A Decade of Dominance
- Jonathan Reynoso
- Mar 2
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The University of Saskatchewan Huskies continued their dominance over U Sports women’s basketball as they claimed their fourth championship of the past decade, toppling the University of New Brunswick Reds 77-68 on March 8 at Ampithéâtre Desjardins at Université Laval.
In winning their second championship in a row, this national title capped off a near-perfect season for the Huskies. They suffered only one loss the entire season, which came against the Calgary Dinos in the Canada West Semifinal on Feb. 21.
“We're super grateful. I mean, we went on quite a streak of wins, and that loss in the semifinal was quite a setback,” said Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis. “But, again, we knew that we deserved to be here and it reminded us how hard it is to win at this level and how tough you have to play.”
You don’t have to look too far to see how the Huskies have sustained their success the past 10 years. They have been one of the most consistent offensive and defensive teams in the country. In the past four seasons, Saskatchewan has ranked number one in offence and have hovered in the top two for the best defence for the past three years—a trend for the majority of the decade.
Saskatchewan’s success can be attributed to the leadership of head coach Thomaidis, who has asserted herself as one of the most accomplished coaches, not only in U Sports but in North America.
To go along with three U Sports Coach of the Year, 10 Canada West Titles, a 2015 Pan Am Games gold medal with the Canadian Nationals women’s team, and many more achievements, Thomaidis sees her fourth national championship as one of her biggest feats.
“Anytime you win a national championship, it's the pinnacle of sport in this country,” said Thomaidis. “This is right up there. They're all super meaningful.”
At the end of the day, the game is won by the players on the court. For Saskatchewan, one of their biggest drivers of success is continually building up players.
Guards Logan Reider, Maya Flindall, Gage Grassick and forward Ella Murphy Wiebe are prime examples of consistency and improvement, with all players taking major leaps in the years they have spent in the Huskies’ program.
‘We have so many weapons. In any game, one of us can score 20, another one can score 25, the other one can score 27. I'm playing with my best friends, my family,” said Reider. “It just feels so nice to play with my best friends on the court.”
In the 2025-2026 season alone, all four of the players previously mentioned are averaging above 12 points per game.
“Some of these players were not really recruited by other programs and for them to put in the work and the time and the dedication to elevate their games. I'm pretty proud of them,” said Thomaidis.
When looking back on her tenure with the program, Thomaidis recalled the state of the Huskies when she took control of the ship back in 1998, never thinking that a season like this would be possible.
“When I first took over the program a number of years ago, we didn't even know if we'd make the playoffs. We were at the bottom of the barrel in Cam West,” said Thomaidis. “And so, to take it, when you've been at the bottom and you get to the top, you can really appreciate how much work it takes and how special it is.”
The roots that Thomaidas has instilled in the program and the veteran players that have been an extension of her vision really shone through in this most recent national’s win.
“Just overall toughness and experience. You're able to weather that storm and still come back and get some key scores when we needed to and a few stops when we needed to,” said Thomaidis.
As Saskatchewan’s season comes to a storybook end, it begs the question, with four players on their roster reaching the limit of their eligibility to play—including star guard Gage Grassick–what will be in store for the future of the Huskies program?
“There's so many emotions that are floating forward. We're never going to have the same team as we did this year, and all of our hard work that we put in,” said Reider. “Honestly, the last five years have just been totally worth it.”
*AI was used in this story for the transcription of interviews
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