Kodiaks women’s basketball adds provincial champion point guard

The Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks women’s basketball team has added hard-working point guard Lilly Bennett to the roster.

A graduate of W.R. Myers High School in Taber, Bennett helped her team capture an Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association provincial championship this past season. She will be entering Lethbridge Polytechnic’s General Arts and Science program in the fall. 

Kodiaks head coach Deanna Simpson, who has recruited several W.R. Myers student-athletes over the past couple of years, says Bennett has been a long-time recruit in her eyes, and that she’s witnessed her growing into a player with great court vision.

Bennett describes her style of play as fast and controlled, an assessment echoed by Simpson. 

“Lilly has good decision-making already that we’ll see grow even more as she continues to play her style,” says Simpson. “She understands when to offload it to someone who might have a better scoring opportunity, and defensively, she can be a nightmare – she’s very aggressive and forces other players into bad decisions.” 

Bennett says the experiences of former W.R. Myers teammates, who now play for the Kodiaks, contributed to her decision to join the program. 

“I think the environment and my previous teammates influenced my decision,” says Bennett. “I came out to an ID camp and a couple training sessions, and it was really fun, exciting and a good environment.”

Simpson says Bennett’s work ethic and ability to make plays for others make her a strong fit at the point guard position, and that her development over the past several seasons has positioned her to compete for an important role within the Kodiaks lineup. She says she foresees Bennett becoming “one of the team’s primary ball handlers,” adding, “we’ve lacked a true point guard for a couple of years, and I see Lilly filling that spot.”

Bennett says she is thankful for the support of her parents, as well as friend and current Kodiak Jayla Hudson, in helping her reach this point in her athletic and academic career.