It was a whirlwind spring for MacKenzie Smith.
Summer isn’t changing a thing.
The reigning Maritime Women’s Basketball Association MVP is off to Punta Arenas, Chile, this week to compete for Canada Basketball at the FIBA under-23 3X3 Nation’s League – Americas 2 competition.
Smith starred for the Lake City 56ers of Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Preston last season in the MWBA.
The Shelburne, NS, product tied for the league lead in scoring with Lauren Rainford of the Miramichi Her-Icanes. Both players averaged 18.4 points per game.
Those two teams ended up clashing in the Legacy Cup final with Miramichi earning the title in overtime.
Smith was able to recover from finishing her National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I career with St. Joseph’s University Hawks in Philadelphia before landing with Lake City.
The physical forward joins five teammates wearing Canada Basketball colours over a busy stretch from July 21 to 27.
The Americas conference will feature six three-game tournaments in seven days, including daily pool play and a final. Teams earn tour standing points after each one-day event. The best-ranked team in the standings after the sixth day will be declared winners of their conference and qualify for the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup 2025 taking place Sept. 17 to 21 in Xiong An, China.
Smith joins Rebecca Demeke (Toronto), Marah Dykstra (Vancouver), Alphonsia Eleko (Montreal), Gage Grassick (Prince Albert, SK) and Emma Koabel (Port Colborne, ON) playing for head coach, Dianna Ros.
Demeke played for the University of Delaware Blue Hens, Dykstra was with Montana State University Bobcats before transferring to Michigan State University Spartans, Eleko plays with Eastern Michigan University Eagles, Grassick is with University of Saskatchewan Huskies and Koabel is with Duke University Blue Devils.
Ros is the head coach of the University of Toronto Blues.
The roster blends players from coast-to-coast-to-coast, several of whom bring experience from both the 5-on-5 and 3×3 circuits. Koabel and Dykstra bring international experience from previous age-group national team competitions, while Smith has established herself as a rising star out east with a versatile skillset built for the 3×3 format. Demeke, Eleko and Grassick round out the squad with versatility and a strong physical presence on both ends of the floor.
‘It’s absolutely amazing to see women from the MWBA finding so many opportunities to play at high levels whether it’s MacKenzie representing our country or players signing professional contracts,’ said MWBA commissioner, Jen McKenzie, of Dartmouth, NS. ‘MacKenzie had an outstanding season with Lake City. She played hurt and still was one of our league’s top players. We look forward to following her on the world stage.’
– MacKenzie Smith of Lake City will wear the Maple Leaf this month in world 3X3 competition. (DWinston Photo)