Hoops newcomer arrives after silver-medal summer with Team Canada
4 – minute read
Before arriving in Fort Myers this summer for practice with Florida Gulf Coast University’s basketball team, freshman Ari Turla was offered the chance to compete for Team Canada at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup, a biennial tournament held by the Americas continental federation.
The Scarborough, Ontario, native leapt at the opportunity to play for her national team and came back with a silver medal from the June event in Irapuato, Mexico. She played alongside several of her high school and club teammates who now compete for Stanford University and Rice University as well as others from powerhouse schools.
“My favorite part was definitely being surrounded by people with like-minded goals,” Turla said. “Obviously, you’re with these people for a short amount of time. It’s not like your high school team or like your university team. So we were put together really fast, but I’m really grateful and lucky to be a part of something greater than basketball representing our country together.”
Team Canada cruised through the group stage. They dominated Puerto Rico 104-40, outpaced the Dominican Republic 96-46, and reached the century mark again against Venezuela in a 104-60 win. Canada made it past Argentina 64-52 in the semifinals before falling to Team USA 90-72 in the final.
“Playing with them honestly felt natural,” said Turla, who’s majoring in biology. “They’re really humble players looking to make other people better. So even though they’re going to Power Four schools, they were really good teammates. You could tell that they really wanted to uplift the team — they’re natural leaders on the court.”
After going through summer workouts with FGCU, she noticed the similarities between the level of intensity and strategy the national team practices brought to her first practices in Fort Myers.
“I think (FGCU and Team Canada’s) practices are really similar, with the coaches expecting you to know what you’re supposed to do in practice,” Turla said. “You should be able to be accountable for yourself. You don’t have to expect Coach Raina (Harmon) to tell you what to do all the time. It should be on you to already know what’s expected of you.
“And then the little details, like getting to your spots fast, that was really emphasized in Team Canada. The culture in Team Canada is remembering it’s bigger than basketball — representing your country — and showing that on and off the court.”
The joy from winning a silver medal with Team Canada and seeing the similarities in structure has only made her more ready for her first season of college basketball to start.
“I’m so excited because FGCU being the winningest Division I program on the women’s side is super incredible, and I want to be a part of the legacy that they’re building here,” Turla said. “And also being a part of Eagle Nation, the family that they already have — I feel like they’ve built something incredible already. I’m really honored to be a part of that.”
The Eagles open the season with a trip to Indiana University on Nov. 3. The game marks FGCU’s first regular season road trip to a Big Ten opponent since 2016, when the women played at Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Their first home game this season is Nov. 7 against Arkansas State. Season tickets and mini plans are on sale now online. Single-game tickets go on sale later.