At six feet tall, Kayla McFadden's height alone makes her a good fit on the UBC Okanagan Heat women's basketball team.
Her versatility makes her a perfect one.
An Archbishop Carney regional secondary student, McFadden has signed a letter of intent to join Heather Semeniuk's squad as a freshman for the 2012-13 Canada West season.
McFadden is expected use her lengthy frame to contribute to the team on the defensive end. With her size, and the Heat's current potential guard-heavy squad, she can look to have an impact on the roster at various spots on the floor right away.
"I hope I am able to bring defensive aggressiveness to the team, and my positive hardworking attitude," said McFadden, who was both a Fraser Valley and B.C. AA prep provincial all-star with the Carney Stars last season. "I think one of my biggest strengths is my ability to play multiple positions."
The Stars excelled as underdogs all season long, and finished sixth at the B.C. AA provincial championship. Playing on a tight-knit high school team was instrumental in her decision to ink with the Heat.
"UBC Okanagan seems to be a perfect reflection of the team dynamics at Archbishop Carney," McFadden said. "My high school team provided an amazing familial environment in which we trusted and really supported one another and it was very important to me that the university I went to also values this philosophy.
"After the Heat ID camp in April, I knew that UBC Okanagan was the school for me. it just felt right. Everyone was so welcoming and I really like coach Sem's style."
Semeniuk sums up McFadden as "an intriguing player" who possesses a variety of attributes that will help the Heat.
"She adds some height to the roster, something that is lacking on the team currently," Semeniuk said. "Yet she is more than just a big body. Kayla has a lot of length to her, is quite athletic and possesses a decent set of skills.
"I hope that she will give the team a lot of line-up options with that versatility."
McFadden plans to start taking general studies courses initially at UBC Okanagan, and her plan is to eventually transfer into the nursing program.
Focused on basketball since Grade 7 when she gave up dancing, McFadden has since built the skill set required to play in the competitive CIS Canada West Conference.
Her basketball resume includes winning a silver medal at the BC Summer Games and playing club with the 3D Elite team last summer.
