Junior Griffins grads join MacEwan women's basketball roster as part of 2020-21 recruiting class

Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – Familiarity goes a long way.

Organizing and coaching the MacEwan Junior Griffins program has allowed Katherine Adams to work with many of Edmonton's top up-and-coming basketball talents.

For two of them, that road had led directly to a spot on the Griffins women's basketball team.

Adams' 2020-21 Canada West recruiting class includes Sherwood Park's Makenzie Reeve and Edmonton's Erin Howes, who both honed their skills in MacEwan's Junior Griffins program the past few summers.

"I've had the opportunity to work with both of them for four years," said Adams. "It provided a really great opportunity for me to get to know them as people and athletes, and for them to get to know me and our program.

"It's huge," she added. "Ultimately, the goal of the Junior Griffins program is to help in the overall development of basketball in the city of Edmonton and across Western Canada. It's so great when you see these local athletes put in the work with you and decide that your program is a place they can see themselves continuing their academic and athletic career."

Adams also introduced Hannah Loukes of Prince George, B.C. as part of her 2020-21 recruiting class on Tuesday.

"These three are a great fit with our program and we're really excited about what they're bringing," said Adams.

Reeve, a 6-foot forward out of Salisbury Composite, fits the style the Griffins wish to play.

"As a basketball player, she just has a nose for the ball with a good scoring touch around the rim," said Adams. "She fills an opening for us at that small forward position and brings with her a toughness and grittiness that we try to emulate in the way that we play.

"She's a really great fit for us in that regard. As a person, her bubbly, outgoing personality is really a great fit with who we have in the program to help build our culture."

New Griffins recruit Erin Howes, who also comes out of the Junior Griffins program, plays the gritty style that head coach Katherine Adams likes.

Howes is a 5-foot-9 guard out of Strathcona high school who knew a few years ago she wanted to play for Adams someday at the post-secondary level.

"One of the things I like about Erin is after the first year I had working with her, she said 'I want to play for you, I want to be a Griffin,' " related Adams. "I want to be a part of this program. I love having athletes like that, who saw who we were and what we're about and decided that they wanted to be a part of it."

Howes, too, fits the style that Adams likes to play – dogfight basketball won with elbow grease and forced turnovers.

"She brings a real tenacity to her play," the head coach said. "She's a really tough, gritty hard worker who puts her mind to it and makes stuff happen.

"When I first met her in Grade 8 or 9, she's had to transition from the small forward position into a guard position. She's really worked on her skill over that time, knowing moving forward she was going to have to become more of an outside shooter and playmaker as opposed to an inside presence from the post."

Hannah Loukes is a product of Prince George's Duchess Park Secondary and will fit in nicely on the Griffins women's basketball roster.

Loukes is moving more than seven hours away from her hometown to play at MacEwan, but there is a familiarity there with Adams, who has seen the Duchess Park Secondary guard play many times since she first caught her eye at a club tournament in Edmonton a few years ago.

"I took note that she was someone I needed to keep an eye on," she said. "I've watched her play over the last couple of years in high school, as well. I try to make it out to B.C. for a couple tournaments and their provincial championships. I saw her play out there, as well, and thought she had a unique skill set that we could use.

"She is a bigger guard who shoots the ball well from the perimeter."

When Loukes visited MacEwan on a recruiting tour, the chemistry with current Griffins was instant.

"When she came out for a visit this past year, I knew right away she was going to be a great fit for our program," said Adams. "She has bought into our team culture and who we want to be, and instantly fit in with the girls that we had here.

"I knew she was going to be a great fit for our program both personality-wise and with the skill set she brings to the table."