It was just over three years ago that Canada fell 95-65 to Australia in the bronze medal game at the 2022 FIBA women’s World Cup, a loss that has stayed with the core of the national team ever since.
That memory still fuels players like Kia Nurse, who arrived in Greater Victoria this week with a clear sense of unfinished business.
And for the veteran guard, getting to chase that next step on home soil makes the work feel even more meaningful.
“It’s very special,” Nurse said after Thursday’s training session. “The opportunity to play on home soil is something we don’t get very often. I’ve been on this program for 12 years, and I can count on one hand how many times we’ve played at home. It’s always special to be in front of Canadians.”
Canada is holding a training camp from Nov. 9 to 19 at the University of Victoria as it prepares for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament in March.
Camp highlight will be an exhibition game against Mexico on Nov. 17 at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, marking the third consecutive year Victoria has hosted the senior women’s team.
In 2024, Canada beat Portugal 91-65 in front of more than 5,000 fans. The year before, they topped Japan 80-60 in front of roughly 4,500.
Canada enters this game ranked seventh in the world, while Mexico sits 30th.
The Canadian roster features 20 players, including WNBA standouts Nurse, Aaliyah Edwards of the Connecticut Sun, and Bridget Carleton of the Minnesota Lynx.
Only two players come from B.C., Faith Dut of Vancouver and Tara Wallack of Surrey, while 60 per cent of the roster hails from Ontario.
For Nurse, being in Victoria also offers a moment to step back and consider how far both she and the program have come.
“I love the energy that (Coach Fortner) brings. She’s got great basketball IQ and international experience, which is exactly what we need,” said the Chicago Sky guard. “It’s about taking it step by step. This first step in March is getting qualified for the World Cup, and then it’s about getting quality games and competition over the next three years to get to LA and get on the podium.”
Head coach Nell Fortner, hired in May, shares that vision.
Fortner arrives with a record few can match, serving as the all-time winningest coach in USA Basketball history after leading Team USA to an overall record of 101-14 and Olympic gold in 2000.
“The energy and effort of these players has been really high,” Fortner said. “We’re getting to know their games and figuring out how everyone meshes in our offensive system. Defensively we can be really strong. Offensively we’re still figuring some things out, but we’re improving every day.”
Fortner said this camp is about building chemistry as much as strategy.
“Bringing players together in a country this big is always a challenge. Right now, my focus is on using this time to be as good as we can when we meet up again in March,” she said.
Nurse, a 29-year-old guard and 2018 first-round WNBA pick, said the city’s roots in Canadian basketball still matter.
“Victoria basketball is one of the big pieces of history for Canada basketball. It’s special that we can have these different homes where history has happened, because hopefully history repeats itself and continues to grow in the sense of getting on the podium,” she said.
UVic also hosted a sold-out pro-am game at CARSA in August, and the Vikes men’s team is coming off its first national championship since 1997.
Canada is aiming to build on its fourth-place finish at the 2022 World Cup, the country’s best result since 1986.
“I get to see these young players coming up, and they now dream about playing for the national team,” Nurse said. “That’s what it’s about at this point, creating pathways for young women to know what they can achieve.
