Size, range, work-ethic and a genuine passion for the game are just some of the obvious qualities that the newest committed member of the UNBC Timberwolves Women's Basketball program brings to the table.

UNBC Timberwolves head coach Sergey Shchepotkin is pleased to announce that 2007-born small forward Hazel Phillips (Langley, B.C.) has committed to the Green and Gold for the 2025-26 season and beyond.

Phillips, 17, recently helped guide Brookswood Secondary School Bobcats to a Senior Girls EVAA 4AAA Championship (last week) and a berth in the upcoming Provincial championships. The newest UNBC commit was named a tournament all-star. Last season she helped the Bobcats capture the 2023-24 3A Provincial championship. At the club level, Phillips, who only started playing basketball at the age of 12, also plays for the South Langley Storm.

"I chose UNBC because the playing style really fit my personal style, and I also liked it because it was in British Columbia and I wanted to stay in B.C.," shared Phillips.

The UNBC head-coach couldn't help but be impressed by Phillips' versatility and winning mindset. Sergey Shchepotkin added, "Hazel's work-ethic is obvious on both sides of the floor. Defensively she takes great pride in her rebounding, but also has the ability to create offensively for both herself and her teammates."

The respect between player and coach is more than mutual.

"I'm grateful to play for coach Sergey," claimed Phillips. "He's a great coach, he's got a great program and he's been coaching at UNBC for awhile and I'm very excited to get to play with my new teammates."

Phillips' academic resumé is equally as impressive as she's earned Honour Roll status in each of the past three years. She's also fluent in French and English, having been in French Immersion since kindergarten. At UNBC she plans to pursue the BSc in Biology program at UNBC and hopes to one day become a veterinarian.

Once Phillips' high-school and club seasons wrap up, the focus will shift even more to preparing herself for the next level of Canada West play.

"I'm very excited to make the jump to Canada West because I've always wanted to play at the next level. I know the competition will be bigger, stronger and faster, but I'm ready for the challenge and I'm very excited," concluded Phillips who has no shortage of things she wants to hone in on ahead of her arrival to UNBC in the fall. "This offseason my focus is going to be on my strength and my foot speed, so that I can prepare to play at the next level. Along with that I'll continue to work on my ball-handling, shooting and decision-making."

UNBC Athletics is thrilled to welcome Hazel to the UNBC Timberwolves family.