Canada has a rising star in basketball and she’s only 16-years-old.
Laeticia Amihere stunned spectators at a tournament in Virginia in April, when she made history as the first Canadian female to slam dunk during a game.
“I just thought, this is a great opportunity to try it out,” recalled the Ontario teenager, who is 6’4” and growing.
“It was a great atmosphere,” she says. “Everyone was going crazy.”
Eric Bulthuis, her coach at King’s Christian Collegiate in Oakville, Ont., says Amihere’s combination of “length and athletic ability is extremely unique and something that you don't see in the women's game very much."
That rare combination has helped her inch up to second place in ESPN’s ranking.
Basketball Canada has noticed too. She’s been on Team Canada for two seasons, as it climbed to sixth place globally.
Mike MacKay, Basketball Canada Women's High Performance Manager, says Amihere has “worked to get better at jumping … to get better at using her length, to be more disruptive."
“To be honest, it puts us on the podium,” he said. “That's the goal … to get us on the podium where we belong."
Amihere says her goal is to be the best high school player in the world by the time she graduates in two years.
After that, she plans to play basketball in the United States and hopes to win a championship.
For now, she’s focused on dunking the ball again – this time with two hands.
With a report from CTV’s Peter Akman
