Cougars land MacLean

The Cougars women’s basketball team started off their 2012 recruiting class with a bang, committing one of the provinces top combo-forwards in Hinton, Alberta native Jordan MacLean.

MacLean, moved to Spruce Grove, just 11 kilometers west of Edmonton two years ago, to play with the Spruce Grove Composite High School Panthers, developing into an all-around force on the court.

At 5-foot-11, MacLean has spent the past four summers with Alberta’s provincial team, participating on the under-17 squad that finished sixth at Nationals last summer.

Cougars head coach Joe Enevoldson says it’s a great starting point for the 2012 recruiting class.

“We believe she’s probably the top combo-forward in the province this year,” said Enevoldson.

“She’s a real tough player and just knows how to work. She’s a fantastic rebounder and has the mindset and natural instincts to immediately help us in that area. We have to become a better rebounding team at this level and that becomes magnified in Canada West and she goes a long way in helping us reach that goal.”

Dave Oldham, who worked with Enevoldson as an assistant coach on the under-15 Alberta provincial team this past summer and is Jordan’s coach at Spruce Grove, says the Cougars are getting an incredible talent.

“Jordan is just an extremely hard worker,” said Oldham, reiterating Enevoldson’s evaluation.

“She has a widely accepted skill set that will be very well developed for the CIS game - she can shoot the ball, is a great rebounder and a team-first player who has raised her skill level every season she’s been here. Spruce Grove Composite is very proud to have her as a Cougar and know she will be a valuable addition to the team as they tackle Canada West for their first season.”

Enevoldson and MacLean also have history, dating back to Joe’s first season as an assistant coach with the U15 women’s Alberta provincial team in 2009, in which MacLean was a part of.

That summer, MacLean finished as a second-team all-star at the Canada Basketball National Championship with the team winding up in third spot in the nation.

“We obviously have familiarity and the smaller campus was a draw for her,” said Enevoldson.

“She’s from a small town, so she’s used to the smaller communities, and while we aren’t a smaller community, we have a small community feel, and I think that was beneficial for her.”

A bona-fide Canada West player, the Cougars are looking forward to watching MacLean grow and develop at Mount Royal for a long time to come.