The Bison women’s basketball team were preparing for the upcoming season this past weekend, wearing special pink jerseys during the “Shoot for the Cure” invitational non-conference tournament at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
Wearing the pink No. 6 jersey and playing guard for the Bisons was Stephanie Gill. Entering her second year in the Bison basketball program, the New Westminister, B.C. native graciously spent a moment with the Manitoban answering a few burning questions:
Manitoban:
What sports did you play as a kid growing up?
Stephanie Gill:
I played soccer, basketball, baseball and volleyball.
M: Who was your childhood sports idol?
SG: My childhood sports idol would probably be Dani Langford. She was a local SFU [basketball] player and I looked up to her growing up because she taught me a lot.
M: What is your current academic focus?
SG: Right now I’m going into kinesiology. I want to be a physiotherapist.
M: What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming Canada West season?
SG: This season I’m looking forward to making the playoffs. We have a lot of new girls, so I’m excited to see where we can go from there.
M: Which sports do you follow?
SG: I love the [New York] Yankees, I love the [Vancouver] Canucks and I’m a huge football fan. I love the New England Patriots.
M: Do you follow the NBA as well?
SG: Yea. I’m pretty disappointed with the lockout, so I didn’t mention anything. [laughs]
M: Speaking of the NBA, what are your thoughts on the “Big Three” (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh) in Miami and their collapse in the playoffs last year?
SG: I think the pressure kinda got to them. I’m a huge LeBron fan. [ . . . ] I think people need to realize they need to step off of him and let him live his life. At the end of the day, he’s still a person.
M: As a Canucks fan living in Winnipeg, what’s your opinion on the Jets’ return?
SG: I think the city is very excited, but they have very, very high expectations from such a young team. I was very pleased to see everyone in Winnipeg so nice, and seeing them cheer the way they did even though [the Jets] lost amazes me. [Last season], in Vancouver, obviously that didn’t happen.
M: If you could be any type of animal, which would you choose and why?
SG: I’d be a polar bear and keep warm during winter in Winnipeg.
M: If you could play mini golf against any celebrity, who would you choose?
SG:: Ari Gold . . . No, what’s the actor’s name? . . . Jeremy Piven! I think he’s hilarious and his character and enthusiasm is just awesome.
