Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Working as a labourer, operating heavy equipment in a coal mine is not exactly the summer job you'd expect to find a MacEwan women's basketball player doing.
But when you see how hard Paige Knull and Kayla Ivicak work on the court, it really isn't a stretch to discover they logged 12-hour days in shift work last summer – alongside former teammate Kendall Lydon – embracing the challenge of as physically demanding a job a student can find.
"I think us being such active people on and off the court, it's nice to have a job that I feel is active, so it's not just sitting at a desk," said Knull. "Being out in the field is a lot more interesting. You get something different every day.
"It's kind of nice to have a variety in work because in basketball we see different variety. It's related in that way because it feels like there's something new every day. We're constantly learning new equipment or doing jobs we wouldn't normally do. It kept the job interesting."
In many ways the hard-hat, lunch-pail cycle of shift work is a metaphor for the pair's Canada West basketball season to date. The work ethic they exhibit sets an example for teammates and gives the Griffins a chance to win every time out.
"I think the job is a great opportunity," said Ivicak. "Not many kids do it. It's something that people see and it's a great opportunity. Basketball's the same thing. You have an opportunity to be here and you put in 100 per cent every time no matter what."
Knull and Ivicak will lead MacEwan into their first action of the second half of the Canada West season this weekend as they host Saskatchewan (Friday, 6 p.m. and Saturday, 5 p.m., both games Atkinson Gym, both on Canada West TV).
"It's clear to see in a game situation their intensity and work ethic and grit and toughness," said MacEwan head coach Katherine Adams. "Obviously that helps us in competition, but when they bring that into the practice time, it just sets the tone for how we train and the expectation for what we do as a program.
"The younger girls really love it and feed off it and look up to them so much."
Indeed, it does start in practice where Ivicak and Knull go against one another.
"We're each other's biggest competition in practice, so I think we constantly push each other because we're usually on opposite teams guarding each other," said Knull, who has been teammates with Ivicak since they first played together at St. Albert Catholic high school.
"I always want to be better than her, she always wants to be better than me. That makes us both better in the end."
Iron sharpening iron works nicely for them; they're one of the top 1-2 punches in Canada West. Ivicak has five double-doubles in 10 games so far and is among the top scorers and rebounders in the conference. Knull leads the Griffins in assists per game and is second in points. And the topper, the greatest evidence of their intensity on the court – both players are in the top six in Canada West in steals per game.
"Paige really prides herself on her ability to defend," said Adams. "You love to have players who are able to defend and put themselves in the mess and hit bodies. They are willing to sacrifice whatever necessary in order to win possession back or get a touch on the ball – give what our team needs."
Ivicak is going 110 per cent at all times. Rare is the day when an opposing player matches her work ethic.
"She has a mindset that she's never going to let anyone work harder than her," said Adams. "Effort will never be a factor in determining if you beat me or I beat you. She's worked hard to develop a skill-set that allows her to be successful with the effort she puts forth.
"Again, the intensity she brings to a practice environment is invaluable because it's almost something you can't teach," she added. "You have to live it and breathe it and compete against it to know 'this is what it means to be all-in and give everything I have to this one possession, this one play, this one moment.' "
The Griffins (3-7) will need every ounce of blood, sweat and tears the pair can offer this weekend as they host the nationally No. 6-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies (9-1). They're a team with few weaknesses, among the top teams for both offence and defence in Canada West.
"We recognize Sask is a very good team on both sides of the ball," said Adams. "They are very efficient in their ability to score and they defend.
"But I think the things that we do well and pride ourselves on, we're going to keep doing that. We're going to keep competing, be gritty and work hard and defend. That's all that we can do and we'll see what happens. It's why you play the game."
