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Kaillie Hall Spotlight

Basketball (W) Matt Johnson

Home, at last: Kaillie Hall's journey to TMU

It's Monday morning at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, and for the first time in nearly eight months, it's game week for the TMU Bold women's basketball team. 

With practice getting underway at the top of the hour, Kaillie Hall's teammates arrive one-by-one to the court. She makes time to dap up and greet each one who walks by with a, "What's up?" as they roll in, displaying the leadership qualities her head coach, Carly Clarke, commends her for. 

When you start asking Hall about the program and what it means to her — she lights up. And it's hard to blame her. Two years after making the move to Toronto, Hall is a newly minted national champion with a renewed love for basketball. 

This past March, she starred on a team that hoisted the Bronze Baby after a 70-48 victory over the Winnipeg Wesmen in the national championship game. The victory capped off an historic 20-0 season and the first national championship in program history.

"What a time," said Hall, who reflected back on the national championship game win and grabbing a hold of Rachel Farwell while jumping up and down on the sideline as the clock ticked down on history. "I can't help but smile anytime I think about last year and just that moment." 

"I remember saying to Carly, 'this was the best decision I ever made, to come here.' Hugging her and saying that — that's something I'll remember forever. That was super special to me because this program has really changed my life for the better — whether it's basketball related or not."

The decision was one made after Hall initially chose to play elsewhere. Clarke got to know the Hamilton, Ont. product through Canada Basketball and the Ontario basketball scene, then heavily recruited Hall out of high school, and admittedly nearly landed her. But ultimately the allure of the NCAA won out. Ingrained in her as a lifelong dream, she elected to go south of the border to Bowling Green State University, a Division I School in Bowling Green, Ohio, to suit up for the Falcons in 2019-20 — a year that she considers the hardest of her life.

"I was really depressed. I didn't love my life and was struggling to feel joy in a lot of things," said Hall, who admits the business-like mentality of the NCAA was difficult to adjust to. "I didn't know if I loved basketball anymore. But if I saw myself playing anywhere, it was going to be here."

Upon committing to Bowling Green, Clarke told Hall that if she ever had a change of heart, there would always be a home for her in Toronto. That offseason, Hall called Clarke and explained how she was feeling and told her that she wanted to come back to Canada.

"I had a lot of trust in her," said Hall. "She was really happy to have me back, which is something I'm super grateful for."

"She was super open about her experience and what she was going through at that time. For me, it was just about supporting her and believing that we could help her navigate that and the excitement around her ability to contribute to our team," said Clarke. "I think we're really lucky to have her."

Thirty-one months later, a lot has changed. Hall is in a different country, with a different team and is thriving. Looking back, she doesn't regret anything about her journey despite the difficulty, acknowledging what she went through has made her the person she is today — a person Clarke describes as "thoughtful, caring, hardworking, committed and dedicated."

"I look at where I am now — I have a purpose beyond basketball. I love my program. I love my friends. I love this city. Win, lose, national championship — whatever that may look like, I know when I walk into the gym, I'm going to have such great people around me to support me with whatever I'm going through," said Hall. "I love basketball again. I couldn't say that, two years ago, going to practice everyday was something I looked forward to."

dodig and hall

Hall had a lifelong family friend along for the ride in Mikaela Dodig, who is the sister of Andrea — one of Kaille's best friends and a guard for the Saskatchewan Huskies. After four seasons with the University of New Brunswick Reds, Dodig transferred to TMU with Hall. The pair became roommates in downtown Toronto and together, managed the uncertainty of a pandemic, a cancelled season and frankly, a new life in the big city.

"I think my relationship with her is one of the best things to come out of last year for me," said Hall. "Having her as a roommate, a teammate and like one of my best friends is amazing, because it's someone I've learned from and I can take lessons from, but it's also someone who I can reach out to. She's a huge part of my life for sure."

"Since living together, we just became really close. She's one of my good friends now and almost just like another sister," said Dodig, who reflected back on a 10-day isolation period this past winter when they had only each other to keep them company.

As a Masters of Science in Management student, Dodig played a big role in Hall's academic transition to TMU. At Bowling Green, Hall described herself as someone simply "going to school for basketball." She found a home in TMU's Sport Media program.

"I'm so glad I found that program. It feels like exactly where I'm meant to be. Having a hand in shaping narrative through the lens of sport is like the coolest thing ever. I want to work in basketball and I know that — it's funny, it's called Sport Media, but really to me it's basketball media," joked Hall. "I know I would love to work in basketball."

"I think Sport Media is such a great avenue — specifically basketball wise. My biggest thing is connecting culture and sport. I think Toronto is such an amazing city to do that."

For Hall, the Sport Media program has already resulted in internships with the Canadian Elite Basketball League, and roles as associate producer and production assistant with 'SWISH: Inside the WNBA' — a program hosted by women's basketball alumna Savanna Hamilton and aired on NBA TV Canada.

Perhaps a career in sport is only inevitable for someone whose life has been centred around sport for as long as she can remember. A self proclaimed "girly girl," Hall's original love was figure skating, and was someone who loved the idea of dressing up at a young age, but she craved being a part of a team, even in grade three. Hall's mom, who is described by Kaillie as someone who "could ball," helped her get her start, first for the Hamilton Wildcats, then for Transway Basketball — a program that led her to Lincoln Prep and ultimately, where she is today.

Today, she's closer to home and closer to the family she prides herself on being so close to. Her little cousins were able to be in the gym for the team's 62-47 win over the Carleton Ravens last season — a victory that punched their ticket to the Critelli Cup and Final 8. Her family knowing how happy she is now is something she admits brings them a lot of comfort.

"It's so nice to see (how happy she is now)," said Dodig. "I think she really found something that she's passionate about studying in school, then being able to fully enjoy basketball again is huge. It makes a big difference when you're surrounded by great people and are studying in a program that you enjoy and have coaches that care for you. I think that really changed her perspective about basketball because she went from not enjoying it and struggling mentally to now being in an environment that's supportive."

It's hard to not look back on last season like it was meant to be for Hall — not many players are fortunate enough to win a national championship, not to mention in their first season.

"It definitely felt like the stars aligned for so many different reasons. That one year of no sports, our team was still in-and-out of the gym. We were connecting," said Hall. "Last year was just the most magical year of basketball. Obviously everyone saw that we won OUA's and we won nationals, but I think the biggest thing in all of that was our daily process and the way we worked and competed every day."

kaillie hall national championship

Last season, Hall thrived in a supporting role with the team. She was relied upon by Clarke to provide energy and defence off the bench, while taking the right shots and staying within herself on the offensive end of the floor. She was also tasked with going up against Jama Bin-Edward, last season's U SPORTS Final 8 MVP, every day in practice. 

Bin-Edward is among the lengthy list of graduates from the 2021-22 team, paving the way for an increased role for Hall this season. 

"I'm excited for her," said Clarke. "She's one of three or four that spent the summer in the gym and put a ton of time into getting ready for this season, knowing the opportunity was going to be bigger and different for her."

"She's going to be handling the ball more. She's going to be leading more. She's basically playing an entirely different position than she did last year. I'm just excited to see her step into all of that and navigate all the ups and downs that come with a little bit more responsibility too."

On Saturday, prior to the team's home opener against the Toronto Varsity Blues, Hall and last year's national title winning team will be honoured and presented with championship rings, while U SPORTS and OUA banners will be unveiled at the MAC, while Hall and company help usher in a new era of Bold basketball.

"It's her time to shine and take over and lead this next group of girls. I'm just really excited to watch her play," said Dodig.

"I've really learned a lot throughout this process, knowing this opportunity was coming. For me, being able to do this with a really great group too — I know there's trust in me to have this role — it's important. I don't take it lightly and it's something I'm grateful for," said Hall. "I'm excited to see what this team can do."
 
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Players Mentioned

Rachel Farwell

#7 Rachel Farwell

F
6' 0"
4
Kaillie Hall

#14 Kaillie Hall

G
5' 9"
3

Players Mentioned

Rachel Farwell

#7 Rachel Farwell

6' 0"
4
F
Kaillie Hall

#14 Kaillie Hall

5' 9"
3
G