Jettie McLaughlin-Sasaki closed out her college basketball career with victories for Douglas College on and off the court.
The New Westminster athlete was the recipient of the Exemplary Leadership Award at the 2024 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) women's basketball championships earlier this month.
The tournament honour, according to the CCAA's website, is handed out to a player that demonstrates "leadership behaviours that set an example for others to follow."
"Recipients must have respect for the rules and spirit of the rules of the sport in pursuit of excellence, respect the officials and show acceptance of their decisions, respect the opponent, exhibit sportsmanlike behaviours and maintain dignity under all circumstances."
McLaughlin-Sasaki played 33 minutes in her final game. The fifth-year forward contributed six rebounds in the Royals' 83-56 win over Okanagan College at nationals.
Douglas College claimed seventh at the eight-team event at Lakeland College in Lloydminster, Alta., after compiling a record of 1-2:
- 83-56 win over Okanagan College
- 80-47 loss to The King's University Eagles (Alberta)
- 67-54 loss to Géants de Saint-Jean (Québec)
McLaughlin-Sasaki, a grad of New West Secondary, has been involved with the women's basketball program for nearly a decade.
"[Jettie] has been an example to everyone in our program on how we expect our student-athletes to conduct ourselves," Douglas College Royals Athletics wrote in a social media post.
She started in all 24 regular-season games in the 2023-24 campaign, recording a total of 220 points — an average of 9.2 points per game — and 200 rebounds, including 127 on defense, plus 19 steals and 16 blocks.
McLaughlin-Sasaki was also named a tournament all-star after leading the Royals to the PACWEST conference championship — the school's first women's basketball banner in seven years.
