Paige Cannon, a 6-foot-1 ahead, has simply accomplished her season for the Starlites, enjoying within the basketball league of Malta, the Tenth-smallest nation on this planet. Her per recreation averages for the season have been 18.2 factors, 11.9 rebounds and three.4 assists, the perfect of her skilled profession, and the primary motive why she was named the 2024 Maltese League Participant of the Yr.
Congrats on being named the Maltese League Participant of the Yr. Was this the perfect season of your profession up to now?
Thanks for the congratulations! This season has been my greatest season statistically, up to now.
What’s the state of girls’s basketball in Malta? European followers might be very captivated with their groups. Are followers in Malta comparable?
The league is small however many of the groups are very aggressive and the followers are nice. They’re very captivated with their group and it makes the ambiance very thrilling.
You’ve performed in Malta this yr, and on Madera Island for 2 seasons. Not counting that one season in Sweden, how do you handle to concentrate on basketball whereas dwelling in a few of Europe’s high summer time locations?
Sure, I’ve been in some actually stunning nations to play. I’m from Ohio, the place there are very chilly winters, so enjoying in Portugal and Malta was very totally different for me. However I want sizzling climate so for me it was not exhausting to concentrate on basketball. I actually take pleasure in being exterior so after observe it’s very nice for me to have the ability to benefit from the climate and go to the seaside or sit and have a espresso exterior someplace.
Let’s return to your freshman yr at Duquesne. Two video games in, you endure a season-ending foot harm. Was your first response, “That’s it, my profession’s over”? Or was it extra like, “That’s only a flesh wound; I’ll be again very quickly”?
My harm was very troublesome my freshman yr. It was the primary time I had left house so I used to be very homesick after which being out for the season and having to undergo surgical procedures and fixed physician appointments have been very draining for me. However my preliminary ideas have been that I simply must get by means of this and do what I must do to get again. Our group athletic trainers have been wonderful and helped me each step of the best way. I by no means thought my profession was over, I simply knew I had a protracted street forward of me so I used to be simply making an attempt to take it someday at a time.
How did you spend that yr and did your recreation change once you got here again?
I spent that yr going to numerous docs appointments and doing fixed rehab till we lastly determined I must get two separate surgical procedures on each of my toes. After the surgical procedures, I adopted the rehab routine we had in place and did my greatest come again stronger, but it surely was a protracted street for me to get again to full power even after I used to be cleared to play.
Your senior yr, you’re the co-captain and revel in the perfect yr of your faculty profession. Have been the extra duties one thing you gladly took on? Did they affect your general efficiency in any approach?
I had discovered quite a bit at Duquesne about management and how you can deal with duty like that. I labored actually exhausting to get everybody on the identical web page to try for a similar targets as a group. We had simply misplaced nearly all of our scorers so for me I simply did my greatest to create chemistry and connection on and off the court docket. I feel that helped us have a extremely good season. I actually beloved enjoying with that group.
You obtained your grasp’s in enterprise administration whereas at Duquesne. Has that been useful when serving as a pacesetter in basketball?
I’m a vocal chief, however I additionally do my greatest to steer by instance. I do my greatest to hold these expertise I discovered to each group I be a part of. I feel my management expertise have been discovered by means of enjoying for thus a few years. However I do suppose my enterprise diploma has helped me in my skilled profession, working with totally different individuals and managing totally different cultures, coaches and teammates!
A particular thanks to Thomas Prodromou of Flash Company for arranging the interview.
