REDS Add SG Ava Parker To Class Of '25
(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS women’s basketball team is adding 5’7” shooting guard Ava Parker to their recruiting class of 2025.
The Halifax native is completing her Grade 12 year at Halifax West High School and has signed a U SPORTS Letter of Intent. She’ll join the REDS ahead of the 2025-2026 Atlantic University Sport season.
“We’re thrilled to have Ava joining our REDS family,” said REDS’ head coach Erin McAleenan. “She is a dedicated and determined student-athlete whose work ethic and basketball IQ will be a great addition to our team.”
Since 2022, Parker has been a member of the girls’ varsity team at Halifax West and is a veteran member of the Haliblaze club team. In 2023, she was a member of Team Nova Scotia’s U16 side.
“During my visit, I could feel that the team offered the tight-knit community that I am looking for and a culture that felt very welcoming,” said Parker. “I love to put in extra work, so seeing the top-notch facilities also made this an easy decision for me.”
With her Halifax West teammates, Parker was part of back-to-back Halifax city league championships.
She was selected to participate in a high school player three-point shooting competition, part of the festivities attached to the 2024 AUS Championship tournament, and won.
“My short-term goal is to continue to develop my basketball IQ and improve my skills while contributing to the success of the team in any way I can,” she said. “My long-term goal with the REDS is to do whatever it takes to help win AUS and national championships.”
Parker and her Haliblaze team went 33-1-1 during the recent spring/summer season, playing mostly against Ontario and Quebec teams.
“We’ve been very impressed with Ava’s ability to score in a variety of ways,” said Coach MacAleenan. “She is a pure shooter who is a consistent threat from beyond the arc. Ava has also shown that she can attack the basket to create for herself and her teammates. We can’t wait to have Ava on campus.”
Parker will pursue a degree in Recreation and Sport Studies while attending UNB.
STORY BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS: Submitted