A familiar face was recently honoured by a Victoria-area publication.
The Victoria News listed Agassiz Secondary alumna Carrie (Watson) Watts as coach of the year in their inaugural Local Hero Awards.
Nominations for the Local Hero Awards took place this summer. The awards seek to honour those “unsung heroes who perform outstanding acts of service.” There were 13 categories in total.
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Watts currently works as the head coach of the University of Victoria Vikes women’s basketball team. As a player, she led the University of British Columbia to a 2004 championship, the school’s firs title in 30 years. She was named a Canada West all-star, Canada Defensive Player of the Year and MVP.
Watts joined the Canadian senior national team the following year and for three seasons. She also competed in the 2006 World Championships and the 2007 Pan American Games, and she was inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
She served at UBC as full-time assistant coach until she moved on to coach the Vikes. Watts also coached the U16 and U17 squads and was assistant coach for Team Canada.
Watts attributes her continued success to strong women throughout her career, and she aims to create strong women role models for tomorrow.
“I think we can make a change in the way society sees women,” Watts said. “I have an 11-year-old son who has grown up with an expectation that women can be in a position of leadership. I teach him the same things I tell my players. We go through hard times, but we can still be confident and resilient. That’s what lets you be the best you can be.”