Teachers college helps London connection come full circle as veteran duo powers Western to OUA’s top seed
London, Ont. (by David DiCenzo) - Becky Leblanc and Rachel Fradgley first shared the same basketball court about a decade ago. The two London, Ont. products were both rising hoops stars so they would inevitably play each other on the club circuit when Leblanc was a member of the local CYO team and Fradgley was in the Ramblers system.
Arguably their most meaningful head-to-head matchup came back in 2013, when they clashed in the London city championship, with a berth to OFSSA on the line. Leblanc’s Sir Wilfrid Laurier squad took on Fradgley’s team from St. Thomas Aquinas in a tight, ultra-competitive finale featuring the city’s first ever championship between a Catholic and public school.
“We hadn’t played Laurier at all so we had no idea what they were like,” Fradgley recalls. “We didn’t realize how good they we would be. We knew Becky was good. We scored on a last-second basket to go to OFSSA.”
“At that point, I was not a fan of hers,” Leblanc adds with a laugh.
Seven years later, they are indeed fans of the other. The two stars have each enjoyed incredible university careers, Fradgley in the NCAA II while out West at Simon Fraser, and Leblanc at Carleton, where she capped her tenure in 2018 with a U SPORTS title and a national Defensive Player of the Year award, while also being named the Ravens’ Female Athlete of the Year.
In a strange twist, the two London legends are on the court together again. This time, it’s as teammates, in their hometown, playing for the Western Mustangs as Teachers College student walk ons. And with so much in common, Leblanc and Fradgley have understandably formed a bond.
“We have a lot of classes together,” says Leblanc, who decided she wanted to be a teacher in her third year at Carleton after mentoring kids at Raven basketball camps. “We’re always together. We have the same break. We’ll say, ‘Hey, let’s go to Starbucks quick.’”
“It’s been awesome,” Fradgley adds. “I was thankful to hear that Becky was playing because it was nice to have someone else coming in as a transfer and going to Teachers College. We connected on the school level and as outsiders coming in.”
To be clear, this was no basketball coup of star players finding a place together like Paul George and Kawhi Leonard plotting to go to the LA Clippers or LeBron joining forces with Chris Bosh and D-Wade in South Beach. The Western reunion happened with neither really knowing a thing about the other’s plans. In fact, they had not spoken in years with one in Ottawa and the other across the country.
Leblanc really had no intention of playing basketball when she was accepted to Teachers College. The Mustangs’ head man behind the bench Nate McKibbon coached her when she was a member of the renowned Hamilton Transway program and he offered an invite to play with no pressure at all to agree. Leblanc went to a scrimmage and felt fairly at home seeing the faces of many girls she had competed against in her London high school days.
Fradgley had a similar experience regarding her decision to apply for Teachers College. She had helped run camps at Simon Fraser and her coach Bruce Langford entrusted the former junior Team Canada member to take a lead role. She loved the experience with kids and given her five years on the West Coast, she was ready for something new.
“Towards the end, I really wanting to come home and spend time with my family,” says Fradgley. “I was missing them. Western was my number one choice for Teachers College because it was in my hometown. And I have other teachers in the family so having those connections within the Thames Valley School Board was huge to me.”
She had not played ball for a couple of years and got a call from McKibbon, who reached her after connecting with Fradgley’s old Ramblers’ coach Dave Brown. She went to about a month of scrimmages before she found her game and a rekindled passion for the sport. Fradgley had always admired Mustang legends like Katelyn Leddy, Jenny Vaughan, and Melissa Rondinelli so there was a natural familiarity with Western. And after letting McKibbon know she wanted to play, he revealed that Leblanc was coming, too.
The addition of the veteran duo has been a massive success for a team that has a nice blend of experienced upper-class players and talented youth. Western ended the regular season as the conference’s top seed with a sparkling 19-3 record. Leblanc, a versatile 5-11 forward who can shoot the ball, has been playing more guard this year and finished the regular season averaging 11.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and a team-high 3.1 assists.
Fradgley, who is 6-1, has always been a true interior player, a big who loves to rebound and dominate the post. That was apparent through the regular season with her ranking second on the team at 12.4 PPG, while also topping the OUA in rebounding at 10.2 per game. She admits her work on the boards has reached a new level this year.
“Becky and Rachel have been a fantastic infusion of leadership and talent into this program,” Coach McKibbon says. “They are both great players but the biggest thing they offer is perspective. Neither athlete had planned on playing competitive basketball again. The fact that this is a second chance to play post-secondary athletics and for it to be in their hometown makes their playing extra special. Their enjoyment, work ethic, and overall level of play has pushed this team forward and added the experience for everyone involved. I consider myself exceptionally fortunate that they were here at Western when I arrived and that I have had a chance to coach them again.”
They have fit in seamlessly, thanks in part to an existing core of players willing to embrace their new teammates.
“The girls have been so welcoming,” Fradgley says. “It’s weird coming in as a transfer because you wonder how the girls will react to you. But they’ve been nothing but supportive.”
Leblanc says coming to play OUA basketball in her hometown was a huge decision. But it’s been the right one. Like Fradgley, she is loving Teachers College, especially the practicums. And the basketball season has been thoroughly enjoyable. That was a critical factor in her choice.
“I wasn’t completely sure about it,” says Leblanc. “I went to a few scrimmages to feel it out. After playing, it was fun and that’s what I was concerned with, having fun.
“All the girls are amazing and super nice and very welcoming. It obviously made the decision easier.”
