Graduating Seniors Q&A: Farmer, Majeau wrapping up illustrious six-year careers
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – After coming to MacEwan as fresh-faced rookies six seasons ago, Mackenzie Farmer and Shannon Majeau are heading into their final weekend with the Griffins women's basketball team.
Staples in the lineup since 2017, the two graduating seniors will be feted in a Senior Night ceremony on Saturday. The Griffins will host the Regina Cougars on Friday and Saturday (both 6 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
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Farmer heads into the weekend third all-time in scoring in the program's history with 1,126 points and holds the record for the most points in MacEwan's Canada West era.
Majeau enters the weekend with 642 career points, the fifth-most since the Griffins joined U SPORTS in 2014, and her 415 career rebounds is second-best behind only Kayla Ivicak (700) in that time.
"Mac and Shannon are the last to graduate of my first-ever recruiting class, which is pretty crazy to think about and hard to sum up everything that they've meant to this program in the last six years," said MacEwan head coach Katherine Adams.
"The growth that they've made individually as basketball players and leaders has been tremendous. I think when you watch us play, when you're around our team and in our environment, everything that you see, feel, and hear, it stems from them."
Enjoy a Q&A with both graduating seniors below:
Mackenzie Farmer (Robert Antoniuk photo).
Mackenzie Farmer
Katherine Adams coach's quote:
"Obviously, statistically when you look at Mackenzie's numbers, it's beyond impressive. What she can do on the court as a basketball player. You notice her scoring. That stands out. The areas I'm really most proud of her for is how she's evolved as a player. She gets matched up with other teams' best players. She's become a great rebounder. That's been an area that's she's really taken some pride in developing over her time her. Yes, the scoring stands out and she has a knack for putting the ball in the hoop, which we love. But you can't look at her without looking at how well-rounded her game is and the number of areas that she really is able to contribute.
"As a basketball player, we've always known she has the talent to be a great contributor and excel at this level. One of the areas I'm most proud of her growth is in her leadership. She came in here as a 17-year-old. She didn't turn 18 until January of her first year. And the way that she has just been able to take on that leadership role, provide support and guidance, and mentor some of our younger players, it's really impressive to see that she's been able to do that while being the dominant presence on the court that she has been."
Graduating with …
Bachelor of Arts, major in Criminology and minor in Psychology
What are your future plans?
"I'm hoping to play overseas after this. I got invited to a tryout in Dallas (Texas) where you basically go try out and agents come look at you to see if you're good enough to play there. It's a cool opportunity."
Beyond basketball, do you have a career goal in mind?
"I do. It's either to be a cop or a lawyer. I really like the criminal code, so anywhere within that would be nice."
What are some of your favourite memories of your time as a Griffin?
"We were in Winnipeg and Hayley (Lalor) was trying to find the Skip (the Dishes) order and Winnipeg's Winnipeg. The gym's kind of not in the best area, so you have to go in twos. But Hayley was like 'don't worry, I'll do it' and Hayley just leaves, goes running. We all try to find Hayley and can't find her. We're like, 'we've lost Hayley and we've lost our Skip order.' Then about 10 minutes after that, Hayley comes back with the Skip order. And it's like 'where did you go?' That's probably my favourite memory because it's such a Hayley thing to do. She's just such a positive person."
Do you have any personal highlights on the court that stand out to you?
"Probably just when Madi (Chamberlin) hit the game-winning three against Calgary (on Nov. 12, 2021). It was a very major upset at the beginning of last year and it kind of set our expectations a lot higher than what we executed, unfortunately, but it felt good to beat a top team because I knew we could at the time. We have so much potential, but unfortunately we don't know how to fully follow through with it."
You reached the 1,000-point milestone and you're now third in the program history, all eras, with 1,126 points. What does it mean to you to get that many career points?
"It feels really good because we usually always talk about leaving a legacy behind and obviously it's tailored more towards the team and our values and goals. But for me, beating that goal, I actually have a legacy here that will hopefully be untouched for a while – fingers crossed, forever – but someone will pass me eventually. It's just nice that I have a record and a little piece of me is here now."
Have you talked to Kayla (Ivicak) yet after passing her record (for the most career points in the program's Canada West history)?
"I did, but I more talked to her because we used to call her grandma in her fifth year because her body was hurting. Now I'm being called grandma because unfortunately I've got a few injuries. I haven't talked to her about beating her record, but I thought it was funny."
Do you have anything else you'd like to say about your time as a Griffin?
"As someone that's not emotional (usually), I know I'm going to get super emotional, and some tears are going to fall because I feel like we've been here for so long and this is a huge part of my life. I'm happy to move forward and see what life has for me. A little piece of me is going to be sad that I'm not going to be seeing these people every day in my life."
Shannon Majeau (Robert Antoniuk photo).
Shannon Majeau
Katherine Adams coach's quote:
"Shannon has been the picture of consistency. Shannon is steady and reliable. On court and off court, she has been a leader in this program from the day she stepped foot on campus. I think it took a bit for her to grow into that role, but once she realized 'this is a place I can really excel and make a positive contribution,' she has exceled. She has a calm, quiet demeanour, but when she speaks, people listen. It's something that has been a tremendous asset to our program over the last five years. On court, the consistency that she brings as a scorer, a rebounder, and a defender. She started her career as a defender for us and has really improved her game, so that now … how many double doubles or close to double doubles has she had in her final season? We're really going to miss her."
Graduating with …
Bachelor of Science, majoring in Honours Psychology and minor in Biology
Career goal?
"Honestly, I think I will probably go the Physiotherapy route. I am still planning on doing more school eventually. Probably not next year, but eventually. I think that's my long-term goal."
Plans to keep playing basketball?
"We'll see. I'm open to the possibility, but I'm OK with it if this is where my career has taken me."
What are your favourite memories of your time as a Griffin?
"For me, it's all the times with my teammates – travelling and just getting to know people. I just have a lot of good memories of just the friends I've made along the way – lifelong friends that I'll have for a long time."
Are there any personal highlights that stand out to you?
"I think the highlight for me was last year when we beat U of A in their gym – that's a big one for me. I can't think of a personal moment, but I can think of lots of team moments. Beating U of A was a big one and last year, beating Calgary was also a big one for us."
You've been a unique situation where you got to have a six-year career (because of a lost season due to the pandemic). What has your growth been like over that time?
"I've definitely found my voice. I'm a lot more confident. I was pretty quiet the first couple of years, and I don't think people knew me that well, even within the team. So, I think I've just gotten a lot of confidence from it and confidence that I can take beyond sport into my personal life as well. Even if I don't know what I'm doing (in the future), I have confidence that I'll at least figure it out and that I have the people skills to get me where I want to go."
What do you think is the legacy that you're leaving to this program? How will you be remembered?
"I hope I'm remembered for my leadership. I hope I've set a good example for what a team captain is and what a senior player is – leading by example, uplifting the younger ones. I hope that's the standard I've set for future Griffins captains or leaders on the women's basketball team. And just how important the connection on the team is. No one's above the team. The team is the most important."
Anything else you'd like to say about your time as a Griffin?
"I'm just incredibly proud and very grateful for the opportunity I've had. Not many other people were looking at me when I graduated high school. I'm very grateful to Katherine for the opportunity. I'm very proud. I'm a very proud (alumna)."
