From Regina To Toronto To Antigonish; Aveyard’s Journey To St FX

On June 10, 2013, Milan
Aveyard (5’8”, G, Advantage Titans, 2013) signed
with St Francis Xavier of the AUS to join the X-Women this coming
Fall. “I am really excited and it is like a big
weight being lifted off my shoulders,” said an
obviously ecstatic Aveyard. “My visit to Antigonish
was really good I had quite a bit of time to discover and
explore,” she said of her visit to the Nova Scotian
University in late May, which helped sway her decision.
“The campus is so beautiful, I have seen quite a few
University Campuses and it is definitely one of the nicest, there
wasn’t many students there when I visited but the ones I met where
really nice, and welcoming.” Aveyard made a rare
decision after her 2011-2012 high school year. She made a move that
saw her relocate from Regina, Saskatchewan to Toronto, Ontario, in
order to pursue her basketball dreams. By leaving Regina Christian
where she led the Grizzlies to their first ever 2A Provincial Title
back in 2011 and helping them earn the 3A title in 2012, and making
her way to the urban setting of Vaughan Road Academy thousands of
miles away from the life that she was used to, she was hoping to
see improvement in the game she loved and was glad that the move
added merit to her career. “This has been one of the
hardest years of my life and signing was just what I needed to
confirm it is all worth it.” With the Grizzlies, she
was quite accomplished. Not only did she average 18 points per game
and 6 steals, but she was also quite the accomplished track athlete
as well, where she was perennially on or near the podium at
Provincial meets throughout her high school career in Saskatchewan.
But, basketball was where her heart lied. And because of that, she
just had decided to put her skills to the test in an environment
that viewed the game much differently than her home Prairie
Province. “In Saskatchewan I would say basketball is
definitely a sport that is popular but I’d say in Ontario it’s
bigger. Way more people play it and the talent here is crazy.
Girls’ basketball is also a lot bigger here,” said
Aveyard. “I’ve noticed that the style of play is way
more up-tempo here…it’s a lot faster,” she went on
to say about the difference in styles of play. “The
year I’ve spent out here as improved my fundamentals a
lot.” Her year of change will certainly prepare her
for the leap to the CIS game. It will be a leap that will need to
rely on her athleticism that has turned so many heads in the past.
“I’m athletic and fast,” she said in
describing her game. And when describing what was likely to have
sold X-Women Head Coach, Augy Jones, on her skills, she went on to
say, “Coach Augy told me he is very enthusiastic
about my athleticism and is excited to utilize it.”
Aveyard will view her time at St FX as positive, by making the most
of her chance to get a great education, while looking to Major in
Human Kinetics. Although her Major is still not yet decided,
Aveyard will view her time at St FX as a positive by making the
most of her chance to get a great education. And of course, winning
a National CIS Championship would be nice as well. It would put a
fitting exclamation point on the thousands of miles of sacrifices
she has had to make.