Literally, hundreds of women have played at least one game in the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association.
Since day one, back in 2022 when the MWBA opened its doors, many players from across Atlantic Canada, Canada, Sweden and the United States have suited up.
But there’s only four players from that total that were the floor in Fredericton, NB, five years ago when the MWBA opened with a six-team tournament-style weekend.
That’s a pretty cool story.
Those four include two in Nova Scotia and two in New Brunswick.
Jasmine Parent of the Halifax Hornets, Emily MacNeil of the Lake City 56ers (nee Windsor Edge) and Halifax Thunder along with Amelia Mitchell of Saint John’s Port City Fog and Eva Tumwine of Fredericton Freeze are the present-day quartet.
A fifth player could join that exclusive club.
If Abby Miller of the Miramichi HerIcanes makes it back for a final regular season game, she will have appeared across five seasons with her present team and Moncton Mystics. Miller played professionally in Portugal this past season, but is on the 2026 Miramichi roster. She would not be eligible for post-season play if she does return.
‘When you look back at the first season and then fast forward to 2026, it’s pretty amazing we are able to celebrate the careers of these women who have been there season in and season out,’ said MWBA commissioner, Jen Lloyd, of Dartmouth, NS. ‘It’s a testament to their character and leadership. Some players were very young when they started and now they are team veterans. It’s been great to watch all of them grow. Our league is incredibly proud of their commitment to the MWBA.’
For Parent, the decision hasn’t been in doubt whether to play.
She spent four seasons in Atlantic University Sport with Acadia University Axewomen and Saint Mary’s University Huskies, appearing in 72 career games, earning conference all-rookie team in 2007-08. Parent also spent a year at the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association with Fredericton’s St. Thomas University Tommies in 2008-09 before returning to AUS with Acadia.
That wasn’t yesterday.
Heck, she’s playing with or against players she used to coach.
‘Being able to still play the sport I love in such a well organized and high level league and also the relationships is why I keep wanting to play,’ said Parent. ‘I get to play with and against former teammates, although these days it’s more former players that I coached when they were much younger. I am a busy mom of three who doesn’t take a lot of time for myself, but playing allows me to do that.’
It’s that cross-section of ages that has Parent smiling when she enters the gym. It should be noted that smile can disappear when it’s game face time with the Hornets.
‘I don’t think playing makes me feel younger, it actually makes me feel experienced and reminds me to be grateful to still be playing,’ she said. ‘I get to form relationships with younger teammates I may have never met otherwise.’
Parent sits in the Top 10 of all-time league scoring and has appeared in 47 games, joining only Mitchell as players to surpass the 40-game mark.
‘Basketball was a huge part of my identity for so long, and as so many athletes know, it’s never easy when the sport ‘ends,’’ she said. ‘Having this league is an outlet for me and allows me to tap back in to that part of my life, even if only for a few months. It’s also important for me that my children, especially my daughters see me still playing. It shows them not only the basketball side of things – they both love to play – but also the importance of continuing to do the things you love, even when life pressures may tell you otherwise.’
Mitchell broke into the MWBA when the Fog was loaded with veteran players such as former NCAA star and longtime European pro Kaylee Kilpatrick, Rachel Farwell, Courtney Thompson, Bailey Black, Reese Baxendale and more.
She was the rookie who went about her business watching and learning.
Suddenly, she’s the Fog veteran.
‘I was so young my first year and as the youngest player in the league at the time, it was a little scary,’ said Mitchell, who played with the Mount Allison University Mounties and Memorial University Seahawks. ‘I was scared, but also excited to play with so many amazing athletes. Growing up, I had been coached by Kaylee, Rachel and Bailey. I looked up to them so much. My first year was surreal. I had to guard Kaylee in practice. I just never imagined doing something like that, let alone playing with them.’
Mitchell is in the Top 20 all-time scoring leaders and has played her fair share of games in Fog colours as noted.
She continues to be a key part of the Fog crew, starting up front and showing the way to a new wave of Port City players who entered the league this season, many of them coming off first seasons of playing university basketball.
‘It’s definitely a bit strange being one of the oldest on my team now and I still catch myself waiting for one of the older girls from my first or second year walking in and telling everyone what to do,’ chuckled Mitchell. ‘My biggest piece of advice to the younger girls is to soak it all up and have fun. You are playing with or against some of the best players in the Maritimes and beyond. It’s different competition and different coaching which is ultimately going to make you a better basketball player.’
Mitchell grew up playing for Mount Allison and the Fog, something that helped her make the jump to AUS in her senior season of eligibility.
Like Parent, she has embraced what the MWBA is all about.
‘What I truly love most about the league is the people, the competition and the camaraderie amongst the players is different than any league I’ve played in,’ Mitchell said. ‘The coaching staff and management are extremely supportive. They care so much about their team and each player. I attribute a lot of my basketball success as a player to the MWBA. I am truly grateful for the league.’
Tumwine is on the verge of joining some MWBA exclusive company and that could come as early as June 4 when the Freeze faces Moncton in Fredericton’s final regular season home game.
The fifth-year veteran enters that game with 397 career points. She would become the MWBA’s fourth player to reach or surpass the 400-point plateau, joining present-day leader Courtney Donaldson of Lake City, former player and now European pro Karissa Kajorinne and former league MVP Lauren Rainford of Miramichi.
Tumwine spent five seasons with the University of New Brunswick Reds, where she appeared in 91 career games in the AUS from 2015 through 2020. She started 37 of those games and played in one national championship tournament.
MacNeil has quietly gone about her business in the MWBA, sitting in Top 30 all-time scoring, producing quality minutes wherever she goes.
She spent four seasons with Bishop’s University Gaiters, appearing in 45 career games. MacNeil will finish her USPORTS eligibility in Antigonish, NS, when she suits up with St. Francis Xavier University X-Women this season.
It’s been a remarkable five seasons of basketball celebrations across the MWBA and tremendous to have commitment of the featured players as the league celebrates its fifth anniversary campaign.
– Jasmine Parent is celebrating her fifth MWBA season. (DW Photo)
