Canadian Women's Basketball Team With Trans Player Loses National Quarterfinal
The Vancouver Island Mariners, a Canadian women's college basketball team that had caused controversy by rostering a trans-identifying male player, lost in the CCAA national quarterfinal, ending their hopes of winning a national championship.
Harriette Mackenzie, the openly transgender Vancouver Island star, scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the 62-57 loss against Mohawk. No other player for VIU had more than 8 points or 5 rebounds.
The good news is that it means the CCAA women's champion will have an all-female roster. The bad news is that there was even a possibility that wouldn't be the case in the first place.
While Vancouver Island is out of the running for the championship, their season is not over. The CCAA Championship tournament also features a "loser's bracket" where losing teams remain in play to improve their end-of-season ranking.
The Vancouver Island Mariners, a Canadian women's college basketball team rosters a trans-identifying male player, lost in the CCAA national quarterfinal.
(Stock Photo – Getty Images)
Thus, each team plays at least three games, which means that Vancouver Island could still face Columbia Bible College, the team that VIU refused to play earlier in the season due to alleged "harassment" by CBC coach Taylor Claggett.
As Fox News reported, Claggett is currently suspended and CBC had to give up its right to host the PACWEST Conference Tournament, which VIU won with Mackenzie "earning" MVP honors after defeating CBC in the final.
Canadian college basketball officials immediately sided with trans-identifying Mackenzie over coach Claggett, who has maintained that she never harassed anyone and simply expressed her concerns about her girls having to play against a male.
CBC plays its first game later Wednesday night, with Alexis Worrell serving as interim head coach.
During the game broadcast, the announcer never mentioned that Mackenzie is a trans-identifying male player, which seems like a detail that would probably come up at least once during a women's basketball game.
It did not, however, even as Mackenzie dominated the interior over much smaller opponents and teammates. Opponents struggled to guard the transgender athlete and sent Mackenzie to the free throw line 10 times, where the athlete scored half of the 20 points.
No other player, for either team, attempted more than four free throws.
Up next for Vancouver Island, they face the loser of the match between St. Mary's University and Mount Saint Vincent University in the quarterfinal of the "bronze medal" bracket.