Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: Welcome to the Canadian Basketball show your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball. I'm your host Lee Ben Osman. For this week's episode I have one of Canada's top college players this past season joining me, Avery Howell. We chatted at the hotel Canada basketball staying at for Global Jam. She just recently played the FIBA U19 World cup and is transferring over to Washington from USC. We talk about her Canadian background through her mom, her rise as a prospect and becoming McDonald's All American. And she takes me through her big decision to enter the portal and transfer to Washington, a program that's closer to home for Avery who's from Idaho. Really insightful chat with with Avery and I'm excited to watch her play at Global Jam which is from August 13 to 17. I'll be out there for for all the evening games. If you see me, come say what's up. Let's talk about the podcast. Talk about Canadian basketball and a lot of stuff happening. Canada basketball just held the media availability. I spoke to Xavier Lee, Dave Smart, the head coach for the men's team. Dave Smart seems really excited to be back with the program.
Him and Gordy Herbert very close. He talked about how much he respects him and how he almost took the Germany job to be an assistant with him when when Gordy was over there. So um, Dave Smart, a coach that I think a lot of people are excited to see back with Canada basketball. They talked about how they're going to be playing a fast style play at Global Jam and just how short the camp has been. They're doing two a days from what I've heard and my biggest question is I wonder how they they use their point guards. Xavier Lee, Aiden Holloway, two dynamic point guards.
First time Aiden Holloway is going to be playing officially for Canada. I watched him a few years back and he told me his origin Canadian story and I'm excited to watch him for the first time. Obviously the U19 stuff didn't work out last time but it'll be really exciting to watch Aiden Holloway play for Canada and I think it's a cool opportunity. Just you get to watch the next wave of talent coming up. I talk about Xavian Lee a lot and he's looking to showcase. He talked about it, how his game has matured, being a leader. He wants to show how he's a floor general out there. He's obviously a player on this roster. I think could make the jump to the NBA potentially. I'll, I'll name some other guys that I Think Elijah Mahi is another name people should know about. Santa Clara guy. He played actually in Global Jam two years back and definitely think he's. If anybody that can make the jump. I think Elijah Mahi led Canada in scoring last time at Global Gem. So excited to see how his game has adapted, has evolved.
Michael New Oko is another name. Lsu, big man just dunks the ball like. Like he has rent paid, you know, like. Like he needs to pay rent. Like, it's insane. Felix is another guy, sneaky guy that I like at Colorado. Boo Boo Benjamin. I know he's like a analytics darling.
So those guys I would watch very closely. Elijah, Xavier, Aiden Holloway too. I didn't mention him. I think he's. He's gonna. He might excel in a tournament like this and obviously playing at a big team at like, Alabama, Auburn, like those schools, like, this is a stage for. For Aiden Holloway on the women's side. No Silas Sores, Jasmine basco. I got MCE. They've had a busy summer. They've played what, U19, Tsyla for herself. Like, she deserves a break. Like, she's played what senior women's national team, all that kind of stuff. And since they're out, I expect an important role for someone like Avery Howell, who we have on this podcast. Kali Clark obviously knows her pretty well, coached her at the Nike Hoop Summit. I was there watching them kind of build a relationship, so I'm excited to see how that translate and how she utilizes her. But yeah. August 13 to 17, pull up. You have nothing to do in Toronto. The Madamy Athletic Center. Buy a ticket, come watch it. It's gonna be some good hoops. Georgetown has some good talent, Texas has some good talent, and the other teams from across the world. And yeah, Toronto's a place to be for basketball. FIBA Mayor cup men's training camp is also officially underway.
Revealed a bit ago that Keyshawn George will be playing Washington Wizards forward and Michael Barlett, we had him on the podcast and he said Leonard Miller is expected to be there. Actually saw Leonard a few times this past week at the Jane and Finch Classic. That tournament, if you know it is the wildest tournament, but the most entertainment, like, it's. It's insane.
Those that have attended, I don't have to say much. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
But it's always a fun time. Jamal Murray was out there supporting his AAU team who played in the finals. Dylan Brooks was out there. A lot of Canadian people, fun weekend of basketball. But back to Leonard. I was Hearing he was actually a maybe to play at the FIBA Mirror cup prior and that his brother Emmanuel Miller was the name that was actually expected to play and planning to play. But obviously things change in the last few weeks. So Delano Banson was another name was told might have played at the Fe America but he's still waiting to secure a guaranteed NBA deal. So he's a name that that's not going to be there. Shaden Sharp, Ben Mather. I know a lot of people are interested in dumb but I never really expected them to be in the mix. Obviously kind of like a a contract year for those guys. Caleb Houston is a name though I wonder why he hasn't played for Canada. Someone knows hit me up. He told me he was interested when Orlando came to play Toronto in the regular season. So he's a name that I'm wondering catch and shoot guy, right? Like he could fit I think pretty well just to what Canada basketball is doing.
Names that I'm pretty excited about that I heard will be in camp. Charles Beaco. We had him on a podcast a few months back. Treybel Haynes, Cal Wilcher is another name.
I'm hoping he will be there. I've heard some whispers about him. Nate Darling is another name I've heard whispers about. Hopefully they're there.
You never really know because like you'll hear these names and then some people drop out last minute. I heard people talk about Jackson Rowe. He's not going to be there. I was actually supposed to have him on the podcast pretty soon but we'll reschedule him. We'll get Jackson Row eventually but I know he's going to be in San Francisco working out over there. Isaiah Mike is a name that I think will be in camp. Guys you've kind of seen before heard before. I think Canada's prioritizing like continuity. It's a big thing for the program especially for the November February windows. You have a short time to get to know these guys gel get the the chemistry going and I was honestly shocked when people were like let's roll out four to five NBA guys to be honest because that doesn't really help you in these windows because they're not going to be there. So I know we all want to see NBA guys show up and stuff like that but for these windows, for these like little tournaments, I wouldn't expect it ever to be honest. One or two to me is fine because like that's kind of the I I expect get these guys like a keyshawn who I know him and his family really want to play for Canada. So get those guys that can have a featured role and fill a slot that Canada has been missing in terms of gap as a and the forward position. Leonard Miller too. I know they've been following him for a while, so I think this will be a great tournament. If Leonard does play, it'll be exciting to see him play.
But from what I know, they'll be traveling to Miami for two scrimmages against the U.S. and the Dominican Republic and then flying to Nicaragua for the actual tournament. I'm not going to be there. Going to actually be going on vacation to Paris, Japala de France.
Get some much needed time off, go relax, go visit the Eiffel Tower, the. What do they call it? The Shandel.
I hopefully I'm pronouncing that right, but obviously we'll still be pushing out episodes. I got some good guests coming up.
Like I said, if you enjoy the podcast, leave us a rating. Leave us a like 5 star rating. Takes not much time. It takes you like a few seconds. Follow us on ig. All the stuff is in the description below. Ig Twitter, Tick tock. Stay tapped in and enjoy this interview with Avery Howe, one of Canada's rising stars. And we be right back.
Welcome back to the Canadian Basketball Show. I'm joined by a special guest, one of the top Canadians in college basketball. This past season she was McDonald's All American, two time Gatorade Idaho State player of the year, represented Canada at the Nike Hoop Summit where I got to watch her for the first time, and most recently playing for Canada at the FIBA U19 World Cup. Avery Howell, welcome to the show.
[00:08:40] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:08:41] Speaker B: How was Toronto treating you?
[00:08:42] Speaker A: Toronto's treating me really good. I've been here for a couple weeks now and it's been good seeing the city, exploring. It's been fun.
[00:08:50] Speaker B: Yeah. How many times have you, have you been to Toronto?
[00:08:53] Speaker A: I think a few times. Most of it's just been for camps though. Never just for vacation. So every time we have training camps unite teens and now here with the U23s.
[00:09:02] Speaker B: So have you done any sightseeing?
[00:09:04] Speaker A: I went with the U19s with jazz and live and explored. We went up the CN Tower, went to a couple cool places, but other than that, not really.
[00:09:12] Speaker B: I want to ask you, being from Idaho, what's the biggest like attraction in Hide, Idaho? Because when I think of Idaho, I'm like, I'm not thinking of like big buildings or anything like that.
[00:09:22] Speaker A: I mean, there's a lot of outdoorsy things to do, like Boise River.
There's a lake nearby, a couple hiking trails. But other than that, that's kind of what I stick to.
[00:09:31] Speaker B: But, yeah. So this is how many times you've been in Canada?
[00:09:35] Speaker A: I've been here a lot, but I normally go where my parents, my grandparents live in British Columbia. Super small town called Salmo.
So normally I'm there, but other than that, it's just for training camps, things like that.
[00:09:47] Speaker B: Yeah. If anybody listening knows where Selma is, you know your geography in Canadian. Yeah, I don't know where the hell that is. But we're gonna get to your origin story, like your Canadian background, all that kind of stuff. But obviously you're here playing for Global Jam. Tell me, when was the first time you heard about Global Jam? And I'm guessing they probably told you, like, we want you to play this summer. Fiber 19. And then this. What? Tell me about that.
[00:10:11] Speaker A: Yeah, so originally I was like, this summer I was playing with the U19s, obviously. And then the first time I heard about Global Jam was this summer.
I've just been getting more and more involved with Canada basketball and this summer especially.
So, yeah, they asked me to play in Global Jam. I was excited to just do anything with the Canadian national team, so I jumped on it. And it's been super fun so far in training camp and, yeah, I'm looking forward to the games.
[00:10:34] Speaker B: Yeah. How's training camp been so far?
[00:10:36] Speaker A: It's been good. It's been really competitive. We've had some people in and out, but a lot of good competition. A lot of good players are here.
We have a good mix of, like, older girls, younger girls, people coming up through the system. So it's just been good to have a lot of competitiveness in practice and.
[00:10:50] Speaker B: Getting better, talking about people in and out. Silo, obviously is not playing. Jasmine's not playing.
Not playing, obviously. You, I'm guessing you know them pretty well. Like, what was your relationship with some of the Canadians prior to maybe even playing with Canada basketball? Did you know anybody?
[00:11:04] Speaker A: Yeah, I knew, like, Jazz and Sila, all of them, just because we played well. Sila was at McDonald's All American with me. And then I knew them also because we were all at Nike Hoop Summit together. So kind of just had that same group. Jazz kind of came in a little bit late to Hoop Summit, but still had everyone there. So we played together.
And then obviously that was a core group for U19s with jazz. Silo obviously came in late because she was over with Americup. And then I got to so kind of just different events throughout high school and just big, bigger names, especially like Sila and some bigger people. So obviously you play against people and get to know each other and build relationships.
[00:11:43] Speaker B: Yeah, I think everyone wants to know the backstory to how you play for Canada. And obviously I think your mom's from British Columbia. Can you tell us just, like, the origin story?
[00:11:52] Speaker A: Yeah. So I got my dual citizenship because my mom was born in British Columbia. It's where my grandparents still live. Again, it's a really small town called Salmo.
So I've had dual citizenship with the US and it was like, as soon as I started getting college, recruitment, some college coaches. I don't even specifically remember which school it was, but some of the coaches helped me out, reached out to the Canadian national team. I think my grandpa also sent some emails and, like, just kind of trying to get my name out there. And I don't even know how long it ended up taking, but it was. I feel like it was around like, my sophomore, junior year of high school. I got involved, got the right contact, and I went out to my first camp.
Just it wasn't even for, like, a team. It was just to kind of go let them see me play. And I think they came and watched some. Someone I don't even know who came and watched some of my club games on the circuit.
And then from then on out, I've been with the Canadian national team.
[00:12:48] Speaker B: Have you had, like, dual citizenship all your life or.
[00:12:51] Speaker A: Yeah. Ever?
Yeah. I mean, since I was probably, like, 13. Yeah, I got like, the actual paperwork for it.
[00:12:58] Speaker B: But you said your. Was your grandpa sending. Sending letters? What was he saying?
[00:13:01] Speaker A: I don't even know. I just. I was playing soccer as well, so he was sending stuff for soccer, too, but I think he was, like, sending emails maybe. I don't. I don't know what he was sending. But I knew both my.
My parents and my grandpa definitely wanted me to get on the national team or get involved with it.
[00:13:17] Speaker B: What does it mean for them, seeing you represent Canada where they're from?
[00:13:20] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's really cool, especially just because my mom was born and raised there and she moved to the States to go to college. And my grandpa obviously still lives there. And Canada is a huge part of who they are as well as it is for who I am now. And especially just having that dual citizenship and living in the States, but trying to find that part of you that wants to represent this half of you. And I think that it. It means a lot to be able to like put on the jersey for them as well because they've lived there.
My mom grew up there and played basketball too, so just it's pretty cool.
[00:13:50] Speaker B: So I'm guessing you go to BC a lot?
[00:13:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:13:52] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, what's BC like, maybe compared to Toronto? I haven't been to bc, but I hear like it's kind of like it's beautiful out there.
[00:13:59] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean I used to go a lot. My, my summers have been getting busier and busier so it's been hard to go back there and see family. But actually my family's there right now visiting my grandparents. But it's really pretty. A lot of outdoorsy things to do, hiking trails. We have some friends that live there, my mom's friends that she grew up with. So it's really small where we go. It's a small town, but it's just kind of calm.
There's never anything that you need to do. It's just like calming. It's a sense of just being present in the outdoors, the nature of the things around you.
[00:14:30] Speaker B: Did your parents tell you why they moved to Idaho?
[00:14:34] Speaker A: Well, my dad has lived in Idaho his whole life. He's moved around like cities, but he's been there for a while. And then my mom went to college at Lewis and Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho and that's where my dad and her met and then they moved to Boise together and then that's now where my brother's going to college as well. So the whole family's kind of just been in Idaho and. Yeah.
[00:14:56] Speaker B: Yeah. I want to talk obviously about college and like the season that you had and obviously transferring over to Washington closer to home, right?
[00:15:02] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:03] Speaker B: How close is it to home?
[00:15:04] Speaker A: It's like a six hour drive, 45 minute flight.
[00:15:08] Speaker B: That's easy.
But speaking on Canada basketball. So you go to this ID camp. Was an ID camp. Like where was it at the first.
[00:15:16] Speaker A: Camp I went to?
[00:15:17] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:18] Speaker A: I don't even remember like what it was. I don't even think it was for like my actual age. I think it was for a year younger. They just wanted me to go kind of get around. Exactly is my first camp. So I just went to this. I want to say. Yeah, I'm not even going to try to guess what camp it was for, but it was for just one of the other age groups. Just kind of get my name out there.
[00:15:37] Speaker B: Yeah. So you're there, I guess you leave an impression and then you're also like rising as a prospect.
Was there a moment where you're like, I'm getting good at basketball and, like, people are starting to recognize me.
[00:15:50] Speaker A: I wouldn't say. I mean, yeah, I think, but not necessarily just at the Canada camp. I feel like just kind of as I kept working and high school and I kind of started to get a little more recognition from recruitment and cooler things started happening. Getting invited to different camps and. Yeah, getting invited to the Canadian camp and all those things, I think that it just kind of motivated me more of like, all the. The things I can accomplish.
[00:16:13] Speaker B: How did you get into basketball in the first place?
[00:16:16] Speaker A: My older brother played, and my mom obviously played in college, so I was playing soccer and basketball for a long time. My brother three years older than me. I was just trying to do everything he did. So he's riding a bike. I'm trying to ride a bike. Three years younger, and he was playing basketball. So I was playing basketball, and my mom obviously was coaching and, like, trying to get me into it. And then it wasn't until, like, covet hit when I really, like, stopped playing soccer and really just dove into basketball. I started doing online school from a gym, working out before school and between classes after school, so.
[00:16:48] Speaker B: Oh, you were locked in.
[00:16:49] Speaker A: I was locked in during COVID Yeah. I think it was just like the split between my peers that were doing other things and choosing other activities to be doing, and I just dove into basketball, and my brother was doing the same thing, so he was going to school at this gym in Boise, and then we both just kind of locked in together.
[00:17:07] Speaker B: Yeah. What was your soccer? What was your position?
[00:17:10] Speaker A: Midfield holding.
[00:17:11] Speaker B: Oh, so you like to run a lot?
[00:17:12] Speaker A: I like to run, yeah.
[00:17:13] Speaker B: I used to be like that, but I'm like, I retired. I stopped playing soccer when I was young. I was like, basketball, I think it's. It's more enjoy, like, it's more like when I can't watch soccer. I don't know about you. Yeah, it's just like. It's boring. It's like, you can't. You'll watch a whole game. Someone might not even score a goal.
[00:17:28] Speaker A: Yeah, it's like just possession and. Yeah, I can't watch it either.
[00:17:32] Speaker B: So obviously you get into basketball through your family, maybe. Who are some of, like, your favorite players growing up?
[00:17:39] Speaker A: I always loved Kobe, I think just the mentality behind everything. He was obviously a really famous motivational speaker as well. But I always admired his. His words of wisdom and just kind of how he approached the game.
And then I honestly didn't watch that much basketball, but I loved watching his Highlights and like things along. Yeah, the mindset, like I said. But my parents and my brother always had college games on, girls and boys, March Madness especially. But there was always sports on in the house. So I just kind of picked up on all of those.
[00:18:12] Speaker B: Yeah. When you became part of Canada basketball, I was really excited just because when I watched it for the first time, I'm like, this girl does not miss like at your as a shooter. I'm like, you might be the best in the future. We might be talking as like the best like Canadian basketball shooter. I see that.
Tell me what the work goes into to that. And because I remember just watching someone like, I don't think I've seen her missing the last like 30 minutes. I'm like, what?
[00:18:37] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, to be honest, my shot used to be pretty broke, so. Yeah, I mean I had to work at it. I think it was just the consistency of the work. I kind of had to rebuild it. It was funky. It kind of crossed my face.
So I think it was just a lot of time spent with my club coaches and then taking whatever they gave me and just repping it by myself.
I just, I fell, I honestly, I just fell in love with just the work behind it and trying to figure out how to become better. Especially I knew I needed to develop a three point shot. That was kind of part of my game that even college coaches were saying was lacking during my like, like first part of my recruitment when I was younger in high school.
[00:19:12] Speaker B: Really?
[00:19:13] Speaker A: Yeah. So like I didn't have three levels. I would just try to get to the paint and score. So I knew that that was something I had to develop to get to where I wanted to be.
And I don't even, I don't know how long it took me, but I went from not being able to shoot a three to save my life to being a really high level three point sharpshooter. Yeah.
[00:19:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:31] Speaker A: So I mean that's something that I worked really hard at. So that's obviously one of the biggest parts of my game now that I mean, I love to shoot. So.
[00:19:38] Speaker B: Yeah.
And in terms of when did like recruitment started to pick up, when did you get your first offer?
[00:19:46] Speaker A: I think it was my sophomore year of high school.
[00:19:48] Speaker B: Yeah. What school? You don't remember?
[00:19:50] Speaker A: I don't remember. I want to say it was either bsu, which is hometown, or Montana.
[00:19:55] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:19:55] Speaker A: But I don't remember which one.
[00:19:57] Speaker B: Yeah. Do you remember like your reaction to when like say a school called you? Do you remember like any of those, like, memories were like, damn, I just got to offer.
Or like one that hit you. You're like, wow.
[00:20:09] Speaker A: One that hit me was actually, I don't know, I mean, those ones were really cool just because it was my first offer and it's obviously a D1 school.
But then what really hit me was towards the end of my recruitment, I went like this summer where I really wanted to get a Power 5 offer and Power 4 now, but I really wanted to get a big offer and I didn't have a three point shot, so I didn't get one that whole summer. And then at the end of the summer, it's kind of like this reevaluation of like where I'm at, what I need to get better at, kind of. Why? What's the why behind this? And there was a lot of disappointment, a lot of emotions during that. But it was after that summer that I, like, went to work on the three point shot and I came back the next summer. We were on the Adidas circuit with my club team and I kind of. Me and my future teammate Bryn at uw. She's. She's great. We played on the club circuit together for Adidas. And it was that summer that me and her kind of took off. And it was the most insane period of time. I got like a ton of offers, like a ton of offers in the span of not very long.
And it was like this mix of overwhelming and joy and like gratefulness and blessed of all of these offers coming in at once. But it was from like big schools. I was on the phone with Stanford. I was like, these bigger schools that I was just. It was, at the time, it was very overwhelming. But like, looking back on that process now is. It was crazy.
[00:21:28] Speaker B: Yeah. How many offers did you Finish up with?
[00:21:30] Speaker A: 40 something.
[00:21:31] Speaker B: Damn.
[00:21:32] Speaker A: I think I don't have the exact. It's like 41 or like 46.
[00:21:35] Speaker B: So what's that like when all these schools are calling you, texting you and it's like, I'm guessing you kind of like, obviously whittle it down. So I'm guessing, did you have like a top six? Like top eight, like top five, Top five? What was the top five?
[00:21:48] Speaker A: Duke U. Dub, usc, Utah and Indiana.
[00:21:52] Speaker B: Nice. Okay, and tell me about that decision. When you came down to five, what were you looking for in a program?
[00:21:58] Speaker A: Yeah, honestly, out of high school, I feel like I had this idea of what I wanted. I wanted, obviously a competitive team. I wanted to go to a team that was like, good and I was going to be able to fit in and we were going to be able to compete for something.
I wanted to fit in with the girls. I wanted to have good team chemistry, all that, like the team.
I grew up always having player coaches that cared about the player on and off the court, not just as what they're producing as a machine, but as who are they, what are they about? Kind of wanting good people in the program.
So those were some of the main things.
And I think a lot of those schools had those boxes that were able to check off, which is why they were in my final five.
[00:22:42] Speaker B: Yeah. And how many visits did you end up going on?
[00:22:45] Speaker A: I went on four.
[00:22:47] Speaker B: What was that like going on campus, checking out the school for the first time?
[00:22:50] Speaker A: Honestly, I. The recruitment process wasn't my favorite thing.
It was like super rushed, kind of last minute. Like I said, a lot of schools came on pretty late just because my trajectory kind of rose really quickly towards the end of my recruitment. So then these schools kind of came on fast.
So there was a lot of emotion overwhelmed.
But then my visits were short and quick. I didn't stay for very long. Yeah, just because I. That's. I didn't really love to go on visits, but I mean, a lot of they were really cool. Seeing the campuses was. Was dope. I mean, just being around the team, getting to kind of be there, feel what it's like. It's obviously super cool. And then going on official visits, your parents get to go with you, you get to do the photo shoot, so it's obviously cool.
But yeah, recruiting wasn't like my favorite ever.
[00:23:39] Speaker B: Um, we'll get into that too, because obviously you transferred. And I want to know what was that like, because I guess that was probably crazy, but you land on usc. Tell me about that decision and what made us see the pick.
[00:23:50] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, at the time I was really looking forward to being there, having that. That experience. I think USC had a lot of eyes on it, obviously, with juju being there and then getting Kiki in the. In the portal last year. But I think I was really. I. I mean, I was really excited. There was a lot of. There's a lot of good things that happened when I was at usc. I think obviously the girls were amazing. I really liked the coaching staff. I was super. I was super excited. I've always wanted to be in California. That was like a childhood dream.
[00:24:22] Speaker B: I'm trying. I'm trying to go to Cal. What's California like?
[00:24:25] Speaker A: It was cool. Yeah. I mean, I think moving forward, obviously I'm at UW now, so I'm excited for that change, but I. I had always wanted to be in California, have the beach nearby, the nice weather.
So that was definitely something I was looking forward to.
[00:24:39] Speaker B: Yeah, I just want to go. Kelly's experience. The. So it looks just. It looks like a. A fake reality.
[00:24:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:46] Speaker B: You know, but obviously you talked about your, like, trajectory, like, once you got a shot, everyone started calling teams all that kind of stuff. What was, like, your ranking? Like. Like, were you, like, on the espn? Like, where were you at?
[00:24:59] Speaker A: So I didn't even really know rankings were, like, a big thing until I don't even know what I was ranked. But I started, like, down, like, the list and then just kept getting closer and closer. I went to the Wooten, like, top 150 camps, Idaho camps, two years in a row. Kind of just kept, like, knocking names off the list. Knocking names off the list.
And I want to say I was ended at 16. I could be wrong. I don't actually remember, but I was a McDonald's All American, so that's what top 24.
But there's also, like, there's a ton of different rankings. Like, there's ESPN. There's 24. Yeah. There's, like, all these different.
[00:25:38] Speaker B: Everyone else.
[00:25:39] Speaker A: I think I was 16, but I also might have been, like, 20 on ESPN. I'm not even really sure. But honestly, I didn't really pay that much attention to the rankings.
It was more just about, like, my growth, getting better, kind of having these other goals of where I wanted to end up, what I wanted to see for myself in the future, kind of those types of things.
[00:25:57] Speaker B: Yeah. And then McDonald's all American. That's, like, a big, big accomplishment.
Was it on your mind, like, going into, like, I want to be a McDonald's All American, and then when you get it, what was your reaction to that?
[00:26:09] Speaker A: Yeah, it was definitely on my mind. That was one of the things. And then obviously, you kind of have to pay attention to the rankings in that sense, because you have to be top 24 at least to get that award. So that was definitely.
Getting to at leave be top 24 was definitely on my radar. I think being on the Adidas circuit helped me because that's obviously Adidas. McDonald's is tied with Adidas, but that was one of the most fulfilling feelings, just knowing that I was able to accomplish that. That was so far. I mean, Gatorade Player of the Year was another one. But I think McDonald's all American, something that's in the history books for forever, so big time.
[00:26:48] Speaker B: Like, I think you And I was so excited because then I got to watch you at Hoop Summit for the first time. That was your first time representing Canada. How did, like, Coop Summit? Because I'm like, oh, Avery Howell, Canadian. I'm like, who is this? So you. You get there. When did you know you're going to play at the Hoop Summit for Canada? And, like, what was the whole process to be like? I'm representing Canada officially.
[00:27:06] Speaker A: Yeah. I got an email that was like, inviting me to play on the World Team because I had my dual citizenship at this point and I had already been to that one Canada ID camp.
[00:27:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:17] Speaker A: So, yeah, I got an email, like, asking if I wanted to play. No hesitation. I obviously wanted to play.
And then, yeah, there was a lot of other Canadians also on that roster. So we were kind of stacked with representing Canada.
[00:27:30] Speaker B: Five.
[00:27:30] Speaker A: Yes. Five of us. Yeah.
[00:27:32] Speaker B: What you, Toby, Jasmine, we mentioned Sila. Delaney, yourself. That's five. Anybody else? Delaney, Gibb. Yeah. Wow.
[00:27:41] Speaker A: Yeah, there was a lot of us and a Canadian coach, Carly.
[00:27:44] Speaker B: And, man, that year, you guys should have won that game. So I'm thinking back up.
[00:27:48] Speaker A: We were up at like 20.
[00:27:50] Speaker B: You guys had a chance and then they started pressing you. But the US Is known for that, right? Like, yeah, that game was fun watching that. And I remember speaking to Carly, like, being like, we should have won that game.
[00:27:59] Speaker A: We should have. Totally should have won.
[00:28:01] Speaker B: What was your experience like at the Hoop Summit?
[00:28:03] Speaker A: It was really cool. We went pretty. We went way earlier than the US One just because it was like a kind of a random group of players trying to mesh and get a system and play well together.
So we had a lot more time together.
The facilities were amazing. The. Not the. I mean, the hotel was nice, but the gyms. We were at Nike headquarters, I think.
[00:28:21] Speaker B: Yes. Coach K facility.
[00:28:23] Speaker A: Yeah, they were sweet. We got a lot of gear. It was a lot of fun just being around the girls, the. Even the food, the activities they had for us. We got a tour. LeBron's.
[00:28:32] Speaker B: LeBron's whatever. Facility. Yeah.
[00:28:35] Speaker A: You know what I'm talking about.
[00:28:36] Speaker B: Tiger Woods, Serena Williams scored a lot of those things.
[00:28:38] Speaker A: So it was just a cool experience to see how Nike was running things.
And then, yeah, obviously the game we should have won, but yeah.
[00:28:46] Speaker B: Yeah, Portland's always like my favorite trip every year, going out to Hoop Summit because, like, you get to watch the next town that's coming up. Right. And the fact that there was five of you. How well did you know? We kind of talked. Talked about. You knew. Kind of silent.
Jasmine, you kind of I guess you met all these guys, I'm guessing, getting to know them, like, officially hanging out with them for a whole week. And what was that like, getting to know them?
[00:29:06] Speaker A: Yeah, it was really cool. It was. Yeah. I obviously kind of knew Silo before then, but then everyone else was pretty much the first time.
Yeah. Delaney, Jazz, Toby, all of them was kind of my first time meeting them. And I think that even just. Yeah, I didn't really know them that well, but even just knowing that we were all Canadian and, like, especially the future of Canada and trying to make rosters and play on teams, like, we were all going to be seeing each other at camps and things, so it was definitely cool just to have that time to get to know each other.
[00:29:34] Speaker B: What'd they tell you just about Canada or just, like, basketball or, like, the program itself and, like, I don't know what your expectations were coming in. And then obviously, like, I also feel like you guys, five of you, like, historic class. When I talk about freshmen in college basketball, what was it like in terms of, like, getting to know them and, like, the program itself and, like, what do they tell you about kind of basketball?
[00:29:53] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I don't know if they really said, like, what they thought of the Canadian, like, system and the program, but I think that they all just had a sense of pride of being able to represent Canada, even if it's on the world team at Nike Hoop Summit, which is not the same as our true national team with the Canadian system. But I think that they were all just. I mean, they told me a little bit of kind of how it works because they've all obviously played on, like, underage teams before, and I'm kind of coming in a little bit later. But, yeah, I think that it just had a sense of connection for all of us, just knowing that we're going to be going through the system of making rosters and things as we move on.
[00:30:29] Speaker B: Yeah. And I was going to ask you, you guys all get to college.
[00:30:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:32] Speaker B: And then seeing everyone, like, freshman of the week, everyone, like, Toby's doing her thing, Delaney's doing her thing, everyone's doing their thing. What was it like watching you guys are just all at the Hoop Summit, and I'm guessing you guys are probably, like, messaging each other, like, congratulation, grads. Like, what was that like, watching each other all do their own thing at colleges and, like, become names?
[00:30:50] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's really cool. Obviously. I think that everybody went where they needed to go and did what they needed to do to make A name for themselves their freshman year, especially coming for all of them coming from Canada and having those situations. And honestly, there is some hardship coming from Canada into a U.S. school and trying to make a name for yourself.
Um, so I. I feel for them in that sense. I mean, I obviously didn't have that exact experience, but I'm proud of all of them for doing that and making a name for themselves and setting those goals and achieving them.
So obviously that was great for all of them to do last year and I'm excited to see what it looks like for everyone moving forward.
[00:31:26] Speaker B: Yeah, I think you and Silo were head to head at one point, right?
[00:31:29] Speaker A: Yeah, I think we played Michigan like.
[00:31:31] Speaker B: Three times last year was a lot of trash talking. Like, what.
[00:31:33] Speaker A: What was going on? No silent mere. I would say classy, like pretty classy. Players level headed for the most part especially she is. I might be a little more.
[00:31:44] Speaker B: I was going to say, I need you to hit a three next time. And I look at her and be.
[00:31:47] Speaker A: Like, yeah, like, you know, like, yeah, honestly, maybe next year when I'm at Washington.
[00:31:53] Speaker B: What was like the biggest adjustment you get to usc? What was the biggest adjustment from like high school to college for you?
[00:31:57] Speaker A: I would say probably just like time management.
Not. I'm pretty good with my time, like, making sure I have it like laid out. But I think just like knowing your academics and then the Big Ten travel was insane, especially being a in California, trying to do all that travel to all these other teams and stuff. So I think just with academics, making sure you're talking to your professors, getting everything figured out while you're gone. Because when it was the Pac 12, you weren't going that far. You weren't missing as much class. But here you're with Big Ten, you're missing a ton of classes. You're having to do finals on the road, things like that.
[00:32:30] Speaker B: So that's crazy.
[00:32:31] Speaker A: Yeah, that was probably the biggest adjustment, especially just because high school, especially senior year, is a little bit not as serious. Especially when I was missing with McDonald's Hoop Summit Canada camps. So I missed a lot my senior year. So I think it was just a definite adjustment to academics and being on the road a lot. Freshman year.
[00:32:48] Speaker B: Yeah, I was gonna ask because the. The travel schedule, I can't imagine what was like, maybe the craziest travel that you had from like a.
To go to a school to play.
[00:33:00] Speaker A: The craziest travel we probably had was when we. When we were coming back from UConn. We went and played them before Christmas, which Is it was non conference. They're obviously not big ten, but we go and play them. And then our flight back there was really bad.
Is it headwinds when it slows the plane down?
[00:33:17] Speaker B: I think I have no. I have no idea about flights.
[00:33:19] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah. Well, we were. We were on a charter and we were flying back from Yukon and I think there was really bad headwinds. So our flight was really slow. Like it wasn't going fast. Like needed to stop and fill up with gas. The flight's already long, so we had to stop in Utah, I want to say, fill up with gas. And then people, we were all going home because Chris, like, Chris, it was like the 22nd or 23rd or something, so we had to stop and fill up with gas. People have flights the next morning at like 8 in the morning, and we're about to get back at like 6. So people are having to go straight from the chartered flights, like across the street to get on regular flights. Nobody went home.
[00:33:51] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:33:52] Speaker A: Yeah, it was kind of chaos. But I think my flight was until like 11, so I made it.
[00:33:56] Speaker B: But yeah, that's crazy because I'm looking at the big ten. The travel is just like, I don't think you guys should have to endure that kind of stuff. But you're going to watch it now. I know. This is going to be the same thing, right?
[00:34:07] Speaker A: Yeah, it's going to be the same.
[00:34:08] Speaker B: Yeah.
How would you just. What was like your welcome to college moment? Was there a game or like a moment that you like, damn, I'm here.
[00:34:16] Speaker A: I feel like I didn't really have like a welcome to college moment, but when we played UConn the first time, I was kind of like, oh, I'm here. Like, I used to watch UConn play. That's like, obviously they have a historic program.
And when I was like guarding Paige or playing in that game, it was. It was just kind of a cool experience.
Even just being in that atmosphere with those fans, with all of. All that comes with UConn basketball. I think we obviously got to win that game. So it was just super fun, cool atmosphere. And then that was probably just like, I'm here, I'm in this now.
[00:34:46] Speaker B: You play with Juju. How close were you guys and what was that friendship and playing with her like?
[00:34:52] Speaker A: Yeah, me and juju were really close. We were roommates on the road. So every travel trip, me and her were together.
We're pretty close. She's obviously a super, super good player, good person. She's really fun, like off the Court light, light hearted. She funny, just fun, just a fun person to be around. Really light and yeah, has a lot of, has a lot of fun quirks, quirks to her personality.
But I think even on the court with her, it's just a lot of fun. She, she is super skilled and then especially being a shooter, I was able to kind of breathe some pressure releases for her around the arc and try to help in ways.
[00:35:27] Speaker B: So yeah, yeah, end of the year, obviously she gets hurt, but I'm like, your time, you get more responsibility. I think you're double dropping like double digits in the tournament.
I'm guessing, obviously it's sad to see a teammate go, but I'm guessing you also like when, when you at that point you're probably like, hey, I'm gonna get more opportunity. And there's also like, like, how did you see, like, how did you adapt to that? And like, obviously she's out, star player on the team and then how'd you like, take the opportunity for yourself?
[00:35:56] Speaker A: Yeah, I think obviously seeing her go down was. Was heartbreaking. I think our whole team kind of had to do some reflection on like how we were going to bounce back, what our coaches needed from everyone. Kind of rules obviously had to shift, people had to make adjustments.
And I knew with her going down that did mean that I was going to get more time on the floor and have to bring more of a contribution, especially with points because she just brought so much for our team, so much energy and hustle plays and she was just a presence that was going to be missing. So I kind of. Obviously, no one's going to fail what she does. That's just not going to happen. So I knew that I had other strengths that I could bring to the table and try to do. I was just going to try to do anything for our team to win and to succeed.
And I think I did a pretty good job of that. But looking back on it, I'm like that her going down at that time was like just completely heartbreaking. And just even our team and what we were still able to do and how people stepped up, even like Kennedy, Smith and Kiki and people were stepping and I mean, I would say myself as well, we're stepping up in ways just to know that we have her back and even though I've transferred now and whatever, but just to know that we had her back in that moment and we're going to try to do whatever we could to win, like for her was really cool.
[00:37:10] Speaker B: Was there a point where you felt like, I'm very comfortable and the game's getting easier.
[00:37:16] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, I think even in the beginning of the year, the more games you play, the more comfortable you feel, the speed of play. I think being able to have my experience the summer prior to my freshman year with the senior team and I was an alternate for the Olympic roster, just being able to be with them overseas and practice and play with some of the W girls helped me get adjusted to the speed of play because it was similar, if not faster, than the college game was. So having that, I think honestly helped me going into my freshman year. Getting into games, I felt pretty good with the speed of play and how things were going and the physicality, things like that.
So I felt like I was pretty comfortable, especially as the games went on. But I also did a lot of work by myself in the beginning of the year and in the middle of the year when I was playing half of games, I wasn't playing that much of staying in shape, working out on my own, getting my shot off faster, getting my handle tighter, making sure I'm physical defense. Like, I was working on all these parts of my game by myself.
And then when the time came for my name to get called, my jersey to get called, when juju went down, I was ready to step up and like, fill that role or try to bring what I could to help our team succeed.
[00:38:24] Speaker B: Yeah, I see you kind of like as a gym rat. Like, do you feel like that's. I'm guessing you're in the gym all the time during that season?
[00:38:30] Speaker A: Yeah, all the time.
[00:38:31] Speaker B: All the time. What was like, maybe like, you're coming out, obviously, I feel like you had a coming out party in the tournament. What led. What do you think led to that? Is it just the hard work that you put in staying ready for that moment?
[00:38:41] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's just the confidence I had in myself of the preparation that I'd already done. Obviously there's still going to be nerves. There's still going to be things that, that you feel going into those. Those big games, being a freshman starting in March Madness after Jew went down. But I think it was just the preparation that I had done all year that when my number got called, I was going to be ready for whatever that was, whether it was in juju, like in trying to fill that or somewhere else or to hit a shot at the end of a game versus UCLA to put us back up or whatever it might be.
I think it was just the confidence and the preparation that I had already done by myself.
[00:39:16] Speaker B: Yeah. How Would you describe your. Your one year at usc?
[00:39:18] Speaker A: I would describe it as, like, learning, I think, trying to learn the game one, like, and how we wanted to play it, but also learn your teammates, learn my role and, like, learn my strengths and weaknesses more. And also learn what I wanted and what I needed. So I think I would say learning just. I think at high school, I knew what I thought, I knew what I wanted and what I needed out of a school. And then having an experience that was had good and bad, I learned what I needed, and then I was able to find that in a new school. And I'm really excited for what UW is going to bring next year, or I guess in a couple of weeks, the season starting here shortly. But I'm really excited for that new situation with the girls there and the coaches there and just being able to, like, have this new mindset and this new reality of, like, what I want to do and what I want to achieve in my next three years. Because I'm trying to get to the league. I'm trying to, like, have these real goals and developing to get there.
[00:40:16] Speaker B: Yeah, I see. And obviously, I think a lot of people are interested in, like, the decision to transfer. Right.
When I saw it, I think a lot of people are like, damn, she's transferring. I was like, I think she needs her own team. I need. Or at least like, you need a more of a role in terms of, like, obviously you want to get to the W. Right. More responsibility. Can you just walk me through the decision to transfer and when did you know and, like, when did. You're like, okay, I need a new scenery. And just like, like, also just like, your thoughts on. I feel like everyone's hitting the portal nowadays. Right? But sometimes I feel like it's.
You made the decision to find a best fit, right?
[00:40:51] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. I think that was definitely what you just hit it.
I think nowadays there's obviously money and there's all these other things that are factoring into people transferring. For me, that's not what I'm about. That's not what I've ever been about. It's not about the money. It's not about any of that. It's about, I want the best fit for me. I want to grow as a person and as a player and off the court, and I want to get to the WNBA and I want to have fun. I want to obviously have good relationships, have team chemistry, have a good relationship with my coaches. I want all those things. And obviously you're going to go to a program and something's not going to make you happy. You're going to. There's no perfect. There's. Honestly, there's no perfect program. But it's about figuring out, like, what boxes you have and, like, what school is going to check off the most of those. And I think just going to usc and there was a lot. There was a lot. A lot of good that happened. I have so many friends, like, out of this school now. I still have good relationships there. I grew. I did. But I don't think it was the best fit for me and where I'm trying to go in the next three years of my college. So I took some time to reevaluate that, and I don't think it was a mistake. I'm not unhappy with my time there. Like, I'm glad I had that experience. But then it's like, okay, best fit moving forward.
Transfer portal. What is that? I'm not about money. I'm not about any of that. I want to go hoop and I want to have fun and I want to grow.
And UW checked my boxes, and I've been there for a couple weeks this summer, and it was amazing. It was a great time. I feel like I already grew being there, and I'm like, completely. I'm super excited for these next three years and what we're going to accomplish. I think we're going to shock some people, and I think we're going to have a great season this upcoming year. But.
Yeah.
[00:42:34] Speaker B: What were your thoughts on the reaction? Because I feel like a lot of USC fans were upset, but I think some of them also understood, like, yeah, it's like, we want to. We're also supporting her in this.
[00:42:43] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:42:44] Speaker B: What was the. Because I've seen everyone's like, oh, my God.
But I thought. I'm, like, I thought it was exciting, too. Just because, like, I want to know, too. I'll probably ask this after this. Like, what was the phone like right after you entered the portal? But what were your thoughts on the reaction?
[00:42:59] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I think with the social media and how involved that is, especially with our USC team because of juju and all the eyes that was on the program, any big decision like that, you're gonna have your. I support you, you're gonna have the. Why are you doing this? And for me, it was about knowing my why. I knew why I wanted to transfer. And nobody else is gonna get that. And I'm not gonna try to explain it to them because it's not theirs to know.
Yeah, they're Gonna say what they're gonna say on social media, and that's just kind of how it's gonna be. So it was about, like, knowing my why and not letting anything else really impact that dictate that.
But then there was also people that were, like, happy for me and supporting me and, like, kind of got it a little bit. And obviously I knew the people that are in my corner that weren't on the social media but, like, were in my ear saying things, supporting me. I had a lot of people text me DM me that, like, I trust, I support and kind of knew.
So just having those people around you just support you always feels good. And then I think with social media, like, you're going to get.
[00:44:03] Speaker B: Going to get the good.
[00:44:04] Speaker A: Yeah, you're going to. If you were going to get the good, you're going to get the bad. So I knew that that was just going to be part of putting my name in the transfer portal and the social media posts and everything.
[00:44:12] Speaker B: Yeah, obviously. So you enter the portal, did you. Was it set on Washington or. I'm guessing where schools are being like, hey, Avery, what do you want to come over here? Like, what was the. When she answered the portal, Tell me what happens.
[00:44:24] Speaker A: It was honestly crazy. Like, obviously, there's a ton of emotions when you're telling your coaches and you're having these meetings and you're talking to your parents. And my club coaches were very involved.
Emily Harden, like, she was very, very involved. So just being able to have them to help you through it is. Is huge. But it was the craziest time. It was probably crazier than my recruitment.
[00:44:50] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:44:51] Speaker A: It's just. It was so sudden. It was. I thought that when I put my name in, it was going to be 24 hours before anything actually happened. And as soon as I hit submit, like, the paperwork, my phone was ringing.
[00:45:02] Speaker B: Yeah, it was.
[00:45:04] Speaker A: Honestly, I don't even know how to explain it. I feel like you can't even try to explain it unless you go through it. But it was overwhelming. And then not even just for me, I thought, okay, yeah, coaches might call me, text me, whatever. My parents are getting calls and texts because, like, your numbers out, like, your number's out there. My club coaches were getting blown up, so, I mean, again, super grateful to be in that position because it could have been the opposite where you are looking for that.
So I'm super grateful and blessed to have been in a position where schools did want me and were trying to contact me.
[00:45:37] Speaker B: How many schools was it? A lot.
[00:45:39] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:45:39] Speaker B: Well, we'll keep the undisclosed. And then. So how did you land on Washington?
[00:45:44] Speaker A: So they were like two coming out of high school, really close between them and sc. And honestly, it was head coach Tina Langley.
She amazing, amazing person, amazing coach. And then it was also just the girls. I didn't even take an official visit. I didn't take an official visit after going in the transfer portal. I went originally when I went on all my officials, but it was just amazing. I just felt an instant connection. I was taking phone. I hadn't taken any phone calls yet. I hadn't answered the phone. I just kind of was taking a day because I was very overwhelmed.
[00:46:21] Speaker B: And imagine seeing all those text messages, like, I can't respond to you.
[00:46:24] Speaker A: And I get over. I get overwhelmed easily. And that was one of the things I was like, shoot. Like, I just need to take some time to just try to like, think and like breathe.
She was the first call that I took and FaceTime call. And it just, it didn't feel like a burden. It felt natural, it felt good. And it honestly felt like almost like a relief. Like she was taking some of the load off of me of helping me. And she didn't even talk about, she didn't even say things about like, where I'm going to fit in the program. She was like, how are you doing? How are you doing?
[00:46:55] Speaker B: And I'm like, that's what you need.
[00:46:56] Speaker A: That's what matters. I want to be. I want to be a person. I don't want to just be a machine on the court. And that was one of the things that felt right with me. And it just clicked, honestly, right away. I obviously still took like other calls and like still explored other options. But I just, I did know that she was there for me regardless.
And she also cared about not just basketball, but she cared about how I was doing.
[00:47:21] Speaker B: Yeah. In that moment, talking about being machine on the core. How do they want to use you though? Like, what's, what was like the. We see you as this for our program and.
Yeah. How do they envision you at Washington?
[00:47:34] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I think they obviously know that I can score and I can get my three off and all those. But I think they, they want to develop me and show that I can score in three ways. I'm not just a catch and shoot shooter. I feel like at times that's kind of all I showed was that I can get a three pointer off, a three point shot off.
And I think UW has this strong vision and this work that we're going to do together. Especially even when I was only there for a week and a half in between U19s and Global Jam now, but of just developing my three level scoring and making sure I'm comfortable getting that off in a game. So I'm excited to be able to show all three ways I can score. Getting to the rim, being a little bit more crafty and then I think it's just about sharpening things up. I'm obviously a gym rat, so I love to always improve and find little things to get better at. But getting a tighter handle so that I can get my shot off quicker. I can get the ball up the court off of rebound because I tend to get some rebounds defensively and just being able to push it. But I think especially with the type of system University of Washington plays, it tends to be guard heavy. We have some, some good bigs in the system, but I think it'll be really interesting to see our team this year and kind of how we're able to play together. Guard, guard style.
And I'm going to be scoring multiple ways, not just getting a three pointer off, but I'll be in more actions.
And I mean I think there's a ton of good guards at UW and there's a ton of good posts. So I think this year it's going to be competitive. Our team's going to be competitive, our practices will be competitive.
And that's just the, that's honestly that's the standard. So I'm really excited.
[00:49:15] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm excited to see Avery led team at Washington.
In terms of what do you feel like the biggest thing you maybe improved on this summer, like worked on and like trying to hone in on.
[00:49:26] Speaker A: Yeah, I think honestly this summer has been a lot of team stuff because I've been with the U19s and then I went to UW and then now back here with Global Jam. So it's obviously team practice. It's not a ton of individual reps, individual work, but I think just trying to have some like little cues for myself, like having a wider base so that I can attack easier. Like if I'm. If my shot's not there, I have a wider base so I can explode easier. Working on things like that, making sure my hands are always ready so my shots off quicker.
Being more physical down in the paint, almost slowing down so I can get contact, don't fade from it, get contact and then finish. I think especially with FIBA competitions, you're allowed to play through contact. Like it's really physical. It's which I love. But I need to start going into the contact and drawing more fouls, getting in ones. That's a really big emphasis is being able to not only take contact but initiate it to finish.
And then obviously getting my threes off. Coming off actions, being ready to shoot, being ready to score.
[00:50:27] Speaker B: Yeah, obviously I know you gotta head out in a bit for. For practice. Just last few questions real quick.
Female U19. You talked about it. What was that experience like? Obviously you guys don't medal, but I feel like it was a. I feel like you showed a lot of stuff you wanted to improve on there too.
[00:50:41] Speaker A: Yeah, FIBA U19s was. Was really a good experience.
I think we had a really good group and obviously, yeah, we were disappointed in the result getting fourth place. But I think even just the journey of our team, how much better we got from practice one and where were we?
Humber College.
[00:51:01] Speaker B: College.
We'll teach you about the schools here. Humber College.
[00:51:05] Speaker A: Humber for training camp. Even like day one, practice to last game. Even just the progress that we had, the connection piece. I think we had a great coaching staff as well.
So overall I think it was a great experience. That was my first underage group event. So it was fun. It was obviously new learning, but it was a lot of. It was a lot of fun.
[00:51:24] Speaker B: Yeah. Global Jam. I'm expecting you to have a. A big role. Obviously silent are not playing, but how are you looking to approach this tournament? And obviously like playing in front of a lot of Canadian fans too. Getting to know you for the first time.
[00:51:36] Speaker A: Exactly. That's one of the things I'm looking forward to the most is just being able to play in Toronto and Canada and people kind of, oh, Avery Howell, she's Canadian. Like kind of just that make sure I want people to know that I'm Canadian. I'm committed to this program and growing it and growing with it in all the ways. But I think we're going to have a great group. Obviously we have some older people, we have some younger players that are learning and figuring things out.
So I think that, I mean so far it's been great. I'm excited to get to games next week. It's going to be competitive, it's going to be fun.
So yeah, it should be good.
[00:52:07] Speaker B: What do people not know about Avery? I feel like you kind of people getting to know you finally now. What do people not know about you, like in your free time outside the basketball?
[00:52:17] Speaker A: I don't do that much outside about.
[00:52:18] Speaker B: Watching Netflix, you know.
[00:52:19] Speaker A: Okay, I watch Netflix. What shows I just finished Prison Break.
[00:52:24] Speaker B: That was like 10 years ago.
[00:52:25] Speaker A: I know. It's really good, though.
[00:52:26] Speaker B: It was. Just finished it outside of season two. Once you get to season, it's just repetitive. Yeah, it's.
[00:52:31] Speaker A: It's kind of drag it on top.
[00:52:33] Speaker B: The first two seasons, probably the greatest. Like television.
[00:52:35] Speaker A: I actually watch a lot of tv. Like Criminal Minds, Grey's Anatomy.
[00:52:39] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:52:40] Speaker A: Like Lincoln Lawyer.
[00:52:42] Speaker B: Lincoln Lloyd. See? Thank you. Because everyone hates on Lincoln Lawyer.
[00:52:46] Speaker A: No, it's good.
[00:52:46] Speaker B: And my friends laughed at me. I'm gonna make sure they listen to this podcast. They're like, I couldn't get into after the first two episodes. I'm like, this is one of the best. Like Law. Like, I don't know if you watch how to Get Away with Murder, like Scam. If you watch Lincoln.
[00:52:58] Speaker A: What?
[00:52:58] Speaker B: You're going to love how to Get Away with Murder. So.
[00:53:00] Speaker A: Yeah. I've seen a lot of TV shows though, so.
[00:53:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:53:03] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:53:03] Speaker B: Nice. Amazing. And what are you most looking forward to? Like, maybe taking away from the summer playing for Canada and entering your college season?
[00:53:11] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm just excited to get there, kind of get going, be with the girls. The chemistry is insane. They're great people. The coaching staff's amazing. So I'm honestly excited for it all. I'm excited for the change, the difference that's going to be there, but I've missed a lot this summer, so I am excited to get there, but also super grateful to be able to be a part of Canada Basketball, have two different times with U19s and U23s and then just being a part of the system moving forward and as it's growing, grow with it, but also get to UW and compete there as well.
[00:53:43] Speaker B: 2028 Olympics, huh?
[00:53:44] Speaker A: That's. That is the goal.
[00:53:46] Speaker B: Yeah, I see it, man. I see you playing a major role for that team, goals for yourself, for. For this upcoming season. College.
[00:53:53] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, I want our team to do well. I want our team to compete. I want us to win games. I want us to get to March Madness and compete and win games. I think that's the biggest thing. I want to have fun.
Obviously, there's individual things that come with that, but I am excited for this new chapter at U Dub and all that we're gonna do and all that we're gonna accomplish as a program. So. Yeah.
[00:54:16] Speaker B: Yeah. You've been to Toronto a few times.
Poutine. Have you tried it?
[00:54:20] Speaker A: I have not.
[00:54:21] Speaker B: I can't believe this.
I don't know who's not getting a po. I'm gonna give you some recommendations after this.
What have you heard? Just about poutine.
[00:54:29] Speaker A: My mom's had it, but I don't think anyone else in my family's house.
[00:54:32] Speaker B: What'd she tell you?
[00:54:33] Speaker A: She likes it.
[00:54:34] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:54:34] Speaker A: I think she likes. Well, I think she used to like it. She's really healthy now. She doesn't really eat that stuff anymore. I think when she was my age she really liked it.
But yeah, I need to try it here shortly before I leave.
[00:54:46] Speaker B: Yeah, before you leave, we'll get, we'll get you a poutine.
Maybe at in the spa. There's a spot I know Bellissimo is good. Poutine spa. I got a shout out local spa. Poutine is also another good spot.
But yeah. Avery, I can't thank you enough for for joining the podcast.
The biggest Lincoln lawyer fan.
Thank you for for joining this podcast. Obviously going to come out right before global jam comes out and Global Jam from August 13th to the 17th you can watch Avery who's gonna be showing out there doing her thing and at Washington new program and excited to watch you there. Thank you so much for for joining the show.
[00:55:25] Speaker A: Yeah. Thank you so much.
[00:55:26] Speaker B: This has been the Canadian basketball show your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball ball with Avery. It's been Lee Band we out.
