Canada’s National Women’s basketball team put on a magnificent show in winning the FIBA Americas Women’s Championship, capped by their 82-66 victory over Cuba in the gold-medal game on Sunday that punched their ticket to Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
But a by-product of the women’s team’s superb performance was that visitors, including a cluster of Toronto-based sports reporters, were introduced to the Saville Community Sports Centre.
They were impressed, to say the least.
Here’s the Toronto Star’s Doug Smith on his impressions of the complex:
Know what was among the most impressive things about Edmonton?
The Saville Centre
What an impressive place, with a dozen basketball courts, a first-class gymnastics facility, a world-class curling facility, restaurants, lounges, workout areas, you name it.
For basketball alone, it’s a facility that puts anything in Toronto or southern Ontario to shame and that no one has found a way to build something like in our area truly is unfortunate.
Club teams, elite team, travel teams, pick up teams, university teams; it’s a spot houses every imaginable level of men’s and women’s basketball.
It’s a $38 million joint, all told, and is self-sustainable now that it’s up and running.
Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, a former varsity basketball player, and still a bit of a gym rat, I believe, fired out this tweet from Saville.
There are 12 — 12!! — basketball courts at Saville Centre in Edmonton. Could be a long night for this dude: pic.twitter.com/OjK1hOTL3t
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) August 14, 2015
Here’s a high-quality photo I snapped with my trusty i-Phone last Thursday night, when the place was full and rocking for the Canada-Cuba round-robin match.
Full house. CAN-CUB #FIBAAmericasWomen2015 #ejlive #yeg pic.twitter.com/lqQTbuYnZv
— John MacKinnon (@rjmackinnon) August 14, 2015
Kia Nurse, Natalie Achonwa, Miranda Ayim, Kim Gaucher, Miah-Marie Langlois, Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Lizanne Murphy, Shona Thorburn, Katherine Plouffe, Michelle Plouffe, Nirra Fields and Tamara Tatham — all of them — put on not merely a great basketball performance at the FIBA Americas Women’s Championship, they ran a week-long, absolute clinic on what a total team effort is, regardless of the sport.
It was something special to witness, I assure you. And much credit for that also goes to head coach Lisa Thomaidis and her staff.
In the bargain, Team Canada also showcased their home-away-from-home — the Saville Community Sports Centre. Few things are more powerful — still — in this world than word-of-mouth communication. And word is spreading rapidly about both the Saville Centre. As it should.
Take a bow.
