NAME: Sarah Crooks
UNIVERSITY: Saskatchewan
CATEGORY: Student-Athlete
SPORT: Women’s Basketball
YEARS ACTIVE: 2002 - 2007
HIGHLIGHTS:
Two-time CIS and Canada West Player of the Year (2006, 2007)
Canada West all-time leading scorer and rebounder
2006 Canada West Defensive Player of the Year
2006 Canada West champion
BIOGRAPHY:
Sarah Crooks may be the greatest scorer in Canada West women’s basketball history, but during her five years playing forward for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, she could shut down the opposition too.
A two-time CIS and Canada West Player of the Year (winning both awards in consecutive seasons, 2005-06 and 2006-07), Crooks sits atop the Canada West all-time scoring list with 1,999 regular season points and was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. In addition to points, Crooks remains Canada West women’s basketball all-time leader in rebounds (1,181) and double-doubles (65).
The native of Fife Lake, Sask., piled up accolades as a student-athlete at the U of S, including four straight All-Canadian team selections (making the Second Team in 2004, and the First Team in 2005 through 2007). She was named the University of Saskatchewan’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2005-06, when she led the Huskies to the program’s first conference championship, capturing the title with a 70-65 win over UBC in Vancouver.
Crooks spent several years with the Canadian national team, playing at prestigious events including the World University Games, World Championships, and Pan-Am Games. Upon finishing her Huskies career, she played professional basketball in Spain.
The Huskies retired Crooks’ No. 14 in 2011.