Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – A targeted goal for Griffins women's basketball head coach Katherine Adams in her 2025-26 recruiting search was to add more size after an injury wave forced them to play smaller players in the paint last season.
Mission accomplished, as she landed two 6-foot-2 players from the Edmonton area.
The first of those to be announced is Sadie Aalders, a forward from Spruce Grove Composite high school, who will bolster the Griffins' inside presence in the fall.
"That was a really big piece we knew we needed to add to our roster moving forward," said Adams. "We think Sadie's physicality, her rebounding ability, and the presence she has at the rim is really going to help us in a lot of different ways."
Aalders helped lead her high school team to a second-place finish at both the 4A provincials and Edmonton Metro city finals with a solid two-way game down low that will translate well to the Canada West level.
"We're really excited about how Sadie's skill set is going to positively impact our overall team performance," said Adams. "Her inside presence on both sides of the ball is going to force our current athletes to elevate their game, as well."
Former Griffins head coach Dave Oldham is an assistant coach at Spruce Grove Composite, a team which had a lot of success this season.
"Sadie just played her role really well in knowing what the team needed. She did a great job being a screener, being a rebounder and getting involved defending."