A shuddering fall, a sore back, muscle spasms, a broken nose, a concussion and two Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors.
It seems like an athletic paradox, a nonsensical descriptive list for an individual player. Yet freshman Jordin Canada accepted the cards she was dealt from a stacked deck, and played a poor hand better than expected.
Canada was the first player this season on the UCLA women’s basketball team to be singled out with Pac-12 Player of the Week honors the week of December 29. So far, she is the only freshman in the Pac-12 to earn the same honor twice this season.
The 5-foot-6 freshman guard from Los Angeles made the transition to UCLA in the summer after turning down multiple scholarship offers to play for powerhouse women’s basketball programs on the East Coast, such as UConn. She came in as one of the top ten college recruits in the nation, and is also one of three McDonald’s All-Americans to join the Bruins’ lineup this season.
“Jordin is quiet, a still-waters-runs-deep kind of girl, but at the same time she’s very competitive,” said coach Cori Close of Canada at the beginning of the season. “She’s got a different vibe – a quiet swagger.”
Although Canada debuted her backcourt talents in UCLA’s preliminary games, she experienced a turn of misfortune in December.
Injuries left Canada benched or limited in a couple of non-conference games following a hard fall against UC Riverside Dec. 10. Canada leaped to block redshirt senior Dynese Adam’s fast-break attempt, but found herself colliding with the UC Riverside guard and collapsing to the ground. The game halted and the stadium fell silent as personnel carried Canada off the court.
Although she suffered no fractures, Canada’s fall caused her muscle spasms and a severe level of discomfort.
“Jordin, long term, is going to be fine,” Close said following the UC Riverside game. “She feels like a truck hit her right now, but she is going to be okay.”
Close was right. Just about three weeks later, Canada earned her first Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honor.
Canada jumped back onto the court against Samford, UConn and Notre Dame following her injury, and once again showcased her standout abilities. Canada was able to score within double digits in all three games, as well as contribute key assists and rebounds.
Her adaptability and resilience following an injury and limited play earned Canada high regard from Pac-12 analysts.
Just as Canada was regaining competitive vigor, she broke her nose and suffered a concussion during practice on Jan. 2. The important piece of UCLA’s backcourt was again confined to the bench and forced to watch the Bruins’ losses to Oregon State and Oregon as a spectator.
Canada made another comeback last weekend, despite a still healing nose, against Utah and Colorado – two important Pac-12 games that would determine UCLA’s readiness before facing Stanford and Cal.
“Coach talked about coming back … I would have to take on a leadership role, especially since we hadn’t had a good start at home,” Canada said. “Going on the road, we really had to stick together as a team and (a) high (level of) emphasis was (put on) being a leader.”
Looking at Canada’s numbers, one would not have guessed that she was recovering from a head injury or wearing a mask to protect a fragile nose. Against Utah, she led the team to victory and scored a team-best of 16 points.
When she thudded to the ground during aggressive plays, commentators from Pac-12 Networks held their breath and teammates would run to help her up.
But despite fears from the sidelines, Canada would continually hop back up, adjust her mask and continue to play with the same energy. Against Colorado, Canada’s fast-break defensive plays led to well-executed layups, and she also recorded a career-high of nine assists.
“Jordin did a really good job of giving us a lot of opportunities to score,” said redshirt sophomore guard Kari Korver.
Canada went from not playing a second against Oregon after being relegated to the bench to playing the most minutes for UCLA in its 90-84 win at Colorado just six days later.
On the Monday following the Bruins’ two road wins, Canada was awarded her second Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honor.
Canada’s internal resilience is helping her find her way back into both the stat sheets and the Pac-12 limelight.