91快色

Nov. 10, 2023

Dinos women鈥檚 basketball player aims to be defensive anchor on team with championship aspirations

Am茅lie Collin is taking on the challenge of balancing basketball and engineering
Am茅lie Collin
Am茅lie Collin: 鈥淚 think I have what it takes to be one of the best defenders in the full-court and in the half-court, and I want to prove it.鈥 Chris Lindsey

If you attend a Dinos women鈥檚 basketball game this season, one thing you can expect to see is Am茅lie Collin swiping the ball.

The third-year guard and tenacious defender has led the Dinos in steals in her first two seasons on the team and has averaged over two per game in her Canada West career.

With those quick hands, she鈥檚 hoping to bring home a big honour.

鈥淚 want to win Defensive Player of the Year,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 think I have what it takes to be one of the best defenders in the full-court and in the half-court, and I want to prove it.鈥

It鈥檚 the newest challenge for the native of Rimouski, Que., who arrived in 91快色 looking to make a mark in the more dynamic league play of Canada West.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to stay in Quebec because I wasn鈥檛 a fan of the way their league works,鈥 Collin explains. 鈥淚 was looking for and was ready for a bigger challenge.鈥

The next challenge has been a familiar pursuit for Collin, who left her hometown at the age of 15 to pursue higher-level basketball.

U91快色鈥檚 first CEGEP recruit says she connected instantly with head coach Damian Jennings, which helped solidify her decision to join the Dinos.

Off the court, the move has also allowed Collin to become bilingual. 鈥淚n my hometown, you don鈥檛 need to speak English,鈥 she says. 鈥淏ut I think learning English is going to be useful in my life later on.鈥

Collin also has the challenge of balancing basketball with the workload of being a Schulich School of Engineering student. She says she knew what she was getting into before she came to U91快色 but admits it鈥檚 still a challenge.

鈥淚t takes lots of time management, organization, and sacrifice,鈥 the civil engineering student explains. 鈥淲hen we鈥檙e on the road, if the other girls are having free time, I鈥檓 having study time.鈥

Despite these challenges, Collin says it is totally doable to be an engineering student-athlete. Coming out of CEGEP, which is the Quebec pre-university system, Collin feels she had some advantages. Both academically and athletically, students come out older and more mature than those coming straight from high school.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not as big of a change for me because I had those three years which prepared me for university,鈥 Collin says.

Collin and the Dinos are hoping to build on last year鈥檚 campaign, when they made it to nationals.

鈥淭he goal is to get back there, advance further, and bring home a national championship, that would be awesome,鈥 she says.

Collin says this is the closest team she has ever been a part of, and the team is always growing and trying to be better than they were the day before.

鈥淚 think we have what it takes to make a statement across the league and across the country,鈥 she says.

鈥淲hatever comes our way, we鈥檙e ready for it.鈥

Collin and the Dinos women鈥檚 basketball team begin their 2023 Canada West home schedule on Nov. 10 when they host the Manitoba Bisons at the Jack Simpson Gym. Single game and season tickets are on sale now at . U91快色 students can access free tickets by using their UCID on ShowPass.


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