REDS Add Talented Trio
(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS women’s basketball team is adding a trio of talented athletes to their recruiting class of 2024.
Guard Ava-Marie Britton, of Calgary, shooting guard and small forward Axelle Gargya, of Cap-Rouge, Quebec, and guard Payton Oschypko, of Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, have all signed U SPORTS Letters of Intent and will join the REDS ahead of the 2024-2025 Atlantic University Sport season.
“This group brings a ton of talent and experience to our team,” said REDS’ head coach Erin McAleenan. “I’m really excited to see the impact we know they can make.”
Britton, 5’9”, recently completed her Grade 12 year at Calgary’s St. Mary’s Hight School, part of the Calgary Basketball Academy.
“I’m very excited to be part of a competitive program that I know will help me to develop as a basketball player and person,” said Britton. “I’ll bring physicality, intensity, and hard work as an athlete and I’ll bring leadership and sportsmanship as a teammate.”
“Ava is a really gritty player whose work ethic will make a huge impact for us in our daily training environment,” said Coach McAleenan. “She’s a strong and physical guard who sees the floor well and can create for herself and her teammates. We’re excited to have Ava joining our program.”
The 17-year-old Britton was named MVP of the junior girls’ team at St. Mary’s during her Grade 10 year and MVP of the senior team in her Grade 11 year.
She’s helped the Eagles to numerous tournament titles, earning a handful of individual honours in the process, and was chosen as her school’s representative in the Calgary High School Selects game.
She’s also a veteran member of the Mount Royal University Jr. Cougars program.
“A short-term goal of mine would be to help the team win games and be the best I can be,” she said. “A long-term goal is to win a championship with the REDS.”
Britton will study Criminology while attending UNB.
The 20-year-old Gargya joins the REDS following two seasons at CEGEP F-X Garneau, in Quebec City.
Gargya was Garneau’s top scorer and a league all-star in 2023-24.
“Axelle’s length on the perimeter will have a positive impact at both ends of the floor,” said McAleenan. “Her experience coming from CEGEP will be a great asset for us in a rebuilding season with a big recruiting class. Axelle fit in with our culture right away during her recruiting trip and we are thrilled that she chose to become a RED.”
Before attending Garneau, Gargya attended Quebec City’s Seminaire Saint-Francois.
“My strengths are my offensive reads and I know how to make my defender pay,” said Gargya. “I shoot the ball well and have a strong finish around the basket. My height and arm length are an advantage on defence. I’ll bring good energy and I’ll have my teammates’ back in practice, in games and outside the court.”
Gargya says her goals, in the short-term, are to adapt to play at the university level quickly and learn from the REDS’ seniors. Long-term, she wants to bring a national championship to UNB.
“I love the energy and chemistry within the team,” she said. “Their closeness with the community was something I was looking for when choosing my next chapter.”
Gargya will study Psychology while attending UNB.
Oschypko graduated from Upper Tantallon’s Bay View High School where she was a standout on the Sharks’ basketball and soccer teams.
She was Bay View’s girls’ basketball rookie of the year in 2022 and MVP in 2023 and 2024. She was a Halifax city league all-star all three years.
Standing 5’8”, the 17-year-old Oschypko is also a veteran member of the Thunder Selects Elite program, playing with the club’s U16 and U17 sides.
“Payton is a hard-working and determined young woman,” said McAleenan. “She can be disruptive defensively and is committed to strong team defense. At the offensive end, she does a good job pushing the ball in transition and will knock it down from the three. We look forward to having Payton join our program.”
“Joining the REDS was an easy decision,” said Oschypko. “What UNB provides for student-athletes is like no other place. On my visit, the team and coaches were very welcoming, and I know I’ll be able to develop as a person and player with what they’ll provide me.”
She describes herself as a quick guard who can distribute well and push the pace in transition. She also says she takes pride in being an aggressive and vocal defender.
“My short-term goal is to make an impact on the team while excelling academically,” she said. “My long-term goal would be to win an AUS championship with the REDS.”
Oschypko will study Business while attending UNB.
The REDS open their 2024-25 AUS schedule Friday, November 1st, at Cape Breton.
STORY BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS: Submitted