WBB: TWolves alum Dandeneau chasing ParaPan Am Gold

Women's Basketball
August 28, 2019

She is one of the greatest to ever wear the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves colours, and now she is in pursuit of a gold medal. Kady Dandeneau, who played with UNBC Women’s basketball from 2007 to 2013, is in Lima, Peru competing at the ParaPan American Games in wheelchair basketball.

Kady Dandeneau suited up for her rookie season with the TWolves in 2007, after growing up on Pender Island, BC. Her freshman campaign would earn her UNBC Rookie of the Year honours, as well as a spot on the BCCAA All-Rookie team, and a BCCAA Provincial Championship. She would play four seasons with UNBC at the collegiate level, earning a pair of Provincial titles, a BCCAA All-Star nod, and an All-Star honour at the 2012 CCAA National Tournament. At the Canada West level, the guard/forward would help the Timberwolves make the transition to the highest level of university sport in 2012-2013.


“Being a Timberwolf was one of the best decisions I ever made. There are so many great things about the UNBC program. Great coaches, great staff, great instructors. The support of the fans in the city of Prince George is unparalleled. You really don’t see that anywhere else. That is what makes playing for the Timberwolves such a unique experience.”

Along the way, however, her body began to betray her. Driving to the hoop in the 2010 season, she collided with a defender and hurt her knee. It was later discovered she had torn her ACL, damaged her MCL, and sustained a fracture to her femur. She would eventually return for the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons. Along the way, she scored 983 points (5th in UNBC history), 408 rebounds (7th), and 147 assists (10th).


“Kady has a passion for all things basketball including training to win and winning. I have so much respect for her to have accomplished what she did in stand up,” said Dandeneau’s coach at UNBC, Loralyn Murdoch. “She made two appearances at Nationals and was a National All-Star with her knee injuries. Her mental toughness to come back time after time with every setback is unheard of.”

Her knee would require a number of intense surgeries, and she would be saddled by reduced mobility and immense pain. But, as a hyper-competitive athlete, Dandeneau wasn’t ready to stop playing the game she loved. A conversation with fellow Pender Island native, and former Team Canada coach Tim Frick was enough to convince her to try.


“I wasn’t ready to give up basketball. My stand-up career was over, but I started looking into wheelchair basketball. I was terrible at the start.”

But those who know Dandeneau are quick to cite her competitive spirit and willingness to work as major attributes. By 2015, she was a part of Wheelchair Basketball Canada’s development program, cutting her teeth in training programs and national academies. She quickly was named to Team B.C., and told the Prince George Citizen, at the time, that her new sport was quickly becoming her new passion.


"It has just made it a lot easier to kind of accept the fact that I probably won't play standup again - it's just nice to be able to play a competitive sport again, especially because it is basketball. It's very awesome to have that competitive outlet again and be a part of a team again. Being around like-minded athletes is great. I'm happy about that."

Four years later, and Dandeneau has elevated her game to a world class level. A member of the Sr National Team, she dons the red and white maple leaf on her jersey, including at last year’s World Championship. She is currently in Peru, competing at the ParaPan American Games, with eyes set on the 2020 Paralympic Games.


“It’s a big tournament for us, because it is the qualifier for the 2020 Games in Tokyo. We have to place top two in order to qualify, so this is a really big deal for us. We are trying to compete hard and do Canada proud.”

So far, so good for Dandeneau and the Canadians. They have handily won all three of their games thus far, beating Colombia 86-6, topping Argentina 82-25, and taking out Mexico 79-21. The Pender Island product has 44 points in three games, including a game-high 21 against the Colombians.


“It is an honour to get to represent Canada. You couldn’t really ask for more as an athlete. These are the opportunities you dream about. It is surreal to get to be a part of this. I feel really lucky to represent my country doing what I love. I don’t think it gets much better than that.

Team Canada will take on Brazil in the semifinals of the ParaPan Games on Thursday morning, with a berth in the Paralympics on the line. Murdoch knows her former defensive whiz with a tremendous inside/outside game will be leaving it all on the floor for her teammates.


“Kady is a fantastic teammate. She brings a lot of love and laughter into the locker room and is someone I now consider a friend. I’m not surprised she’s wearing the maple leaf on her chest and representing Canada. This is her dream and she really does accomplish whatever she puts her mind to. I really could not be more proud that she is a Timberwolf, and we will be cheering her on this week.”

The Tokyo Summer Paralympics are set for August 25th to September 6th, 2020. If Dandeneau has her say, Team Canada will be on the court, led by a former college star who fought through devastating knee injuries. And, along the way, the proud Timberwolf alum will be following along with UNBC’s successes.


“I am really proud to be a Timberwolf. Watching the current teams and what they’re doing; it is brilliant. It is so awesome to see the current athletes. I would tell each of them to keep doing what they’re doing, because it is so amazing to see their hard work culminating in success.”