Keylyn Filewich named U Sports women’s basketball player of the year
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/03/2022 (1586 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Keylyn Filewich doesn’t have a lot of flash to her game but her skills and power on the basketball court are undeniable.
On Wednesday night, the 24-year-old star of the University of Winnipeg Wesmen was named the U Sports women’s basketball player of the year.
It’s the highest individual honour of an illustrious career for Filewich, a two-time Canada West player of the year, who hopes to cap her university career by leading Winnipeg to a national title.
“I can’t thank my team enough,” said the 6-1 forward by phone from Kingston, Ont., where the No. 3 Wesmen meet the sixth-seeded Laval Rouge et Or in quarterfinal action this afternoon. “It’s been such a good year and I’m happy that I got acknowledged for my individual accomplishments, but that’s not why I came to the Wesmen and that’s not why I’m here at nationals. I want to win a national championship.”
It is the fifth time a Wesmen player has won the Nan Copp Award. Filewich follows JoAnne Wells (2004-05) and Sandra Carroll (a three-time winner between 1992 and 1995) as previous U of W winners.
The Vincent Massey Collegiate grad averaged 17.3 points, a career-high 10.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. She was 12th in the country in points per game, eighth in rebounds per game, 15th in blocks per game, and 10th in field goal percentage (51.7). Her 34 steals were 11th in the conference and second among forwards.
Filewich, who was also named a first team all-Canadian Wednesday, earned the top player award over an accomplished group of finalists that included Acadia wing Jayda Veinot, Bishop’s guard Amaiquen Sicilliano and Ottawa forward Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu.
“I had no idea that I was winning it up until they called my name and I don’t really think it’s hit me yet,” she said. “But again, I’m just incredibly grateful for this opportunity and for the chance to be at nationals.”
Filewich had her proud parents, Arlyn and Keon Filewich, in attendance at the awards ceremony. Both are former basketball players at the University of Manitoba,
“She came back to Winnipeg with one goal in mind and that was reaching nationals and putting them in a good position to win a national championship,” said Arlyn Filewich. “So she’s done that and all of the accolades are a bonus, really. They aren’t what she was after but we were really happy that she was able to produce this year the way she has in the past.”
In the spring of 2021, Filewich transferred to the U of W after four seasons with the UBC Thunderbirds.
In Winnipeg, she was reunited with guard Kyanna Giles, a transfer from the University of Regina, and senior Wesmen forward Faith Hezekiah. The trio was the heart of Manitoba’s U17 team that won a national championship in the summer of 2014 with U of W coach Tanya McKay at the helm.
“It was special to have them all together because they’re very talented and they know how to play with each other,” said McKay. “Having (Keylyn) being recognized as the best player in the country is well deserved.
“I mean, she is a tough player. She’s skilled, talented, works hard and she’s low maintenance. She does everything she needs to do for rest and recovery. She’s just a great student athlete and having the opportunity to coach her just the one year has been awesome.”
Arlyn Filewich said it was gratifying to see her daughter settle quickly into her new basketball home.
“Credit to the girls on the team,” said Arlyn. “Some of them have had a serious decrease in playing time as a result of Keylyn landing there, so we’re very conscious of that, as is she.”
McKay said Filewich’s impact on the program has been substantial.
“I feel our program is very fortunate that she chose to come home and play for us,” said McKay. “She’s going to go on to bigger and better things. She’s going to walk away with a master’s degree and she’s going to go play pro and I just feel incredibly proud that she came to our program.”
Giles, one of four nominees for the U Sports Overcoming Adversity Award, was a runner-up to winner Myriam Leclerc of Concordia.
She overcame reconstructive knee surgery and an ongoing shoulder injury to become a major force for the Wesmen in 2021-22.
mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @sawa14