TRURO, N.S. – For the third straight year, Emma Roberts will represent her province at a national basketball championship.
The 15-year-old from Bible Hill is a member of the Nova Scotia team that will compete at the Canadian U17 championship Aug. 5 to 10 in Victoria, B.C.
In 2017 and 2018, Roberts played for the U15 provincial team at nationals in Regina and Fredericton, respectively, and looks forward to returning to the big stage again this summer.
“It’s a very good basketball opportunity; I get to play at a really high level against super-good basketball players and there’s a lot of opportunity for coaches to see me for when I go to university, and I get to represent Nova Scotia,” said Roberts, a point guard and Grade 9 student at Bible Hill Junior High School.
Roberts will practice with her teammates twice a week in Halifax from April to August and will also attend strength and conditioning sessions. In preparation of the national championship, Nova Scotia will compete in tournaments in Montreal, Portland, Me., and the Bluenose event in Halifax this summer.
Roberts said jumping up to the U17 team this year will be a challenge, however, she looks forward to the opportunity of competing against the top players from Canada in her age group.
“I remember last year watching the U17 games and it was a really big step up, but I knew I wanted to play, so I put a lot of work into it, so this year it’s going to be super exciting.”
Roberts, a Toronto Raptors fan, has already enjoyed success this season, as her Bible Hill Huskies captured district and regional junior high school girls titles. Her parents, Marc and Shelly, coached the team.
Roberts is part of a large Colchester County contingent of athletes competing at national championships this summer. Jenna Adams, Truro; Chloe Hart, Bible Hill; Jewel Woolfitt, Brookfield; Emma Ross, Onslow and Jasenda Horsman, Bible Hill, are members of the U15 girls’ team competing Victoria, while Lee Morrison of Truro will wear the blue and white for Nova Scotia at the U15 boys’ tournament in Fredericton.
Truro’s Darrell McLellan, who coaches the CEC varsity girls team, will coach the U15 girls.
Seven Colchester County players are off to national basketball championships this summer,
including clockwise, from left, Emma Ross, Chloe Hart and Jewel Woolfitt.
