Legacie Blackbird is a Lion
LAMBTON COLLEGE BASKETBALL PROGRAM secures Walpole Island player for upcoming season.
Guard Legacie Blackbird has officially committed to Head Coach Janine Day and the Lambton Women’s Basketball Program for the 2023 season.
Blackbird is the sixth member of the 2023 recruiting class for Day and her coaching staff. Blackbird will join Avery Bathe-Minard (Sarnia, Ont.), Jennah Taylor (Sarnia, Ont.), Maeve Moore (Sarnia, Ont.), Brett Fischer (Wallaceburg, Ont.), and Simone Wilson (Cobourg, Ont.) as a newcomer in a Lambton uniform when the 2023-24 season opens in September.
“Legacie joins the Lions with OCAA experience and is an excellent fit for our up-tempo style of play,” said Coach Day. “She has outstanding court vision, and she provides us with another excellent defender.”
“Her knowledge of the game and toughness is exactly what we are looking for in a player.”
Blackbird, who hails from Walpole Island, comes to Lambton College after playing two seasons at Fanshawe College, one on either side of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the shortened 2021-22 season, Blackbird started all eight games for the Falcons, playing more than 33 minutes of court time per night while averaging 7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game along the way.
Prior to playing for the Falcons, Blackbird played for Coach Day during her days at Wallaceburg District High School, a connection that is a familiar one with several members of the Lions roster. As she gets set to resume her collegiate career after taking last season off, Blackbird is looking forward to having the chance to play for Coach Day once again.
“I’m really excited to get back out there and start playing again,” said Blackbird, who did not play during the 2022-23 season. “Getting to learn from Coach Day again, this time at the college level, is something that I’m really looking forward to.”
During the 2019-20 season, Blackbird was part of the Falcons team that won the OCAA Championship and had secured themselves a spot at the 2020 CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championships that were scheduled to be held in Nanaimo, British Columbia. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancelation of the championships.
Now, as she gets set to begin the next chapter of her collegiate career in a Lions uniform, Blackbird has her sights set on securing another berth to Nationals this season.
Academically, Blackbird will be enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program while at Lambton College.
Day and the Lions are coming off a historic season for the Women’s Basketball Program. The Lions claimed an OCAA Silver Medal at the 2023 OCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Niagara College, marking their first OCAA medal at the top level in the OCAA.
With the bulk of their production back and a talented recruiting class in tow, the Lions are looking to draw on last year’s experiences in the OCAA Championship Gold Medal Game and build towards doing one better in 2023-24.
The commitment of Blackbird helps to shore up the backcourt rotation, giving Day and the Lions another weapon at their disposal for the season ahead while injecting more post-secondary experience to the roster.