Two more U of S alumni have been named to the U Sports, Top 100 women’s basketball players of the century.
Sarah Crooks and Lindsay DeGroot join Marg Sihvon (Curry), Patricia Lawson and Arlene McGinn (Raycroft)…three pioneers of the Huskies program. Crooks and DeGroot were recognized for their outstanding play and contributions towards making Saskatchewan a Canada West and national force in women’s basketball…Crooks between 2004 and 2007; DeGroot in her one season in Saskatoon in 2009-10. Following is the news release from Huskie Athletics and U Sports…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2020
Crooks, DeGroot join U SPORTS Top 100
U SPORTS Communications
TORONTO – U SPORTS, the national brand of the university sport in Canada, is announcing the Top 100 women’s basketball players of the century. FULL LIST In celebration of the centennial anniversary of U SPORTS women’s basketball, the Top 100 will be chosen by a committee of U SPORTS women’s basketball coaches and partners. Two more Saskatchewan Huskies joined the list this past Thursday, as a pair of players that laid the groundwork for turning the program into the perennial powerhouse it is today were honoured in Sarah Crooks and Lindsay DeGroot. Recently inducted to the Canada West Hall of Fame, Crooks is a two-time CIS and Canada West Player of the Year (winning both awards in consecutive seasons, 2005-06 and 2006-07), Crooks sits atop the Canada West all-time scoring list with 1,999 regular season points and was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. In addition to points, Crooks remains Canada West women’s basketball all-time leader in rebounds (1,181) and double-doubles (65). The native of Fife Lake, Sask., piled up accolades as a student-athlete at the U of S, including four straight All-Canadian team selections (making the Second Team in 2004, and the First Team in 2005 through 2007). She was named the University of Saskatchewan’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2005-06, when she led the Huskies to the program’s first conference championship, capturing the title with a 70-65 win over UBC in Vancouver. Playing for Saskatchewan for just one season, 2009-10, DeGroot was a standout for a Huskie squad that finished third at both the Canada West and U SPORTS level. DeGroot averaged 18.8 points, 8.4 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game during her time with the Huskies. The product of Thedford, Ont. was named both a Canada West First Team All-Star and a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian while a member of the Huskies. Crooks and DeGroot join three pioneers of women’s basketball at the University of Saskatchewan who were previously announced: Marg Sihvon (Curry), Patricia Lawson and Arlene McGinn (Raycroft) “Selecting a group of individuals to represent excellence in your conference or league is always a difficult task,” said Ryan Thorne, president of the U SPORTS women’s basketball coaches’ association and head coach of the Martlets. “This experience has shown me that there have been some amazing young women, who have represented our institutions well through basketball that have gone on to become remarkable women in life. Just researching the stories and receiving the feedback from coaches of different eras, was eye opening. I am grateful to have been a part of this process and hope that the next century is just as fruitful.” Kicking off the campaign, players who competed from 1930-1980 were initially announced, with players from the following four decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s) revealed over the course of the following four weeks leading up to the 2020 U SPORTS Final 8 Basketball Championships in Ottawa. In addition, special features highlighting the incredible careers of select players will also be posted to USPORTS.ca. The campaign culminates with the announcement of the 2020 Nan Copp U SPORTS Player of the Year at the All-Canadian Gala on Mar. 4. Members of the Top 100 will then be honoured at the Final 8 during the national championship final, hosted jointly by Carleton University, University of Ottawa and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.
