In a testament to their dedication and athletic prowess, several talented basketball players from Laurentian University have been honored with prestigious awards from the Ontario University Athletics conference, recognizing their exceptional individual performances throughout this past season.
Women's basketball players Cadence Pecore (Porcupine, ON) and Émilie Lafond (Hanmer, ON) and men's basketball players Nginyu Ngala (Montréal, QC) and Brice-Philippe Fandio (Marseille, FRA) were all recognized for their achievements.
Pecore and Fandio were named to the OUA All-Rookie teams as well as Laurentian's female and male Rookie of the Year recipients, while Lafond and Ngala earned all-star spots and were named the Voyageurs' female and male Athletes of the Year.
"When I first heard the news about making the OUA All-Rookie Team, I was incredibly excited and honoured," Pecore said. "The OUA is an extremely competitive league with so many talented players, so stepping in as a first-year athlete wasn't easy".
Balancing the demands of varsity basketball while keeping up with studies is challenging for first-year players. Beyond keeping up with academics, Fandio says adapting to university life in general was a challenge he learned to navigate as the season went on.
"Adapting to life in Canada this year wasn't easy, especially coming from Marseille, France. At first, it was tough being far from my mom and everything I knew but I feel like we have to make sacrifices in life if we are trying to achieve something big. Basketball really helped me stay grounded. On the court, I felt like myself. It gave me structure, confidence, and helped me connect with people here without needing to say much. I'm learning to embrace the discomfort, to adapt, and to turn it into strength," Fandio said.
Lafond pointed to the opportunity to play in her hometown as too good to pass up, especially considering she was able to pursue a degree in her chosen field of Health Promotion. "Having had the opportunity to play so close to home has been nothing short of rewarding. I always looked up to the Laurentian University Women's Basketball team, and now being a part of it is something that I will never forget or take for granted".
For Pecore, Laurentian is the closest university to her hometown of Timmins. After finishing her high school career at Lo Ellen Park, she grew increasingly familiar with Laurentian's women's basketball program and decided it was the perfect fit once she was admitted to the University's Physical Health and Education with Concurrent Education.
On the men's side, Ngala shared his pride in his team when asked about this honour "I am most proud of how resilient this team was during the year, while playing in the toughest division in U Sports. There was a point late in this season where we lost four straight games. Everyone could have turned on one another and pointed fingers. Instead we came closer as a group and went on to win 4 out of 5 games left in the season. This gave us a playoff berth and allowed us to get our first playoff win since the 2019-2020 season."
As far as advice for aspiring basketball players, Fandio shared they should "stay consistent and put in the work, especially when no one's watching. Talent will only take you so far; it's the extra hours that make the difference. Stay coachable, be open to learning, and always look for ways to improve. Use every setback as motivation to come back stronger."
Wise beyond his years, Ngala offers that the next generation should aim to "be your biggest fan and biggest critic, there will always be adversity while playing basketball. Take every win like you take every loss and keep putting one foot forward."
Laurentian basketball has a lot to be proud of from the 2024-2025 season, and a lot to look forward to looking ahead to next year.
May 1, 2025
