Community is everything to Ivana Twumasi.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the primary driver behind her choosing Brock University and playing for the Badgers women\u2019s basketball team.<\/p>\n
A talented shooting guard who previously played in the NCAA and for the Humber College Hawks, Twumasi was impressed by Brock\u2019s Psychology program in the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Badgers\u2019 strong sense of family.<\/p>\n
Twumasi is looking to study Psychology with one day helping address the mental health issues in a community near and dear to her heart: her old neighbourhood.<\/p>\n
She grew up playing basketball in Toronto and was drawn to a beacon of light, the local Boys and Girls Club, in the at-risk neighbourhood of Jane and Finch.<\/p>\n
Twumasi found solace in the Jane and Finch Boys and Girls Club on Grandravine Drive thanks to its supportive community \u2014 which includes former NBA player Anthony Bennett \u2014 and healthy programming.<\/p>\n
She says her dream is to one day use her degree to help at-risk youth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI come from a place where people deal with a lot of trauma and have to overlook a lot of mental stress on a daily basis,\u201d Twumasi said. \u201cI would like to help people feel comfortable talking about their struggles and help them live a better life. I\u2019m going to make everyone from Grandravine proud.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twumasi played against the Brock Badgers during their 2019-20 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship season when she was a member of the Humber Hawks.<\/p>\n
Brock invited Humber, who was at the top of their game and on a 10-game win streak in the first half of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) season, to play an exhibition game at Bob Davis Gymnasium during the holiday break in December.<\/p>\n
Brock went on to win the friendly by seven points.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one thing that stood out to me the most was how well the girls worked and communicated together. It was strong chemistry,\u201d Twumasi said of the Badgers. \u201cThat\u2019s the type of environment I want to be in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brock head coach Mike Rao described Twumasi as an athletic player whose defensive game will transition well into the OUA.<\/p>\n
\u201cIvana provides us a lot of quickness and has enough vision on the court to adapt to our offensive scheme and what we want to accomplish,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Twumasi led Humber in free throws and was fourth with 12.5 points per game in just 22 minutes a game.<\/p>\n
Rao added that Twumasi\u2019s transfer is part of a trend in which student-athletes want to sharpen their game while studying in a supportive setting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a culture we have. Brock University is a place where students can go on to do greater things. So we\u2019re doing more than just learning drills and playing games,\u201d Rao said. \u201cIt\u2019s a whole conceptual approach that draws them to our school. It\u2019s the idea of becoming a holistic player and person. That hunger is what draws them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twumasi is the third OCAA transfer to join the Badgers this off-season, following guard Theresa Brown of Sheridan College and forward Victoria Lawrence of George Brown College.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to playing with both Theresa and Victoria. It\u2019s going to be exciting to show the OUA what we\u2019re all capable of doing,\u201d Twumasi said. \u201cWhat I look forward to the most is seeing how we can bring all these different types of players to the great family environment that Brock already has. We should be unstoppable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Brock women\u2019s basketball team begins training camp on Monday, Sept. 13 and kicks off the OUA regular season when it hosts Wilfrid Laurier Wednesday, Nov. 3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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