York Lions guard Laura MacCallum was named the Tissot Canadian Interuniversity Sport Rookie of the Year at last week’s All-Canadian banquet at the CIS Women's Basketball Championship in Winnipeg.
MacCallum, a student in York’s Kinesiology & Health Science program who hails from Paris, Ontario, is the first national women’s basketball Rookie of the Year in York history. The award was re-named this year in honour of Kathy Shields, a former Victoria University Vikings star and a member of the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.
Right: Laura MacCallum, left, receives the Kathy Shields award from Shields, right, after being selected the top first-year women's basketball player in the country
In her first season, the 19-year-old, 5-foot-7 guard made an immediate impact, finishing second in team scoring and seventh in Ontario University Athletics league play with an average of 14.1 points per game. A strong outside shooter who can also drive the lane, MacCallum logged more than 33 minutes an outing this season. A solid defensive player, she was named Athlete of the Year at Paris District High School in 2003-04.
"Laura has a tremendous passion for the game of basketball and a strong will to compete," said Bill Pangos, the Lions’ head coach. "She is willing to play any role to help the team win. She has been a pleasure to coach and I am looking forward to having her in our program for four more years."
This article was submitted to YFile by Jim McLarty, sport and recreation information officer with York's School of Kinesiology & Health Science.