Riverside Rapids have sent another high school female basketball standout up stream to Simon Fraser University.
After it was announced only last week that sharp-shooting guard Michelle Spacek would be joining the Clan next fall, her Rapids' teammate Laiken Cerenzie has committed to toiling, too, for the SFU women's hoop squad, it was revealed Tuesday.
A five-foot-eight forward, Coquitlam's Cerenzie was an all-star at the HSBC Classic tournament in both 2009 and '11, a Fraser Valley all-star in '09 and '10 and a B.C. AAA provincial second-team all-star in '10.
"I am a fast, aggressive, competitive player," said Cerenzie, who averaged 10.7 points in 35 games with the Rapids last season. "I have a must-win personality and I strive to get better every game."
The Rapids under head coach Paul Langford have become a recruiting pipeline for the Clan their head coach Bruce Langford, Paul's brother, with junior guard Kristina Collins bringing the number of grads from the heralded Riverside prep program now playing at SFU to three.
"Laiken is an unorthodox basketball player," Bruce Langford said. "On first appearance, she has rather refined skill set but it is quite deceiving. her shot may not look great but she had the second best three-point shooting percentage on a good high school shooting team."
Bruce Langford believes Cerenzie will fit in quickly and nicely on the Clan and, in time, could be a standout at the NCAA Div. 2 level (Great Northwest Athletic Conference), in which SFU competes.
"Laiken took over many games in her high school career with her slashes to the hoop and ability to get to the free throw line," he said. "She is one of the most competitive high school players in B.C. [and], in many big games, she stepped up and was the difference maker for Riverside.
"No doubt, as she matures in her game, with her already competitive fire, she will add a key component to our team."
