Former Bruin Details How UCLA Helped Her Grow

Basketball is primarily dominated by the United States of America, but during the WNBA season, it’s being taken over by Canada.

Jordin Canada, that is.

The eight-year pro and former Bruin is enjoying the best stretch of her professional career with the Atlanta Dream, averaging 15 points per game over her last nine contests. In her first eight games, she only averaged 5.7 per game.

Canada is no stranger to greatness. It started when she began her collegiate career at UCLA, and coach Cori Close slotted her immediately as the starting point guard.

“I was sort of thrust into a starting role as a freshman. Starting point guard as a freshman having to lead juniors and seniors.”

Can you imagine, as an 18-year-old fresh out of high school, how intimidating it must be to be the floor general for a bunch of women who know what it’s like to play at the collegiate level?

But depending on the type of person you are, you either adapt or perish.

Canada adapted.

It may have taken a little longer than expected. There were some growing pains along the way with how she clashed with Close, but 18-year-olds can be unpredictable.

“When I first got there, me and Coach Cori, we kind of butted heads a little bit,” she told Matt Cohen of Winsidr. “Mostly it’s me being the immature player that I was, not really understanding my potential. Sometimes we didn’t see eye-to-eye.”

But as she grew older, like all of us, she came to realize that she needed to change her mindset.

“I think my junior year is when I finally turned that corner. [Close] was someone who was hard on me, saw a lot of potential in me, wanted me to be the best. At that point in my junior year, I kind of accepted that responsibility, being one of the team leaders. We knew that if we wanted the team to buy in, I had to be the first one to do so. At that point, we kind of built our relationship from there and continued to grow.”

Fast forward a decade later, and she has become a force in the WNBA one of the league’s most dominant defenders and a tone-setter in her locker room.

In a recent win against the Phoenix Mercury, Canada posted a solid stat line with 14 points, six assists, and three rebounds. She made a major impression on teammate and multiple-time All-Star Brittney Griner with her motor and unmatched relentlessness.

"I wish I had her motor," Griner said. "Every night she's going to do whatever coach assigns her to do for that game, no questions asked. She's going to go her speed with what she's doing out there, getting us set up, getting us in the right positions. That just shows her leadership, her 'vetness.' She's a big part of this team."

Canada was a major part of two Seattle Storm championships in her first three years, so she knows exactly what it takes to win and the intangibles that come with it.

The old saying “defense wins championships” couldn’t be more relevant for someone like Canada. She made the All-Defensive Team twice, once in Seattle and once with the Las Vegas Aces. In both of those seasons, she was the WNBA Steals Champion.

Offense gets the headlines, but defense builds a legacy. Canada’s growth has proven that she’s no longer just setting the tone, she’s setting the standard wherever she goes. And not only has she been locking down on the defensive end, she’s becoming a star on the offensive end.

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