She'll be a leader on one of the top women's basketball teams in the country.
Not bad for a girl who used to be known more for her volleyball skills.
She's Chelsea McMullen, and, this season, she's a fifth-year member of the University of Victoria Vikes. The Victoria squad is currently a perfect 2-0 in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association and is ranked seventh in all of Canada. McMullen, a 2007 graduate of Kelly Road secondary school, is one of only two fifth-year players on the Vikes' roster and will be a key contributor to the team on a nightly basis.
It's a job the six-foot forward is happy to have.
"We have nine new players, and I'm a fifth-year along with [guard] Debbie [Yeboah], so we've taken on leadership roles with the young players," McMullen said. "It's been good so far. Everyone has stepped up and been great."
The Vikes opened the Canada West season last weekend with a pair of home-court wins against the UBC Okanagan Heat. Victoria won the opener 87-69 and prevailed 83-52 in the rematch. Individually, McMullen had 13 points and five rebounds in the first game and finished with six points and two boards in the second contest.
McMullen can't help but chuckle when she looks back to the beginning of her post-secondary hoops career, which started in 2007 with the UNBC Northern Timberwolves. Coming out of high school, she was highly-athletic but raw when it came to basketball. Despite her relative inexperience on the hardwood, she was recruited by head coach Loralyn Murdoch and benefited greatly from Murdoch's teachings.
"I give credit to Loralyn for everything that I've accomplished because I wasn't really playing basketball after high school," said McMullen, now 22. "I was more into volleyball and soccer and she took me under her wing. I really am thankful to her."
McMullen helped the Timberwolves to their first-ever provincial banner and national championship appearance in that 2007-08 season. After a year off because of academic issues, she resumed basketball with the Camosun College Chargers of Victoria. She played two years for the Chargers and, during that time, grew into one of the true stars of the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association. McMullen moved up to Canada West with the Vikes in 2011-12 and has now reached her final year of playing eligibility.
McMullen still feels a connection to the Timberwolves and is happy to see that they have now started the Canada West chapter of their history. She's a little sad, however, that when the Vikes and T-wolves tip off later this season, the games won't be played in Prince George. Instead, UVic will host UNBC Feb. 1-2.
"The two years I played at Camosun, UNBC came to Victoria both times and then this year, now that they're in CIS, I thought maybe we'd go to Prince George but they're coming to Victoria again," McMullen said. "So I haven't come home to play in my four years."
While that disappoints McMullen, it really upsets her grandma and biggest fan, Gerda Korolek, who still resides here.
"She's a diehard fan," McMullen said with a laugh. "She watches all our games online and comes and watches in Victoria. And she'll message me, telling me her critiques -- what I could do better. She's an informed spectator. She watched all of us as we were growing up so she's used to [basketball] now."
