The flag of Spain will fly twice in Prince George this fall as UNBC has reeled in more international talent to its basketball program.
Laura Garmendia Garcia has committed to joining the Lady Timberwolves for the 2019-20 season after spending this past season, at the age of 18, playing at the highest level of Spanish professional basketball.
However, she’ll be watching from the sidelines in her freshman year as she’s recovering from an ACL injury, and her subsequent surgery, she incurred back in spring.
“I think it will be a good thing, as it gives her time to rehab, while also adapting to Canadian lifestyle and Canadian university,” said Head Coach Sergey Shchepotkin in a team release, who also talks of her ‘efficient’ skillset he saw during recruitment. “She is a hard worker, and she does an excellent job on defense and on the boards. She will definitely help the team’s energy. She has experience playing high-level basketball in Spain, and I think she will develop and help us compete with the best teams in U SPORTS.”
Garmendia Garcia will be the third international on UNBC’s women’s basketball squad, joining fellow countrywoman Maria Mongomo and Alina Shakirova of Russia.
The post player stands at six-foot-two and believes she can be a good fit for the team when she’s 100 per cent healthy and in years the come.
“Even though defense is my strength, I also like to play in the low post and grab rebounds,” the Spaniard said in the same statement. “I chose UNBC, not only because it has a really good basketball team, but also because it is one of the best universities in the country.”
Garmendia Garcia comes from a small town outside of Barcelona, but has shined in the big league spotlight in her home country, suiting up for Femeni Sant Adria in Preferenta ‘A’ that won its regional title before coming in fourth at the Spanish National Championships.
She plans on taking biomedical studies while at UNBC in hopes of becoming a doctor.
Coincidently, she’ll join her new Lady T-Wolf teammates in Spain next month as they embark on a preseason trip.
