Kristen Skjonsby of the Estevan Comprehensive School’s senior girls’ basketball team recently competed in the Basketball Saskatchewan all-star game. In the fall she will be continuing her basketball career at the collegiate level.
For the all-star game, it was 20 of the best Grade 12 female basketball athletes; as 10 represented the south and 10 represented the north.
Skjonsby enjoyed playing with Team South and contributed to the 62-56 win over the north.
“It was interesting to see how we can play together, being put together for an hour before we played, and then just playing with everyone that’s at the same level of competition,” she said.
Skjonsby added she was excited to play in the game, having been selected from a large number of athletes.
“My coach, Jesse Smoliak, said my name got mentioned and I didn’t really think anything about it. But I got asked to play, and I was super excited because it was an all-star game and it meant that I was good enough to play,” she said.
Skjonsby has played for the senior team since Grade 9 and believes playing on that team for the past four years has helped her become a better basketball player. It has also given her the chance to play when she continues her education after high school.
“Just getting that extra two years, where some people started in Grade 11 and I started in Grade 9. I just got exposed to the better basketball right off the hop, and that really prepared me,” she said.
Getting recognized as a south provincial all-star has made her realize all the work she has put into the sport is paying off.
“I worked hard throughout my high school years, putting in extra hours outside of practice to get better; so it feels good to just to have it show and pay off in the end,” she said.
Even though the basketball season is finished, Skjonsby said that she’ll continue to practice throughout the spring and summer. In addition, she has been helping coach the U15 girls’ club basketball team.
Skjonsby will be playing basketball at Medicine Hat College, and she said the coach, Jason McLester, scouted her out at a development camp last year.
After seeing her play, she said, he offered her a spot on the team, and then it was up to her to decide if she wanted to go to that school.
Skjonsby is confident on the court and has the ability to take smart shots, knowing when to pass off the ball.
“I could do the cross court pass, which most girls can’t do in high school,” she said.
Throughout her time playing high school basketball, the team has had success. This year they ended a 30-year curse in the McLeod series against Weyburn.
Though she has had success in high school, she realizes she has to continue to get better to compete at the college level.
“At the college level it’s all the strongest players from different teams coming together and playing against each other; so it’s definitely going to be more of a challenge there,” she said.
She also mentioned the pace of the game will be faster, as well.
Playing in the ECS basketball program has also prepared her for that more advanced game, and she said her coach has helped her develop and improve in the sport.
“Smoliak has really prepared me because she played at the next level. So she knows how it is, and she pushed us all through high school to be better,” Skjonsby said.
Skjonsby’s main goal is to play college ball. Come the fall, she will. She hopes her next stop will be playing at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport level.
