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Sauda Ntaconayigize (Social Science, 2022) plays NCAA basketball for The Leopards, representing Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. A star basketball player at Champlain, Ntaconayigize even got to play for Team Africa in the under-23 women’s bracket of the Canadian Globl Jam Tournament after her first year of university.
Ntaconayigize said it was an honour to represented Burundi, her family’s country of origin in the international basketball showcase featuring teams and players from around the world.
Originally from Gatineau, Que., Ntaconayigize was approached to join the team representing the Basketball African League (BAL) when they needed a few extra local players.
“That was amazing,” she said. “The BAL is a very big organization right now, I wanted to be part of it. It was the first time that they had a women’s team representing Africa. It was really special and it was a very good learning experience for me to be playing alongside girls that play professionally at a very high level.”
During her time at Champlain Saint-Lambert, Ntaconayigize averaged 14 points per game and was named RSEQ 1st Team All Star, RSEQ Playoffs MVP and RSEQ Finals MVP. She was also named CCAA All-Canadian and CCAA Academic All-Canadian and Champlain Lambert Female Athlete of the Year for 2022 the year she helped propel the Cavaliers women’s basketball team to a provincial gold medal finish.
Ntaconayigize said her team was motivated to seize the gold medal win after a year of hiatus the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that ground college sports to a halt.
“We all knew we had a team to make it to the finals, to win that medal. We came in hungry and we were ready to work,” she said. “After spending a year without playing basketball, we all had something to prove, we had a chip on our shoulder. I just wanted to come in and have an impact. I knew we had what it takes to get to the championship.”
She also became a recognizable face working part-time during her studies in the Student Services office and staffing the reception desk. She said it was important to her to be involved in campus life outside of basketball and said the time she spent working in that office stands out as a highlight of her experience.
After graduation, Ntaconayigize went to play at Lafayette College, a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. She is double majoring in Psychology and Economics, and said that academics were always a priority for her alongside her athletic pursuits.
“I was really prepared at Champlain, I took a lot of psychology classes.”
As Ntaconayigize continues playing and working toward completing her degree, she’s not sure what the future will hold but says she’s looking forward to whatever the future holds.
Ntaconayigize’s advice to current students and recent grads: “Work hard. Look at all your options. I think that there are many ways to get where you want to go. I think there are many routes to take to get to playing pro or whatever goal that you have. Be confident, trust yourself and work hard.”
