On Wednesday, June 8th, the Algoma OUA Thunderbird women’s program introduced their latest women’s basketball recruit, Riya Donnelly! Riya, who stands at 5’8″ who hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba and has been playing basketball for the last six years. Her experience as a small forward will surely be an asset to the Thunderbirds team!
Not only is she the Captain of her current team at Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute, but she has quite the list of achievements! Previously, she was awarded Athlete of the Year, is a graduating All-Star, and was ranked in the Top 10 Female Basketball Players in Manitoba. These accomplishments certainly highlight and create representation for women in sport!
“As coaches, we have had the privilege of watching Riya develop as both a basketball athlete and leader. Her hard work, consistency, and determination will lead to her success at the USports level,” said Coach Lamoureux, assistant coach at DCMI. “We have no doubt that she will continue to grow at Algoma University and through the coaching of Ryan Vetrie. We are proud of Riya and excited for this next step in her basketball journey.”
Upon coming to Algoma U, she will be studying Finance and Economics. She will be an excellent role model in our Jr. Thunderbird program, as she has previously coached youth, and worked as a peer tutor. A fun fact? She has been a pianist for 13 years! She claims her reasoning for choosing Algoma was, “After one visit to the university to get to know the players, coaching staff, and overall culture of the school, I knew that this school would provide great opportunities to excel athletically and academically.”
Riya – we are so excited to have you wear our colours and represent us! See you on the court!
Head Coach Ryan Vetrie of our WBB Team shared his thoughts, stating that, “Riya is going to be a great addition to our program. Her desire for the game of basketball shows in her training where she is relentlessly working to improve herself. Her strength at the wing position will allow her to guard multiple positions and ability to shoot the ball helps us spread out the floor. Riya will be one of the players to make tremendous strides year after year as she has already established a University routine. I think she’ll come in and adapt quickly as she has been well coached and knows what it takes to play at the next level.”
Source: Algoma Thunderbird Athletics
