SaskatchewanSaskatoon might not be high on the list of vacation destinations in winter, but that hasn’t stopped the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team from attracting top international talent. For the past decade the Huskies have sprinkled their roster with European players, and in the process have won three national championships. International players add depth to great homegrown women’s basketball talent Scott Larson · CBC News · Posted: Nov 04, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesBrit Charli Wroe and Swede Olivia Harm have added depth to an already formidable Huskies lineup. (Photo by Rachel Albertson)Saskatoon might not be high on the list of vacation destinations in winter, but that hasn’t stopped the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team from attracting top international talent.For the past decade the Huskies have sprinkled their roster with European players, and in the process have won three national championships.Head coach Lisa Thomaidis is a big reason the Huskies have been able to recruit international players. Thomaidis has been Canada’s and Germany’s national head coach, which has given her a number of contacts around the world.The first big recruit was Latvian guard Sabine Dukate in 2016.“She was the one that really made us think about recruiting more internationally,” Thomaidis said.“She won two national championships with us and just was a difference-maker.”This year the No. 1-ranked Huskies have a pair of international players — Swedish forward Olivia Harm and English guard Charli Wroe.Swedish forward Olivia Harm (11) is in her second year with the Huskies. (Electric Umbrella)“It’s a big trend of leaving Sweden to go play in the States,” said Harm, who is in her second year with the Huskies.Thomaidis recruited her out of high school.“I came on my visit, I got to meet some of the alums and they talked so highly of the program, so it was hard not to love,” Harm said. “And then they have a great business program. I’m a business major. So it was just like a lot of pieces were adding up that seemed really great.”Thomaidis says it’s not an easy process to bring a player over.“I remember one day I was in contact with people from Finland, from Germany, from Australia, from Israel, the U.S. “It’s just contacts that you make over the years, especially coaching internationally and just seeing if there’s players out there that are interested in coming to Canada.”Huskie guard Charli Wroe, from Manchester, England, spent a couple of years in the U.S. before coming to the U of S. (Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella)Charli Wroe, from Manchester, spent two years in the U.S. before coming north.“I did enjoy my time in the States, but there was a lot going on there, you know, politically-wise. And I just found my feet here,” Wroe said.Thomaidis said the quality of education at the U of S is a big draw, as is the success of the program. And also the atmosphere in the U.S. “Charlie was the one that reached out to me last year and part of it was just the situation in the States … the gun violence and the unrest. And politically and societally, just very different than what they’re used to,” Thomaidis said.More of a team gameWroe said there is a big difference in how the game is played here as opposed to her college experience in the States.“I think it’s a lot quicker and physical here, a lot more technical as well,” Wroe said. “In the States, it’s more focused on one-on-one, whereas here everything is together as a team. “If you see us play, you know, that’s exactly how we do, always one pass extra looking for each other.”Harm said it took a little while to adjust to living in Saskatoon.“The cultural difference is hard to explain,” said Harm, who is from Stockholm.“Having to understand people are so talkative here, which was a very big culture shock when I came. Even just like if you’re going shopping, like they’ll reach out if you’re going to a restaurant, like there’s so much casual talk that I really had to get used to.”Harm, who is recovering from a foot fracture, said it took a couple of months in her first season to begin to feel comfortable.“Around November [2024], everything just started clicking … basketball was becoming really fun. School started to settle in. And then obviously winning a national championship was really, really fun.”While Harm is used to cold weather, Wroe is a little nervous about her first winter in Saskatchewan.“Oh my gosh, it is so cold here,” she said. “Obviously back home it’s rainy. I was in Texas so it was so hot. So it’s a big adjustment just getting my winter coat and everything like that.”Lisa Thomaidis has guided the U of S Huskies women’s basketball team to three national titles in the last decade. (Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella)Thomaidis said the two players will hopefully play pivotal roles on the team going forward.“Liv is just going to keep getting better. She’s very tough. She can shoot the three. She can rebound well. So she played her role extremely well last year,” Thomaidis said.“And we were needing a bit of a backup at point guard, someone who can learn from [fifth-year] Gage [Grassick] for a year before she graduates. And Charlie has some of the experience that we were looking for.”Harm said the Huskies are hungry to repeat as national champs.“We know how much hard work goes into that,” she said.“For me, I need to get back to being able to play basketball, but then also improving and getting better from last year.”Wroe is looking to take in as much as she can from veteran guard Gauge Grassick.“We have high expectations for ourselves as a team this year that we want to achieve. So just doing anything I can to help the team achieve our goals and succeed.”The Huskies are off to a great start, having won their first four regular season games by lopsided margins.They play next on Thursday and Friday in Winnipeg against the Manitoba Bisons.ABOUT THE AUTHORScott Larson works for CBC News in Saskatoon. scott.larson@cbc.ca
Roster for defending national champion U of Sask. Huskies has European flair
