Canada's women's basketball team counting on multiple generations to deliver 1st Olympic medal
Coach Lapena lauds mix of veterans and young players
Natalie Achonwa's 15-month-old son, Maverick, has quickly and seamlessly integrated into the Canadian women's basketball team.
Someone taught him to bump fists and he greets everyone with one whenever he enters a room. A few players are going out for coffee? Count Maverick in.
Even when Achonwa steps away for a second, Maverick is the centre of attention.
"My mom was telling me, I went to my room to drop off some laundry and she said, 'You just missed it. They were all standing around and singing Lion King,'" Achonwa said recently.
One can only imagine Maverick being held to the skies like Simba.
"To know that my son brings joy to so many other people, it hits a nerve for me for sure because he's so special to me and he has created a bond with my other family," Achonwa said. "These are the things I will remember when I hang my shoes up and my jersey up. It's those moments."
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Achonwa, the 31-year-old from Guelph, Ont., is headed to her fourth Olympics in Paris alongside a team that features a high schooler and two college players, whom the rest of the squad refer to as the "Gen Zs."
From Maverick to his mom, it's a team that spans generations — one hoping to use its mix of youth, talent (including four WNBA players) and experience to propel it to its first-ever Olympic medal.
"It's something that you cannot pay with money," head coach Victor Lapena said. "This experience, all the inspired young players. Natalie is probably, like we say, her last dance, no? With her baby around, with her family around.
"And this baby is wisdom for all of us. He transmits a lot of passion and a lot of energy and pride."
Beyond playing the role of mom during training camp, which stretches back to June in Victoria and Edmonton before that, Achonwa is also being counted on as a veteran leader.
In the past three Games, Canada lost in the quarterfinals twice before missing the knockout round altogether in Tokyo in 2021 and subsequently replacing longtime coach Lisa Thomaidis with Lapena.
Lapena said the team is tighter than at any point of his tenure.
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"They're very close. I feel that the veterans are doing a great job to align the people. Don't leave the young [to] just create their own pathway alone. Join us, we know how to teach you," he said.
"I love to coach Canadian players. I had the opportunity to leave this program, to go to different programs. … I don't want to do it because one of my passions is to coach the Canadian players."
Syla Swords, the high schooler who is just 18 years old, recounted an instance when Lapena was digging into the players with sprints to start practice. When the drill ended, Achonwa huddled the players together, reminded everyone to breathe and loosened the mood with a laugh.
Achonwa said it's important for her to lead from the trenches.
"Our bonds are bigger than just passing to each other and putting the ball in the hoop," she said. "They happen in building puzzles, they happen in coffee trips, they happen in jokes at mealtime, and [the game] would you rather. They happen in the things that people don't see."
Like Achonwa, Swords has a family connection to Canada Basketball — but hers transcends this specific team. Swords' father, Shawn Swords, played on the men's Olympic team in 2000.
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"His Olympic jersey would hang in front of the gym that I trained in every day. I would hear his stories and I always knew I wanted to be an Olympian before I even picked basketball," she said.
Her sister, Savannah Swords, recently played on the national U17 team, and is seemingly on a similar trajectory.
"We talk about going to the Olympics together all the time, like Swords sisters in the Olympics. It sounds pretty cool," Syla said.
Syla said both her father and Achonwa gave her similar advice about the Olympics, that it's a long tournament in which she must trust in her teammates and buy into her role.
In this iteration of the team, Swords' role is to be an energizer — both on the court, where she plans to hound opposing guards while giving the starters a rest, and off the court, where she supplies youthfulness in droves.
Meanwhile, Swords and fellow Olympic rookies Cassandre Prosper, 19, and Yvonne Ejim, 22, will gain valuable experience.
"Although they have time to take the torch fully, there's some vets ahead of them and some leaders that will help, I just know that come 10 years when they're in my position that the program will be in good hands," Achonwa said.
In the meantime, Canada Basketball believes it's assembled the right mix of players to finally break through and reach the podium.
And Achonwa, with newfound perspective as a mom, is ready to captain the ship.
"Every time I am in the gym and we have a practice like we did today and we fight back and we get better. Every time I see Mav with my teammates and my coaching staff. Every time that one of my teammates dives on the floor and the rest of them come and pick them up.
"There are so many pieces of joy and beauty in the journey that it can't all be that. And I will be able to say I'm a four-time Olympian and there's not many people that will be able to do that.
"So, do I want to medal? Hell yeah. But do I think there's success in multiple ways? Of course."
Canada's roster
- Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, Ont.)
- Kayla Alexander (Milton, Ont.)
- Laeticia Amihere (Mississauga, Ont.)
- Bridget Carleton (Chatham, Ont.)
- Shay Colley (Brampton, Ont.)
- Aaliyah Edwards (Kingston, Ont.)
- Yvonne Ejim (Calgary)
- Nirra Fields (Montreal)
- Sami Hill (Toronto)
- Kia Nurse (Hamilton)
- Cassandre Prosper (Montreal)
- Syla Swords (Sudbury, Ont.)
