Jade Shirley's dedication has paid off.
The Estevan Elecs senior girls' basketball star will play for the Victoria-based Camosun College Chargers next season.
Shirley becomes the third Elec to advance to the post-secondary level in the last two years.
Elecs head coach Jessie Elias said Shirley has kept herself busy during her high school career by training year-round and attending various camps and tryouts.
"Jade is a very determined player. She's the most dedicated athlete I have coached yet," said Elias. "She's been very active in trying to make herself better."
In her Grade 10 year, Shirley made the Zone 1 team for the provincial under-16 championship.
Last year, she was one of the last cuts at tryouts for the provincial under-17 girls' squad.
This year, she attended identification camps in Victoria, Lethbridge and Olds, Alta., before making the Chargers.
Shirley mostly played post for the Elecs, but her speed and versatility allowed her to also spend some time in the backcourt, something Camosun plans to take advantage of.
"They see me as a floor, which is the small post, and also outside the perimeter," she said.
"As a post, you're usually not good at dribbling and you're not that quick, but with me I have the speed, I have the dribble, so that really helps me a lot," Shirley added.
"I have a strong shot and good rebounding."
Elias said the 5-foot-11 Shirley can do it all on the court.
"Her strength is the way that she sees the floor. She's got awesome penetration to the basket, awesome defensive skills.
"Her height really helps to her advantage. She's very strong for how tall she is. She's even skilled in how she carries the ball. She's an all-around player."
Shirley said she started to dream of a college basketball career in Grade 9.
"You look at all those good athletes and you strive to be one of them."
Indeed, she has come a long way in her time at ECS.
"She did not have a right hand at all when I first started with her. She would not use it. She's very dominant with both sides (now)," Elias said of Shirley, who is left-handed.
She was the team's top scorer for most games this year, but even when she wasn't, "she was always feeding the ball," Elias said.
Shirley hopes to play at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport level with the University of Victoria after a year or two at Camosun.
She will spend the summer working on her shooting and hitting the gym three or four times a week to get ready for the college game.
"It's a lot of hard work, but hopefully I'll get there," she said.
