The path from Estevan to Medicine Hat is a well-worn trail for local basketball players, and yet another one will add her name to the list next season.
Tatiana Dutka, a senior point guard with the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs senior girls basketball team, will be taking her talents to the Gas City for the 2018-19 hoops season.
Dutka attended a basketball camp recently and was offered the scholarship there.
“I just wanted to leave Saskatchewan to experience something new,” she said. “I have a couple of friends who went to Medicine Hat, Kristian Skjonsby and Tess Lindquist, and I heard good things about the program from them. I wanted to play basketball at the next level and they seemed to have a good team.”
As a guard/point guard she’ll be picking up the points shooting and dribbling the ball up the court to set up the offence.
The Elecs, who are remaining in 4A this year, are trying to get back to the provincial final tournament Hoopla again, as well as help win the McLeod Series against Weyburn next month. Dutka wants to help the Elecs work on fast-breaking and running the floor as a fast team in order to get back to Hoopla.
“I really like to improve on my dribbling skills as well as my driving to the hoop as well,” she said. Dutka and five other players helped lead the way last year for the Elecs to get to Hoopla, and she is part of a four-senior attack.
“All four Grade 12s are starting,” she said. “We’re really put in charge of the team and leading.”
Dutka, who will be taking university level transfer courses in education while at Medicine hat isn’t sure about what to expect in terms of playing time yet.
“I know they’re graduating quite a few, so I guess it depends on how hard I work and I need to put in the work if I want to have good minutes next year,” she said.
