The Winnipeg Wesmen are keeping the Sisler pipeline strong.
The Wesmen women's basketball team has gained the commitment of Alyssa Doneza in the Class of 2023, a Grade 12 guard who adds to the long line of Sisler talent that has come through the Wesmen program over recent years.
Doneza will have five years of eligibility.
The Wesmen have recruited Sisler consistently the past 10 years, with the likes of
Kyanna Giles, Raizel and
Raia Guinto, and alumna Kerri Kuzbyt all coming out of head coach Michael Tan's Spartans program.
Now Doneza gets a chance to reunite with
Raia Guinto, her close friend and former teammate, on the Wesmen in 2023-24.
"My friends and family had a part in the decision and, just talking with them, I realized (with) my first offer they were super-proud of that and I realized I need them with me throughout my university career," Doneza said. "It just made me realize this is the decision I want to do."
Doneza started her club basketball with Manitoba Magic, but enlisted with the TAP program in Grade 8, a step that helped her realize she wanted to pursue basketball as far as she could.
"I think the switchover to tap is when I realized I could go somewhere," she said. "So I started taking it more seriously. And then (TAP coach) Randy (Kusano) also introduced me to all these camps, so I got more exposure and I started to feel more confident."
Doneza featured on the Manitoba U17 provincial team last summer averaging 10.3 points, and nearly two steals, per game over six contests. She was teammates with fellow '23 recruits Jazmin Birch and Jen Kallon giving the Wesmen the provincial program's top three performers from nationals.
She said her original desire was to venture outside the province, but the nationals experience showed her her heart was at home in Winnipeg.
"I realized I was far away from my family and they've been such a big part of my basketball career, and I knew I wanted them around," she said.
Wesmen head coach Alyssa Cox first got an up-close look at Doneza during a provincial team summer camp in 2022.
"Alyssa has been on our radar for a long time," Cox said. "She is a talented guard with a great deal of playing experience and a high basketball IQ. Watching her play with her school and club teams I have seen her grow into an assertive scorer and a tough on-ball defender, which is exactly what we need given the three senior guards we graduate after this season. Alyssa has been in a leadership role with her Sisler team and this past summer with the U17 provincial team, we hope she will bring the same confidence into her first year with our program."
