Prairie athletes in Paris: Canadian women’s 3×3 team to represent Alberta at Olympics too

A two-pointer and a quick steal led to a layup for the Plouffe twins, giving Canada the win over China, the top-seeded team in the women’s 3×3 basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics.

Celine Dion’s I am alive played in the outdoor arena as Katherine Plouffe, her sister Michelle, Kacie Bosch and Paige Crozon – the four who make up Team Canada – high-fived and hugged each other on the field in Paris, before applauding the crowd in the stands as they walked off the court.

“What an Olympic debut for this team — this country — in 3×3 basketball,” said CBC commentator Daniella Ponticelli.

On Wednesday, the country claimed its second Olympic victory in the women’s 3×3 event, marking another step toward earning hardware in Paris.

Team Canada entered the 2024 Games ranked No. 1 in the world. International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Rankingsdespite being the fifth seed in the tournament. Three of their players — the Plouffe sisters and Crozon — were ranked in the world’s top three; Bosch was ranked 27th.

As the world watches, these women represent the red and white race — and they also represent Alberta.

The Plouffes are from Edmonton. Bosch is from Lethbridge and played for the University of Lethbridge women’s basketball team. She and Crozon, originally from Humboldt, Sask., are now assistant coaches at the U of L.

Those involved in Alberta basketball say the sport is booming, but four women from the province on the world’s biggest stage – in basketball’s second phase – could impact a generation of aspiring players.

“We all need a north star for our path, and these women are creating that now, with what they’re doing in 3×3, for the young women — and the young players in general,” said Dave Drabiuk, executive director of the Alberta Basketball Association.

“For young Albertans to see you come from here to there… it can’t help but grow the sport. It inspires people.”

Near Paris

On Saturday afternoon, the day after the opening ceremony, hip-hop filled the open-air arena as the team performed plays and fired shots without defending before playing a practice match.

The Plouffes had been there twice before — to compete for Canada at the Olympics. In London and Rio, in 2012 and 2016, they played with the national women’s basketball team.

Every Olympics is different, Katherine Plouffe told CBC News on Saturday, noting that athletes have to adapt to schedules, new cities and locations. But in Paris, they’ll be playing 3×3, a different basketball format — even though she and her teammates have dominated the world for years.

“It’s great to be here with my teammates and my team, and to have the support of everyone back home who is super excited for us,” said Michelle Plouffe.

“After a while of waiting and some setbacks we are finally here, we are just happy to be here.”

Hoopers have been playing three-on-three since the dawn of basketball, but 3×3 became an Olympic sporting event in 2017. It was first played at the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Canadian team was good enough to go, but they didn’t.

The International Olympic Committee and FIBA ​​devised a points system that ultimately resulted in the men’s 3×3 team being ranked higher than the women’s team. A complicated FIBA ​​rule allowed Canada to send only one team to the Games. At the time, Canada’s five-on-five women’s basketball team had made it to the previous two Olympics, while the men’s team had not made it since 2000.

The 3×3 men’s team was sent out.

But the women’s team regrouped and Canada Basketball, the national sports governing body, invested in its 3×3 program. The team also hired former WNBA player Kim Gaucher as coach.

Gaucher, from Surrey, British Columbia, has competed in three Olympic Games, but this is her first time experiencing the Games as a coach.

“We’re just here to take it all in,” Gaucher said. “It’s so much fun to see Paige and Kacie, as first-time Olympians, experience this.”

Paige Crozon grew up in Humboldt, a town of about 6,000 people in central Saskatchewan, dreaming of competing in the Olympics. In Paris, she was finally able to celebrate that dream come true with her family, especially her five-year-old daughter Poppy.

Crozon, a single mother, started playing 3×3 when Poppy was eight months old.

“Every family knows how much sacrifice it takes from all family members to reach this moment,” she said.

“And Poppy has been such a huge part of our journey… To have her here, it just feels fitting to have that full-circle moment.”

Bosch, who described her role on the team as the “blue-collar, run-around Chihuahua” who made a mess of things, raved about her teammates and coach — a role model for her as a child.

“I couldn’t be surrounded by more talented women. They are women who have helped me grow as a person,” Bosch said.

Dave Waknuk, head coach of the University of Lethbridge women’s basketball team, flew to Paris to watch the 3×3 team compete.

He has been with Kacie Bosch since she was a teenager on the provincial team, and Crozon since she joined his staff a few seasons ago. He expected a “special moment” to see them on the pitch, knowing what they had to go through to make it to Paris, he said.

“They are a legitimate chance at a medal — and maybe even the gold medal,” Waknuk said.

Ambassadors of Alberta

The 3×3 squad is based in the same province, which makes it logistically easier to train together, Crozon said. But the Prairie connection also helped unite the women, who grew up with similar experiences.

Coaches told CBC News the team’s success could have a domino effect on local youth, as well as older players who may no longer play five-on-five.

“It’s huge,” said Scott Edwards, head coach of the University of Alberta Pandas women’s basketball team.

Edwards coached the Plouffes when they were teenagers on Team Alberta, he said, calling them “two of the smartest athletes” he’s ever coached. He also coached against Bosch in the U Sports competition.

“They are incredible ambassadors for both their sport and their community,” he said.

“They are just incredible women and I hope that after the Olympics the country falls in love with them and, more importantly, sees what kind of people they are.”

Coaches who spoke to CBC News agreed that basketball in Alberta is in great shape, perhaps the best it’s ever been.

Team Alberta’s girls teams often compete for hardware at national championships.

Some young women head south to play in the NCAA, like Calgary’s Yvonne Ejim, a Gonzaga University standout who is in Paris with Canada’s five-on-five team. But college rosters in Alberta, many of which compete in Western Canada and nationally, are filled primarily with locals — which can be rare.

As women’s basketball, including the NCAA and WNBA, gains traction, coaches expect the sport to continue to develop in Alberta.

“They’re getting more exposure in the community, more exposure in more places — a lot more than when we were playing,” said Robyn Fleckenstein, coach of the Mount Royal University women’s basketball team.

Fleckenstein, originally from Nova Scotia, has been coaching at various levels in Alberta for over 10 years.

“It’s changed so much — and you have to love that,” she said. “It’s fun to see the kids get excited and involved in (basketball).”