Michelle Bos is used to playing at the Tournament Capital Centre (TCC) in Kamloops.
As a member of the Holy Cross Crusaders girls high school basketball team, the 5'10" guard has always finished her season there, playing at the Senior AA girls provincial championships with plenty of success.
But the next time Bos steps on the court at the TCC will be as a member of the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) WolfPack women’s basketball team, to which she has committed for the 2014-15 Canada West season.
"Michelle is a wonderful, hardworking young lady that is just the type of student athlete we recruit here at TRU," said Wolf Pack head coach Scott Reeves. "Michelle can play a number of positions for us and her skill set is well suited for the CIS (Canadian Inveruniversity Sport) game. What makes us most proud of signing someone like Michelle is the type of person we are getting, not just the basketball player."
After considering several other institutions in B.C., as well as visiting the University of Lethbridge, Bos chose TRU and will enroll in the Bachelor of Nursing program.
"The number one reason was the vibe I got from the team. The girls are very fun and nice," said Bos, explaining her decision. "They seem to get along very well and have a good team chemistry. I am looking forward to being a part of that. It just seems right."
Bos has been a huge reason why the Crusaders have been a perennial power at the Senior AA level of high school basketball. She played in her first provincial championship tournament at the TCC and Thompson Rivers University in 2011, helping the Crusaders to a third-place finish as a Grade 9 player. A year later, Bos was a first-team all-star as the Crusaders placed third again, and was the tournament's Most Valuable Player last season when Holy Cross claimed the B.C. championship banner.
Next September, she will have to make the adjustment to playing against some of the nation's best amateur basketball players at the CIS level.
"The strength of the players and the speed of the game seem to be the biggest aspects I will need to get adjusted to," she said. "In high school, most of the players you go against don’t work out and lift weights. That will be the biggest difference, the physicality of the game."
Her high school coach, Steve Beauchamp, expects her to have little difficulty moving on to the next level.
"Michelle is very intelligent, athletic and coachable," he said "On the defensive end, she is one of our top defenders and usually draws the other team’s top players to defend. She is a leader on the floor and has a very high basketball IQ. She can score when we need a big basket, get us a timely defensive rebound or bring the fans to their feet with a great assist to a streaking teammate."