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Clan senior has seen it all in her five-year career
By Amanda Kraft, Burnaby NOW reporter
In her five years playing basketball at Simon Fraser University, Jessica Kaczowka has seen it all.
She's travelled the world, made her way from a rookie to a senior captain and, this year has been named the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year.
She says the tying bond that has strung together her time at SFU isn't coaching staff or opposing talent. It's a lack of consistency.
"There have been such changes. Every year has been consistently different," says Kaczowka.
"Every year out of the five was a big transition.
"As a team, our biggest change was going from NAIA to CIS."
She joined the team in 1997, eager to play in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, an American league. Then, after placing well at the nationals for two years, the team made the leap into the CIS, the Canadian Interuniversity Sport league.
She says the team felt a lot of pressure to perform well after the transition. They were entering a new league with teams they had never seen before. They didn't know what to expect.
But, under the guidance of her coach, Allison McNeill, they fared well.
Then the next year they got a new coach, Bruce Langford.
"When I signed the letter of intent to go to SFU, it was because of Allison," says Kaczowka.
It was difficult for her to accept at first, but others on the team had played for Langford in previous years. This made the transition easier.
In the end, the team excelled under Langford's leadership, and the change wasn't too hard to accept.
"They're both wonderful coaches. I love them both," says Kaczowka.
This season, a year after Langford was instated, four of last year's starters graduated. The four were also some of Kaczowka's best friends.
Kaczowka even considered calling it quits herself.
"I kind of thought about it for a split second. 'What if I only played four years?'" she had asked herself.
But, in the end, she decided to stick it out.
"I think I just wanted to finish, to cap off the five years," says Kaczowka.
She wanted to be able to say that, though each year was inconsistent and a challenge, she remained a player for the same team for five solid years.
And, she says, she made the right decision.
"Probably my proudest moment is how we did this year," she says.
Because they lost four of their starters and had so many rookies, everyone thought this would be a rebuilding year for the women no one marked for its victories.
"People totally underestimated us this year," says Kaczowka."I think we exceeded everyone's expectations, even our own."
The team finished the regular season with a record of 18-2 and won all four of its playoff games. This seeded it as No. 1 for CIS nationals. They finished in fourth place, a respectable finish, according to Kaczowka.
Now she faces another big change. Since she's played at SFU for five years, she is no longer eligible to play at the university level. So the big question for Kaczowka is, what next?
"I haven't really thought about it. I really wanted to concentrate on this season," says Kaczowka.
"Playing overseas, that's always an option. It's a cool way to travel and make some money."
And, this summer, the Canadian Olympic team is holding several camps before qualifiers, which is another choice for her to consider.
But she's keeping her options open.
"If it doesn't pan out, it doesn't pan out. I'd be forced to move on," she says.
It will be a huge change from the university basketball lifestyle to which she's become accustomed, and it will be perhaps the biggest change for her yet.
"If I don't play and September rolls around and I know the season's starting... I think then it'll really hit me," she says.
Whatever she decides for her future, one thing's for sure: she doesn't regret her ever-changing basketball past.
"I have been so blessed to have the opportunity to play," says Kaczowka. "I wouldn't change anything. I've had an awesome experience.
"I've loved every minute of it."
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