Gonzaga Prep grad Tayler Drynan, still just a sophomore, was among the GNAC's leaders in minutes played this season for the SFU Clan. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca)
University Women's Basketball

SFU’s young & restless Clan: How adversity became prosperity on the road to playoffs for the GNAC’s resident toddlers

BURNABY — They finished the regular season with just seven players, three of whom were freshmen and two of whom were sophomores. From the opening tip, they knew they weren’t going to be holding a Seniors Night because they didn’t have any.

Simon Fraser's Tayla Jackson, over the last decade, has gone from watching in the bleachers to starring on centre court with her hometown Clan. (Varsity Letters photo by Howard Tsumura)
Feature University Women's Basketball

SFU’s Tayla Jackson: On coming home, on coming full circle and understanding the influence of Clan student-athletes

BURNABY — Hang around in the stands at Simon Fraser’s West Gym after a women’s basketball game, and the first thing you’ll notice are the scores of elementary school-aged girls, all lined up with team posters and felt-tipped pens, waiting to collect the autographs of their favourite Clan players.

Simon Fraser Clan freshmen guards Kendal Sands (left) and Jessica Jones have each seen their roles increased in advance of the 2017-18 GNAC opener in Anchorage. (Dom Gagne photos/SFU athletics)
Feature University Women's Basketball

Hoop script gets last-minute re-write at SFU, rookie talent Jones, Sands much more than Clan extras

BURNABY — Looking for the clearest way to illustrate just how young and how numbers-challenged the Simon Fraser Clan women’s basketball team is this season? How about the fact that when it came time for head coach Bruce Langford to pair each of his younger players with a so-called mentor player, one of the duos consisted […]