Eliana Stark's ascension in basketball was quicker than a short shot clock. 
 
In fact, the Grade 12 student at Miles Macdonell Collegiate's rise was so unexpected even she had to have a chuckle about it. 
 
"My first (big) memory was after tryouts for varsity (in 2022), my coach told me that I was on the team and, so, I go back to the car with my dad, and we just started laughing," Stark recalled earlier this school season, "because we never expected me to be a basketball player.
 
"I played volleyball forever and basketball was this new sport that got me hooked."
  
Now Stark has gone from would-be volleyball player to one of the top basketball players in the province in just a couple of years. 
 
And soon she will officially call herself a Winnipeg Wesmen.
 
Stark, a 6-foot-3 forward and Jr. Wesmen club player, is the first member of Alyssa Cox's 2025 women's basketball recruiting class, committing to the Wesmen in the Fall and preparing to enroll in the Faculty of Science in September. 
 
Life comes at you fast sometimes and Stark has proven to be an example of that: It was happenstance that she even took that first step to try-out for varsity. During a gym class in her Grade 10 year, one more player was needed to even out the teams in a boys' game. Stark said longtime Miles Mac coach and teacher Karl Schroeder asked if she'd be comfortable playing with the guys. 
 
"So, I went to play with the boys and after that he told me to try-out for varsity girls basketball," she said. 
 
Stark said she had to learn quickly, and she certainly did: Not only has she lined up for the Miles Mac varsity team for three seasons, she was also rostered on the Manitoba U17 provincial team last summer, a notable leap for a newbie to the game. 
 
She heaps credit to her Miles Mac coach Eric (Soroko) Drazic, a former Wesmen star who has played a critical role in her development. 
 
Stark also has athletic bloodlines: Her mother Christine (Toews) was a star volleyball player who went on to represent Canada in the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta.  
 
"I heard about Eliana from a number of coaches before I had the opportunity to see her play," Cox said. "Her coaches described her size, athleticism, and most of all they raved about her work ethic and her love for the sport. Now that I have had a chance to see for myself, I can say that she has all the makings of an elite U Sports big. She has great length and is very agile for her size. Her competitiveness makes her a menace on the boards and she finishes well around the rim. Eliana will fit seamlessly into the culture and training environment this team has built over the past few seasons. With her athletic gifts, and her eagerness to grow her game, I am confident she will be an impactful player for us in the years to come."
 
Stark said the tight-knit nature of the Wesmen program was ultimately a big factor in her decision to play for Winnipeg.
 
"I just loved that the community aspect is here," Stark said, "and that's something that attracted me."