Sisler basketball star commits to U of W

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This article was published 22/06/2022 (1225 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BURROWS

Sisler High School basketball star Raia Guinto is keeping her talents in Peg City. Last week, the guard/forward committed to continuing her playing career with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen next year.

“I’m still kind of wrapping my head around it that I’m actually signing, that I’m actually going to go to school,” Guinto said. “So, I’m excited.”

The decision weighed heavily on the 17-year-old. In the last few months, universities in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario showed interest in the wily defender with a deadly pull-up jumper, but Guinto wasn’t quite ready to make a choice.

“I was just kind of stressing out because of school and other factors, and I just didn’t want to think about it. I just kept pushing it back, saying ‘I’ll decide later,’” she said.

But as interest mounted, Guinto knew she’d have to choose her next step.

“Personally, I don’t think I could leave my family and my friends. The thought of saying bye to them at the airport, that’s what really did it for me. I don’t think I could,” she said. “When playing, just looking at the sideline during timeouts, just for a second, and seeing the support I have, that’s what I like seeing when I’m playing. That’s what pushes me.”

Guinto won’t have to look so far as the sideline to find support next year, as her older sister Raizel Guinto returns to Winnipeg to join the Wesmen for her final year of eligibility after four years at Louisiana Tech.

“It’ll be cool for sure. I’ve never really played basketball with or against her. I get to do it for my first season, and that means a lot to me,” Guinto said.

Guinto was hesitant to delve into the qualities and strengths that helped her climb to this point, saying she didn’t like bragging. But Sisler coach Mike Tan had no problem doing it for her.

“She’s a threat on both ends of the floor. She’s a defensive pest. She really likes to get up on the ball, get into passing lanes, step in on drives if she has to help out; and she just shoots the ball really well… She has one of the nicest, if not the best, pull-up jump shots in the province for her age group this year,” Tan said.

Guinto also has the intangibles that not only elevates her game, but also makes the team around her better, Tan said.

“She’s a great leader. She was very vocal, and she really pushed and emphasized the importance of having a good team bond,” he said.

She made sure she was connected with her teammates and took the time to work with her teammates to help them get better, he said.

“She really put the team first, and it really showed in how we played because the bond that this year’s team had was pretty unreal,” Tan said. “To have that sort of leadership was pretty valuable.”

That helped create a team culture in which Tan and the players looked forward to getting to the gym to improve the team and have fun.

“It was one of my most enjoyable coaching years that I’ve had,” he said.

And that was due, in no small part, to the work ethic and attitude of Guinto, Tan added.

Guinto plans to study student athletic therapy, so she can “stay in the gym — that’s where I’m most happy.”