Star Melbourne Boomers’ import Jordin Canada named Suzy Batkovic Medal MVP at WNBL Awards

When Jordin Canada arrived in Melbourne from the WNBA, it wasn’t quite the role she envisioned but it soon became clear the brilliant Melbourne Boomers was the best player in the league.

Michael Randall

@MickRandallHS

4 min read

February 25, 2024 - 9:10PM

Jordin Canada is the 2023-24 WNBL MVP. Picture: Getty Images

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When two-time WNBA champion Jordin Canada landed in Melbourne it was clear, almost from the get-go, the elite two-way guard would be tough to beat in the battle for the Suzy Batkovic Medal.

Then, when Perth’s superstar Aari McDonald — Canada’s new LA Sparks teammate — went down with a devastating mid-season knee injury, the MVP was sealed.

Canada, on Sunday night, was crowned the league’s best player on Sunday night, fitting reward for a player who not only kept the Boomers afloat when injuries struck but produced a bevy of clutch buckets — including the free throw in the Boomers’ last game of the season that sealed a seventh straight top-four berth.

In accepting the award, Canada left the door open for a return to the WNBL next season.

“I’ve had an amazing time here in Australia, my teammates and the Boomer organisation have welcomed me with open arms and have just checked in on me to make sure I’m feeling at home and the fans and the support I’ve had throughout the season has been amazing,” Canada said.

“I’m very thankful to be here and hopefully I can come back.

“I wanted to give a shout-out to the coaches Chris (Lucas) and Kristi (Harrower), thank you for ... allowing me to play freely, play my game and be in a position where I can lead this team and have fun.”

Jordin Canada was an unstoppable force for the Boomers throughout the 2023-14 WNBL season. Picture: Getty Images

Canada said that support helped her take leaps in her leadership skills - and the WNBL’s physical playing style has increased her resilience.

“I think my leadership has definitely developed over this season. I’m more of a quiet leader but I think I’ve been put in a position to be more vocal and so that’s something that I tried to work on throughout the season,” she said.

“I’d heard great things about this league which is one of the reasons why I wanted to come here and play and it’s been nothing short of amazing.

“Very physical, more physical than I thought it would be but that’s actually really great for me. The W is physical too, but here they let you play a little bit more.”

The 28-year-old — twice a WNBA All-Defensive First Team Member and a two-time steals leader in the big league — added to her stunning season with nods as a finalist in the WNBL’s Defensive Player of the Year and Fan MVP awards.

Canada arrived at the Boomers with plenty to play out back home — out of contract and one of the WNBA’s most coveted free agents, she would receive visits from at least five clubs interested in her services as the LA Sparks guaranteed a one-year US$240,000 Supermax contract.

It wasn’t quite the situation she’d banked on: the initial aim of the move Down Under was to improve her game off the ball alongside Kristy Wallace. But when the Opals point guard ended up missing most of the season through injury, the LA native slid seamlessly into her familiar role as orchestrator, without complaint.

She shook off the cobwebs in a quiet (-ish) WNBL debut, before ripping off a near-triple-double (15 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds) in a come-from-behind win over Southside that set her on a path to lead the league in assists (7.6) and steals (3.1) while putting up 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in a 18-game season only interrupted by concussion.

Aari McDonald was dominant in a season cruelled by injury. Picture: Getty Images

Canada beat out elite campaigns from Sydney’s ultra-consistent veteran star Lauren Nicholson, Townsville flamethrower Sami Whitcomb, and young guns Jade Melbourne (Canberra) and Isobel Borlase (Adelaide) to become the second Boomer in as many seasons to claim the WNBL’s top individual prize (Cayla George).

McDonald, who set the league alight for the Lynx with 19.8 points 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals, would have been a worthy adversary, had her season not been cruelled by a medial ligament tear that limited her to 13 games.

The awards race wasn’t without controversy, Southside’s Mercedes Russell rightfully bemused at the snubbing of talls in a medal named for one of Australia’s greatest centres.

“All guards? haha say less,” dominant Russell, who averaged 15.2 points and 9.1 rebounds in leading the Flyers to a top-two finish, tweeted.

all guards? haha say lessðŸ’€ðŸ˜‚ðŸ˜‚ https://t.co/Q2W9XzT6qj
— Mercedes Russell (@MerSladezz) February 19, 2024

She backed it up, too, pouring in a 24-point, 14-rebound double-double last week in a win over fellow title fancies Townsville.

Nicholson did not leave empty-handed, taking home her second Robyn Maher Defensive Player of the Year gong (2018-19), while young Opals starlet Melbourne was the most popular among fans.

Townsville Fire mentor Shannon Seebohm joined rare air with his fourth Coach of the Year Award. Picture: Evan Morgan

Much-loved Townsville mentor Shannon Seebohm created history, joining the great Tom Maher as the only person to win the Coach of the Year four times, after he made it back-to-back. If Seebohm keeps this up, it won’t be long before the award is named for him.

Capitals forward Alex Sharp was named Betty Watson Breakout Player of the Year after she averaged a double-double (16 points, 10.9 rebounds), one of only two players with former MVP Anneli Maley to achieve those marks, while evergreen 38-year-old Leilani Mitchell’s influence off the bench for Southside (8.9 points, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals) netted her Sixth Woman of the Year.