UND women's basketball adds 6-foot-3 center as Canadian recruiting continues to grow
Jul. 3—GRAND FORKS — Of course, UND hockey has always had a reputation for recruiting Canada.
The UND football program has an extensive history with Canadians, too.
For UND women's basketball, though, the 2023-24 season is shaping up to have a Canadian flavor like never before.
Last week, UND announced the addition of 6-foot-3 center Fatima Ibrahim from Winnipeg, who is now the fifth Canadian on UND's 14-player roster.
"I liked everything about it," Ibrahim said of committing to UND. "The coaching staff was super-welcoming to my mom and I. It felt like I was part of a family while I visited. I also got to meet a teammate and she was also very nice and helped answer any questions I had.
"I'm really excited about this decision and looking forward to training with the team later in August."
Ibrahim led Royal Crown Academy in double-doubles in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association. She was also named a 2022 Canletes All-Canadian All Star and game MVP.
"She comes to us from right up the road after spending the last year competing and practicing with some of the best competition in Canada and a great coach in Coach Lee," UND women's basketball coach Mallory Bernhard said. "Fatima has a lot of potential and the desire to work to go with it. We are looking forward to her joining us in Grand Forks."
UND is bringing in two other Canadian freshmen in Kiera Pemberton, a 6-1 forward from British Columbia, and Neveah Ferrara Horne, a 6-2 forward from Saskatchewan.
Pemberton and Ferrara Horne both played in the Biosteel All Canadian basketball game in Toronto, which is Canada's version of the McDonald's All-American game.
The other Canadian newcomer is Jayla Owens, a 5-foot-6 sophomore guard from Quebec. She joins UND via Western Nebraska Community College.
As a freshman at WNCC, Owens earned All-America honors after averaging 12.3 points and 4.1 assists per game. She reached double figures in 19 games including a season-best 27 points against Otero College on Jan. 27.
UND's lone returning Canadian is 6-7 redshirt sophomore center Miranda VanderWal (Strathroy, Ont.).
VanderWal appeared in 29 games last season. She averaged 5.3 minutes per game but had flashes of impressive stretches including an 11-point game against Detroit Mercy.
UND finished 19-13 last season. The Fighting Hawks return leading scorer and Summit League first-team choice Kacie Borowicz in 2023-24 but UND will need to replace two of the top three scorers as it loses Claire Orth and Juliet Gordon to graduation.
