NEWS: Lefebvre-Okankwu, Gouchie-Provencher ink pro pacts in Australia

Gee-Gees women's basketball players Oksana Gouchie-Provencher and Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu have signed contracts with the Eastern Mavericks of the NBL1 Central, Australia's second division.

As the NBL1 Central season only begins in April, both players will conclude their seasons at uOttawa before heading south.

"I'm so excited to be able to pursue my professional career as a basketball player yet again," said Lefebvre-Okankwu. "I love that I'm able to play the sport that I love as a job and have the opportunity to discover a new country and new people. The cherry on top is that I will be living this experience with an amazing Gee-Gee teammate and friend."

"I am extremely grateful and excited to be joining the Eastern Mavericks and fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing professional basketball," said Gouchie-Provencher. "Not only will I be able to compete and improve my game at the professional level and have a once in a lifetime experience, but I will be doing it alongside one of my good friends and teammates, Brigitte."

Lefebvre-Okankwu will be getting her second taste of professional ball, having played with Al Sharjah of the top division in the United Arab Emirates in 2020-21. She enjoyed a tremendous season with Al Sharjah, leading her club in scoring and rebounding and helping them to a berth in the championship game. 

A Gatineau, Que., product in her fourth season with the Gee-Gees, Lefebvre-Okankwu is a four-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian, and is just seven points shy of being the third player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau.

This will be Gouchie-Provencher's first pro basketball experience. A transfer from Stony Brook University, the forward is averaging 8.3 points-per-game and 6.8 rebounds-per-game in her first season in Garnet and Grey. Originally from Montreal, Gouchie-Provencher was a 2020-21 U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian.

The Eastern Mavericks are based in Mount Barker, a town of 16,000 in south-central Australia. It is a half hour east of Adelaide, the country's fifth most populous city. The Mavericks are the only NBL1 Central franchise not located in Adelaide proper.

Lefebvre-Okankwu and Gouchie-Provencher will be the first uOttawa women's hoopers to play pro in Australia. They will become the third and fourth Gee-Gees to suit up professionally in 2022, joining Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus (Leicester Raiders, England) and Tyra Blizzard (COD Meknes, Morocco).