Dribble and swish: Northern basketball star welcomed to B.C. university team

The University of Northern British Columbia's women's basketball team is getting some Northern talent. 

Cevanna Carlson, a proud member of the  Deninu K'ue First Nation, will soon be the latest addition to the Timberwolves.

 Although she now lives in Alberta, Carlson has always called the Northwest Territories home and said she's looking forward to living closer to the North again. 

"Definitely knowing where I come from, and knowing that I am Dene is very important to me," Carlson  said. "Going back home gets me grounded and it makes me feel not as pressured and ready to go play basketball everywhere and do my thing."

Carlson said she tries to make it home to Fort Resolution, N.W.T., as much as possible, even though she's busy with school and basketball. She said the visits mean spending time with family.

"I love going up there and just everyone comes and visits and I go visit everybody."

Carlson fell in love with basketball after playing the sport in junior high. The six-foot-one athlete said she will bring her greatest assets — hard work, teamwork and footwork — to the university team in Prince George, B.C. 

While on the court, Carlson said she won't  just be playing for herself, she'll also be representing all Indigenous youth who don't have the opportunity to play basketball.  

"I just want to play for them, and that's how I ground myself — just knowing that I'm playing for them," she said.

When she's not playing basketball, Carlson will be pursuing her education in the First Nations studies program. She isn't sure what the future holds, but she knows it will be a base for whatever she decides.