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Kia Nurse Q&A: On growing basketball in Canada and Drake's shoutout

Nike Crown League

Kia Nurse was destined for superstardom from the moment she led Canada to gold at the 2015 Pan American Games.

Nurse exploded for 33 points in a blowout win over Brazil in the semifinal, then helped her team upset the United States with another 33 points in the gold-medal match. The 19-year-old was named flag bearer at the closing ceremony and was celebrated as the face of Canada basketball.

In the three years since capturing gold, Nurse made good on the hype by capturing the second of two NCAA titles with UConn, and she was drafted 10th overall by the New York Liberty this spring. Nurse spoke to theScore at Nike Crown League Final last Friday.

William Lou: I saw on Twitter that you returned to your hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, for the Trojan Basketball camp and the Marauders Girls Basketball camp. What was that experience like and how important is it for you to give back to your local community?

Kia Nurse: It's super important for me to give back. I'm very fortunate to have come from such a prominent basketball community, which is what Hamilton is. It has taught me so much about myself and allowed me to make so many great friendships, and learn the life skills necessary ...

For me, if I can go to extra camps and give back - and have these little girls see somebody in front of them who did it strictly coming from Hamilton, didn't go to prep school, and still made it toward the highest level, I hope that they can see they can achieve it too.

Lou: Hamilton gets a bad reputation as a city, but do you have some favorite spots that people are sleeping on?

Nurse: I like the escarpment. You can go along the trails and see over the ledge (overlooking the city).

Lou: It’s been an up-and-down year for the Liberty, but what have you learned during this transition from college to the pros?

Nurse: The transition has been great. The WNBA, the lifestyle - I love it and can't complain about it by any means. We've had our adversity as a team throughout the season, but I'm continuing to learn each and every day little intricacies of the game.

I'm using the veteran core that we have to figure out how you go against the best in the world every day and be successful and not allow them to expose your weaknesses. I think that's something that has been really helpful for me, that they're willing to share their knowledge.

Lou: Has the relocation from Madison Square Garden to Westchester, and the potential sale of the team by team owner James Dolan, been a distraction in any way for the Liberty this season?

Nurse: It really hasn't been brought up in the locker room. We knew coming into the season where our organization was. It was just a matter of having to play ball, and that's all we've been doing.

Lou: It's going to be a busy summer for the Canadian women's national team as you're set to compete in the 2018 FIBA World Cup in Spain. What are your expectations heading into the tournament?

Nurse: For us, we've been continuing to grow on the world stage for Canada basketball, on the women's side especially. We've proven that year after year. So it's about continuing to go up against the best in the world, during an Olympic qualifying year, potentially. We want to get out there, try to medal, and finish this one off.

Lou: What do you hope to take away from the Nike Crown League experience at Ryerson University?

Nurse: I think it's a great atmosphere and culture that you can build with a league like this. Especially in Canada, having the visibility to women's basketball is always great, regardless of who's playing. It's a place where young men and women athletes can come and see what it means to be a woman athlete and how they perform to their highest level every night.

Lou: Last thing - how did you feel when Drake shouted out your cousin (Canadian hockey player) Sarah Nurse on Instagram during the 2018 Winter Olympics?

Nurse: Really jealous, really jealous. She deserved it because she scored a really nice goal. But yeah, that was absolutely incredible, and I messaged her about that and was like, "You're so lucky!"

But I think she performed so well throughout that whole thing and she represented our family and her country so well, and I'm so proud and glad that we have her on our side.

Lou: He'll shout you out eventually, don't worry.

Nurse: Drake will get there, I know. He's going to come see a woman's basketball game. I can feel it.

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