The Alberta Sport Development Centre – Central is pleased to announce that the ASDC-Central Athlete of the Month for April 2023 is McKinley Penninga.

McKinley is a 17-year-old Red Deer, AB resident, a Grade 11 student at Lindsay Thurber High School and a competitive basketball athlete.

In the past year, McKinley competed for LTCHS Raiders where they recently captured the 4A Zone Championship and finished 7th at ASAA 4A Provincial Championships. McKinley was named an All-Star at the Magrath Invitational and was also named MVP at both the Ross Sheppard and Calgary Notre Dame tournaments, during the 2023 season.

McKinley also plays club basketball with the Calgary Basketball Academy’s (CBA) U18 travel team where they captured the Basketball Alberta U18 Provincials in 2022. This season, McKinley and CBA will travel to tournaments in Montreal, Toronto, and Alberta, as well as competing in the Prairie Elite Basketball League.

McKinley has recently been named to Canletes’ “Top 50 Futures” list and has been invited to play in Canletes’ 2023 All-Canadian All-Star Game in Toronto on April 8. (McKinley was unable to attend due to previous commitments.)

In the classroom, McKinley is an Honours student at Lindsay Thurber. McKinley’s goals include playing basketball at a post-secondary level in USport in Canada and pursue a degree in Kinesiology and work towards a career in health care.

Outside of school and sports, McKinley works as a part-time student medical assistant. Since 2019, McKinley has served on the Alberta Children’s Hospital’s Child and Youth Advisory Council.

With McKinley’s strong work ethic, her undeniable athletic abilities, and her training experiences with ASDC-Central, she will surely continue to grow, develop, and succeed in her life and career in basketball!

ASDC-Central thanks Tom Bast Sports for celebrating the ASDC-Central Athlete of the Month recipients by the provision of commemorative apparel for each recipient.