Always a CAPER

She gained a world of experience while starting with the Cape Breton University CAPERS women's basketball team for five seasons and now Kelsey Hodgson is off to conquer the professional basketball world.

Hodgson, the 22-year-old Fredericton native who led the nation in scoring in each of the past two seasons as the part of the CAPERS back-to-back AUS Championship squads, has signed a contract to play professionally for Torres Novas, a Division 1 club in Portugal next season.

Hodgson, who graduated from CBU in May with a Bachelor of Arts Community Studies degree, capped off her career with the CAPERS by averaging a CIS-high 22 points per game and leading the team to a second consecutive AUS championship. She became the CAPERS' all-time leading scorer in the process, was the AUS female nominee for the prestigious BLG Award, and was named this year's winner of the Myer and Jack Budovitch Award as Fredericton's athlete of the year.

With the help of her former CBU coaches Fabian MacKenzie and Doug Connors, Hodgson worked with agent Goran Gramatikov of Global Sports Plaza, an international sports scouting agency to secure the contract in Portugal.

"I didn't want to commit too early and with help I found there were more options available to me then I had been shown earlier," said Hodgson, who is a two-time recipient of the AUS Most Valuable Player Award. "There were offers from Cyprus, England and a couple from Germany, but I felt this was the best fit for me."

With the expectation that Hodgson will play well, there's the possibility that her contract could be extended, or she can move to higher-calibre leagues in Spain or Italy. Hodgson, who was named CIS All-Canadian three times in her career also hopes this European experience will put her on the radar for Team Canada.

"I'm the healthiest I have been in three years and as long as I can stay healthy I want to play," she said. "This hopefully will open more doors for me from other leagues and the national program."

While CBU will be an ocean away come fall, Hodgson won't soon forget her five record-breaking years with the CAPERS.

"Every time I hear former CAPER it's hard," said Hodgson, who admits she still works out every day in her CAPERS orange and green. "I still can't believe it's over and I won't be on the roster this year, but no matter where I go I will always be a CAPER.

"You always hear about the family atmosphere at CBU and it's true. I could never imagine being anything but a CAPER, as an athlete and a student!