Photo courtesy: Electric Umbrella/Brent Just

By Ryan Flaherty

national honour

Grassick named U SPORTS Player of the Year

Mar 12, 2025 | 11:32 PM

The Saskatchewan Huskies are looking to be crowned as the top women’s basketball team in the nation this weekend and they’ll have the top player in the nation leading the charge after Gage Grassick received the Nan Copp Trophy as U SPORTS Player of the Year at Wednesday’s Final 8 awards gala in Vancouver.

The fourth-year point guard is the second Huskie to win the marquee award, joining Sarah Crooks, who went back-to-back in 2006 and 2007.

“I’m really speechless but it’s a big testament to my teammates and my coaches, who push me every single day. This is not an individual award, it’s a team award 100 per cent, because you don’t win games with one player,” Grassick said.

The Prince Albert, Sask., product led the country in assists per game (6.0), three point field goals (58) and three-point field goal percentage (41.4), while ranking 10th in points per game with 18.4, second most in the Canada West. Her skills and poise at the point guard position helped guide the Huskies to an 18-2 record and their 10th conference title, earning them the number one overall seed at the national championship tournament.

It’s that last bit of which Grassick is most proud, more than the individual recognition.

Listen" Coach's Show with Brandin Cote

Off to Ottawa

Mar 13, 2025

Ice Level Reaction

Huskies take home 2025 Canada West men's hockey banner with shutout win over Mount Royal

Mar 10, 2025

MRU pulls out OT thriller

Game two, in front of a record crowd, goes to extra-time

Mar 09, 2025

“I don’t think any athlete thinks of winning an award at the end of the year, but in terms of Final 8, that’s kind of an unspoken rule. That’s where you want to push yourself,” she said.

Grassick, who was also honoured as a first team All-Canadian at Wednesday’s ceremony, credits countless hours of off-season work alongside her Huskie teammates for helping her become one of the most lethal shooters in the nation.

“You walk into that Merlis gym in the summer and it’s packed full of all of us working and I think that’s what motivates each of us to get better, when you know your teammates are putting in that much work,” she said.

Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis was also a national award finalist however the U SPORTS Coach of the Year award instead went to Carleton University’s Dani Sinclair, who led the Ravens to an undefeated regular season. Thomaidis won the award for the third time in her career last season.

The Dogs now shift their focus from individual honours to their primary goal as they get set to open the Final 8 tournament on Thursday with a quarterfinal matchup against the Alberta Pandas.

“We’re just so focused on the goal (of winning a national championship) but it’s just one game at a time because it’s one-game elimination,” Grassick said. “We’re super excited for it and ready to battle a great Alberta team.”

The Huskies and Pandas tip off at 7 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. CST) Thursday at War Memorial Gym on the UBC campus. You can follow Saskatchewan’s national championship quest all tournament long on HuskieFAN, where you can hear live play-by-play of every Huskies game.

—

X: @RFlahertypxp