Ainsley Orobko, who was a 2021 UCHS graduate will join the Providence Pilots basketball team.
Orobko has played basketball since elementary school, starting with the Steve Nash program. She played throughout high school. Her basketball career also included two club teams, Rise Above (took place the summer after Grade 9) and the Lakeland Jr. Rustlers (the summer of Grade 10).
The sport of basketball was always a love of Orobko's and having missed the end of her Grade 11 and entire Grade 12 season due to the pandemic, she longed for the court again. This opportunity has her excited to continue to play competitively after high school, and she is extremely grateful for this opportunity.
From the Providence Pilots release announcing Orobko’s signing, it said, “Ainsley Orobko will be flying with the Pilots this fall. The former Lakeland Jr. Rustler recently made the decision to alter her flight path and land in Otterburne this fall. Ainsley, who was the 2019 team Rookie of the Year and 2020 team MVP & Top Offensive Player for Unity Composite, looks to test her talent at the next level, while playing for the Pilots.”
“Coach Coursey has looked to build roots in the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan. Now with the addition of their 5th Saskatchewanian to the program for 2021, he has done just that. Orobko comes from Unity, a town in Western Saskatchewan, near to the Alberta border. 'We are thrilled that Ainsley has decided to join us at Providence. We have become quite specific in the type of player we are looking for and we believe we have found it in Ainsley,' stated coach Coursey. “She has great potential and an even greater determination to work hard and get better. That attitude paired with a team first mentality is foundational to what we look for. You know a player really wants to be a part of your program when they completely change their plans and join you in August.”
Ainsley is thrilled to make the move to Manitoba.
“I am very excited to attend Providence and compete in the sport I love. I look forward to becoming a Pilot and contributing to the culture.”
Like most Canadian’s, Orobko has been forced to take a break from active competition due to the ongoing pandemic.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder” may be more real now then ever before, in the world of armature sports. The time away has only grown the appreciation Orobko has for the opportunity she has been given to continue playing her favourite sport.
Orobko was originally planning to take her Bachelor of Science in Nursing through the University of Regina and Sask. Polytech however she has now shifted to a health sciences degree at Providence while getting the classes she needs for pre nursing at the University of Manitoba
“I had never heard of Providence until the coach Joel Coursey reached out to me. I looked into it and made the decision to continue playing basketball, even if it means I would be going to school for possibly longer than four years.“
Orobko admits that the smaller classes offered at Providence will be a big help in managing her education while balancing her basketball participation. She will move in early September to start practices and begin classes.
The Pilots have nine teams in their league which includes both Canada and the USA during the regular season. The MCAC Championships are held in Niverville, Man; the Niac Championships are in Minneapolis; the NCCAA North Region Tournament in Watertown, Wis. and the NCCAA National Tournament will be in Joplin, Mo.
The team’s schedule is on their social media pages and their website. The first game takes place Oct. 1 in Providence in their new game facility in Niverville, MB, playing Briercrest College.
