The Pronghorns will open their season at home on Nov. I want firstly to study well, because if I fail my exam I will not be allowed to play,” Kovalevska said. Hozalova will study physical education.Īs student athletes, they know that school comes first. While they’re still concerned for their country and family members, Kovalevska and Hozalova are not just looking forward to playing but also to their time at school. And you never know and can't predict where or what city will be the next,” Kovalevska said. “Every day, Russia has bombed our country. “I think to bring in anyone who has experience at the highest level always helps your team.”īut while she’s trying to stay focused on the year ahead, Kovalevska admits it’s hard not to think about what’s happening in Ukraine. Both of them played at a high level and you can tell that with the decisions they make on the court,” he said. “Their best attribute is their basketball IQ. Waknuk has nothing but praise for the pair. The duo both played on the Ukrainian U20 national team and played professionally in the Ukrainian Women’s Superleague. “I just saw a chance to add players who had an international pedigree, had the international background and history that they had, and reached out right away,” Waknuk said.īoth Kovalevska and Hozalova bring a wealth of experience to the Pronghorns. When the pair reached out to the university’s head women’s basketball coach, Dave Waknuk jumped at the chance to add players of their calibre. “We just sent our email to our coach, Dave, before we moved here and just asked him, ‘Hey, what do you think? Like, can we join or just practise with you guys?’ And he was like, ‘Yes of course,’” Kovalevska said. Viktoriia Kovalevska and Vlada Hozalova fled Ukraine to escape the ongoing war there.īut they still wanted to play basketball. That’s certainly the case for a pair of basketball players who came to Lethbridge with the hope of playing for the Pronghorns. ![]() Plenty of athletes travel far from home in order to play the sport they love.
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