VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds women's basketball program is bolstering its roster with an impressive recruiting class set to join the squad in the fall of 2020.
 
The group of four features three guards and one forward with three of the newcomers joining the Blue and Gold from British Columbia while another flocks north from California to join the 'Birds.
 
"We are excited to welcome our class of 2020 to the Thunderbird family," said UBC head coach Deb Huband. "The four incoming players bring unique attributes and skill sets, but all are bonded by invaluable intangibles such as intrinsic motivation, work ethic and the desire to excel. We look forward to working with these committed, coachable and character individuals and we are confident that they will thrive academically and athletically at UBC."
 
Maddie Camacho will bring experience and versatility to the T-Birds as the 5-foot-10-inch, 20-year-old out of Sanville, Calif. is impactful as a point guard or shooting guard. Camacho, who plans on studying Kinesiology is a junior college transfer with four-years of remaining eligibility after enjoying a standout freshman season with the Lassen College Cougars, averaging 18.4 points, six rebounds and four assists per game. The graduate of Bishop Manoque Catholic High School earned plenty of hardware during her freshman year of college in collecting five-all tournament awards, including the Golden Valley Conference, All Conference and all Freshman recognition while also earning academic all-state.


 
"I think head coach Huband and assistant coach Carrie Watts have proven to run an amazing women's basketball program," said Camacho when asked what made UBC appealing. "It helped encourage me to attend school in another country and I think it's going to be amazing. I already feel so welcomed by the coaches and players and I can't wait to become part of the Thunderbird family."
 
"Maddie has a tremendous passion for the game," added Huband. "Strong basketball IQ and a desire to win. She will add a competitive edge and multi-dimensional skill set to our group."
 
Also joining the nest is Katrina Fink a shooting guard who graduated out of the well-known Kelowna Owls basketball factory. The five-foot-10-inch soon to be 18-year-old can push the offence as evidenced by her 22 points per game last season in helping the Owls to a fifth-place finish at the BC Senior Girls 4A Championship. Similarly, Fink who will study Kinesiology this fall was a force to be reckoned with while representing her province and aiding team BC to a third place showing at the Canadian National Championships.


 
"I was drawn to study and compete at UBC for several reasons," said Fink. "Which includes the experienced coaching staff, the high level of academics, the storied sporting history and the general great atmosphere that surrounds campus. I'm excited to join the program as it will be a challenging step up from high school ball and because the team made me feel right at home when I came for my visit."


 
"Katrina has a tremendous upside and brings size, athleticism and versatility to the perimeter," commented Huband. "Her experience with the provincial team has exposed her to a high level of play that will serve her well as she makes the transition to university basketball.
 
Rounding out the incoming backcourt trio is Sophia Kramer, a five-foot-nine-inch point guard and a unique talent who will be a busy dual-sport athlete as she'll be lacing up the boots for the women's soccer program as well. The 18-year-old honour roll student will study psychology at UBC and graduated out of Surrey, BC's Sullivan Heights where she was a standout with the Stars. Just some of Kramer's highlights with the Stars included breaking out for a career high 51 points at the Surrey Firefighters tournament this past season, while also earning MVP honours.


 
"I am super excited to join the women's basketball program," said Kramer. "Mainly because the coaches and players are some of the most welcoming and driven people I have met. I can't wait to contribute to the positive and competitive atmosphere of the team. I also love the campus and can't wait to contribute to UBC's great tradition of academic and athletic success."
 
"Sophia is a dynamic multi-sport athlete who has a rich heritage in high performance sport," said Huband. "With both parents having successful backgrounds in elite sport coaching. She brings a competitive edge, engaging personality, physicality and drive to succeed to the program."
 
The final newcomer is another local product out of Port Moody, Kiara Kozak who stands six-foot-two-inches and will be a welcome addition to the forward ranks. The 18-year-old honour roll student will study Applied Science (Engineering) at UBC and brings with her an impressive athletic resume and proven time management skills to the Point Grey campus. Not only did Kozak excel with the Heritage Woods Kodiaks basketball team in averaging 12 points and 15 rebounds per game last season, she also found time to standout in her pursuits of volleyball, high jump and race walking at the provincial level. Kozak's young career highlights include showing off her length with 10 blocks in one outing at the Kodiak Klassic tournament while combining for a stellar 20 points and 30 rebounds in the Fraser North provincial qualifier game.


 
"UBC has one of the top Engineering programs in the world," said Kozak. "Not to mention a highly regarded women's basketball program led an amazing coaching staff. UBC offers a perfect combination for me to pursue both of my passions and I can't wait to get to know my teammates better and represent the Thunderbirds."
 
"Kiara has an abundance of untapped potential as a player who is still new to the game," added Huband. "Her size and mobility at the forward position will bring a valuable presence defensively and as a rebounder. Her intelligence, work ethic and competitive nature has allowed her to show rapid gains over the past few years."
 
The T-Birds enjoyed another strong campaign in 2019-20, finishing the regular season with a 16-4 record before suffering a narrow four-point Canada West semi-final defeat to the eventual U SPORTS national champion Saskatchewan Huskies. It was also a year of monumental milestones for coach Huband as this past January, she became the all-time coaching wins leader in Canada West history by recording career victory No. 338. This was ahead of Huband being named as one of U SPORTS Top 100 women's basketball players of the century in February, recognizing her extraordinary playing career.
 
The 'Birds experienced some off-season turnover with three remarkable graduating seniors leaving the program in Jessica Hanson, Maddison Penn and Krysten Lindquist. This magnifies the importance of a strong 2020 recruiting class and the program is thrilled to welcome the skill, depth, versatility and character that Camacho, Fink, Kramer and Kozak will offer going forward.