, Wichita Region)
The senior forward from Brampton, Ont., is back in the tournament for the second year in a row. Adeyeye had 12 rebounds in a win over Ball State in the MAC conference final and 13 points and eight rebounds in a semifinal triumph over Akron.
Other Canadians on tournament rosters
F Latasha Lattimore (Toronto), Texas
F Kiandra Browne (Montreal), Indiana
F Izzi Zingaro (Bolton, Ont.), Iowa State
C Phillipina Kyei (Calgary), Oregon
G Tineya Hylton (Toronto), Georgia
F Andrea Torres (Terrebonne, Que.), Utah
G Julie Brosseau, (Repentigny, Que.), Kansas
G Lashae Dwyer (Toronto), Miami
G Aerial Wilson (Dundas, Ont.), South Florida
F Faith Dut (Vancouver), Florida
G Jadaia Reid (Brampton, Ont.), Delaware
