Langley’s Konig named to national basketball team training camp

Langley’s Aislinn “Ace” Konig was one of 20 athletes invited to the senior women’s national basketball team virtual training camp.

The announcement was made by Canada Basketball on Monday, Feb. 1.

READ MORE: Langley’s Ace takes her place among all-time best

Konig, a five-foot-nine point guard, is the most decorated high school basketball player to come out of B.C.

She graduated from Brookswood Secondary after helping the Bobcats win three consecutive B.C. 3A senior girls provincial titles, earning most valuable player honours each time — the first player in the history of the tournament to do so.

Konig was named female high school player of the year in 2016 by Basketball B.C.

She went on to win a full scholarship to play for the North Carolina State University’s Wolfpack team, then followed that up by signing to play with Elfic Fribourg of the Swiss Basketball League.

READ ALSO: ‘Rare talent’ Konig joining NC State Wolfpack hoops

Due to the pandemic, the national basketball team has been forced to conduct its training sessions online via video chat, explained Denise Dignard, women’s high performance director with Canada basketball.

“There have been tremendous individual and collective efforts made by both our athletes and staff, as they continue to diligently work together throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dignard said.

“From staying connected and supporting each other virtually to maintaining a growth mindset and focusing on things they can control, our team has adapted their training in preparation for this summer.”

We had a special, surprise guest join us to kick off our 🇨🇦🏀 Senior Women’s National Team virtual training camp.

Thanks @TeamCanada @MarnieMcB for speaking with athletes, coaches and staff about @Tokyo2020 this morning.#WeAreTeamCanada #StandOnGuard pic.twitter.com/QHLZWluvQh

— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) February 1, 2021

It has been just over a year since the team was together, in Belgium, where they swept their group at the FIBA women’s Olympic qualifying tournament with a 3-0 record to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. ‍

Head coach Lisa Thomaidis said the national team had to “take a different approach to our Olympic preparation process than we had originally anticipated but I know our hard work is going to pay off.”