After having a leading role in helping the McMath Wildcats senior girls basketball team reach the B.C. AAA championship game for the first time in school history, Jessica Zawada will be taking her game to the CIS level next fall.
The versatile forward has committed to the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades.
“I'm excited to play at the next level with UFV because the team is positive and inviting, the coaches are great, and academically, I like the school,” said Zawada, who plans to major in science at UFV. “My goals for my time at UFV are to train hard for the competitive university environment and to always play with tenacity.”
Zawada was not only a third-team all-star at provincials, she earned the prestigious Quinn Keast Foundation scholarship, given to the “most complete” player at the tournament. She was also among five recipients of a Telus scholarship.
Earlier, she was a first-team all-star at the Crehan Cup Lower Mainland Championships and the Richmond Championships. She was also recognized in the Province newspaper’s Super 16 players’ list.
“I think she’ll be a great forward in Canada West,” UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer said. “She’s got the ability to put the ball on the floor, she’s a great rebounder, and she’s a very good mid-range shooter.
“It’s almost cliché to say, but she’s a great kid, too. You can see it in how she interacts with her teammates on the floor, and how she’s interacted with us during the recruiting process. She’s a real personable kid, and anybody who talks to her is excited that she’s on board with our program next year.”
Earlier in her career, Zawada was a first team all-star at the 2014 junior girls provincials as McMath won the bronze medal.
Zawada is part of a recruiting class for the Abbotsford school that includes: Katherine Holden (GW Graham), Victoria Jacobse (WJ Mouat) and Jessica Cameron (Western Canada HS, Calgary). McMath teammates Jessica Jones (SFU) and Bobbi-Jo Colburn (Calgary) have also signed with university teams.
