Hockridge reflects on strong Kodiak women’s basketball teams

By Lethbridge Herald on May 17, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE PHOTO The 1988-1989 Kodiak womenÕs basketball team had a dominant season on route to what would be the first of back-to -back national championships for the program.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The dominant Lethbridge Community College Kodiak women’s basketball teams of two seasons from 1988 to 1990 were recognized for their efforts by being inducted into the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Hall of Fame recently.

“It’s definitely an honour to be recognized,” said Laurie Hockridge (now Robertson), who was a part of both teams.

The 1988-89 women’s team brought the first women’s basketball national championship title to Lethbridge Community College.

That team had a 14-0 regular season record and finished with an overall record of 35-1.

The 6-foot-7 Hockridge was named an All-Canadian and ACAC scoring leader and All-Canadian guard, Carrie Kuntz, were big parts of that impressive first championship run .

“We were both very successful in leading a team, a brand new team, to where we needed and wanted to go,” said Hockridge.

Then coach John Jasiukiewicz, who won CCAA (Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association) Coach of the Year that season, guided the Kodiaks to a national championship after a 62-45 over Quebec’s John Abbott team in Grande Prairie.

Both Kuntz and Hockridge were the only returnees to the 1988-89 team, a year after losing the national championship game to the same Quebec team.

“We had a team of all rookies and two transfer students,” said Hockridge.

“We just had the best chemistry that year to be able to win as many games as we did.”

The team, with a different roster, repeated as national champions a year later in Montreal included Hockridge, Kuntz, Barb Babott, Shelley Kormos, Laura Bethlehem, Lori Mathews, Carmen Knutson, Loretta Hazelaar, Amber Powelson, Trish Murphy, Sandra Royer, Cindi Gibb, Candice Kliebrink, Tina Bjornsrud, Jaylene Baker, Shanna Howells, Melanie Malchuk, Jenny Neufeld, coach Jasiukiewicz and assistant coach Kari Tollestrup.

Bethelem was also named an All-Canadian during that run.

Hockridge credited the back-to-back national titles to Jasiukiewicz.

“He didn’t put up with anything, we worked hard for him, there was no drama, no nothing,” she said.

“We were there to work for him essentially and we just played our hearts out, [and] wanting to repeat again.”

As for the championships, Hockridge said it was a stepping stone to building up a program to this stage.

There were nine players in attendance from the two teams combined at the induction ceremony in Red Deer on May 10.

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