EmpowHER: Where It Started, Where It’s Going

It is early January 2026 in Prince George, B.C. The long, deep-freeze cold snap has finally loosened its grip, yet the minus-three air still carries a familiar bite. Snowplows and road crews work around the clock, clearing another heavy dump of snow, and life in the city settles into a routine that defines this time of year.

For UNBC Timberwolves first-year guards Lorenn Caceres and Summer Toor, the weather is nothing out of the ordinary. What is different today is where their days now begin and end. No longer are they wandering the halls of College Heights Secondary, easing back into high school routines after the holiday break. Instead, 2026 finds them firmly embedded in university life — early practices, late nights, and a schedule that rarely slows.

Since December 28, the two local products have been back in the gym, sometimes twice a day, locked in on finishing their rookie seasons with UNBC on a strong note. The transition has been swift, demanding, and yet also rewarding.



When Caceres and Toor take the court again next for game action, it will be on Thursday, January 15, against the division-leading UBC Thunderbirds. The night carries added meaning, as the matchup doubles as UNBC’s EmpowHER game — an evening dedicated to celebrating women and girls in sport.

Funds raised from EmpowHER Night stay rooted in the community, with proceeds directed to the Prince George Minor Basketball Association. The support helps remove financial barriers for local families, ensuring more girls have the opportunity to step onto the court. Together the Timberwolves and PGMBA are working together to invest in access, inclusion, and supporting the next wave of girls in sport.

Now in its second year, the initiative resonates deeply with both players. Once young girls with big dreams in local gyms, they now wear Green and Gold for their hometown university, living out the next chapter of those dreams through hard work, perseverance, and the unwavering support of the Prince George basketball community.

Discovering the Game

For Caceres, sport first found its footing on the outdoor pitches and indoor turf of Prince George. The younger of two daughters, she grew up chasing a soccer ball, but by the time she reached Grade 2, the indoor game had lost its shine. Frustration crept in, and Caceres began looking for something different.

That search led her away from soccer and toward the game that had long belonged to her mother.

The decision may have come as a surprise — and perhaps a brief disappointment — to her soccer-loving father, Ciro. Any lingering sadness, however, quickly gave way to excitement when Caceres discovered basketball, the sport her mother Kerry had once played at CNC. Kerry enrolled her youngest daughter in the Prince George Minor Basketball Association, setting in motion a journey that would soon accelerate.

Less than a year later, Caceres found herself at her first Jr. Timberwolves camp — a third grader stepping onto the court alongside players several years older. Her older sister Ilan, then in Grade 6, was there too. The gap in age and experience was evident. The challenge was real.

Still, Caceres found an early supporter outside of her household.

UNBC Timberwolves Women’s Basketball head coach Sergey Shchepotkin took notice of the young guard who refused to be overwhelmed by older competition. That early impression stuck, and Caceres soon became a familiar face at Jr. Timberwolves camps in the years that followed.

“It was hard at first,” Caceres recalled, seated on a couch inside the UNBC Timberwolves office. “Everyone was older than me. Everyone was better. And nobody wanted to be my partner because I was younger. But then when I went back to PGMBA in the fall and played against my own age, I had really improved.”

The progress was tangible — and motivating.

“So that motivated me to keep going and to keep practicing,” she continued. “I joined Jr. Timberwolves again, and that’s where my love for basketball truly started.”

Summer Toor’s introduction to basketball came later than most — not because of a lack of opportunity, and certainly not because of a lack of ability. Growing up in Prince George, Toor excelled wherever competition presented itself: Hockey, track and field, or flag football. By her own admission, she could have continued down any of those paths and found success.

Basketball, though, had a familiar pull.

As with Caceres, it was the influence of a mother that ultimately guided Toor toward the game. Her mother Arminder was a standout player at CNC and one of the province’s top scorers during her time. So when Toor showed interest in basketball in Grade 7, it didn’t take long for the sport to move from an option to the focus.

“Right away I was good. I was a shooter right away,” Toor said, her confidence and clarity evident even from a chair inside the UNBC Athletics office.

Her rise was rapid — made even more impressive by the obstacles along the way. The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out Toor’s entire Grade 8 season. But when high school basketball returned the following year, her talent was impossible to ignore.

“I made the senior team at College Heights in Grade 9,” Toor explained. “So I had to get serious about basketball right away.”

The jump to older competition could have been daunting, but Toor wasn’t alone. Sharing the backcourt was another under-aged call-up — the quick, relentless Lorenn Caceres. A third under-ager was the agile, cerebral Kayleigh Kennedy. This trio would grow into something familiar, and eventually, something special.



Playing for the North and Staying in the North

It’s February 29, 2024 — Round 1 of the AAA Girls Provincials — and Grade 11 guard Summer Toor is in the middle of the game of her life (for now anyway). The shots keep falling. Seven three-pointers. Twenty-three points. A most importantly, a statement win for College Heights over Clayton Heights of Surrey.

It doesn’t go unnoticed.

UNBC head coach Sergey Shchepotkin is watching, of course. So are opposing benches, recruiters, and players from the Lower Mainland and all throughout B.C.

“There were other schools down there that probably thought, ‘Who are they?’” Toor recalled, smiling. For her, games against southern opponents always carried an extra edge.

Lorenn Caceres remembers that feeling well.

“I knew it was going to be more difficult provincially because of where we were located,” she said. “But we were willing to put that work in. It motivated me to push harder — especially growing up here. I wanted to give back to my school and my community and make some good things happen.”

Alongside fellow first-year Timberwolf and College Heights teammate Kayleigh Kennedy, Toor and Caceres continued to build high school careers that left a mark — all while growing increasingly familiar with their hometown university program. Both guards were quick to name UNBC’s Alina Shakirova as their favourite player to watch. Now, they find themselves working alongside her daily, with Shakirova serving as an assistant coach with the Timberwolves.

As the years passed and thoughts of post-secondary basketball became real, one truth never wavered: if there was a first choice, it was UNBC. Playing for the Timberwolves, in front of their home community, was always the goal.

Toor made it official first, committing to UNBC in December of 2024 with one more provincial run still ahead of her at College Heights.

Three months later, in March of 2025, Caceres followed — along with Kennedy — marking the first time in program history that three local players from the same school committed together to wear Green and Gold.



A Season Filled With Lessons

Year 1 in Canada West was never going to be easy – especially for the 2025-26 Timberwolves who are at the beginning of a youth movement. Of the 12 current players on UNBC’s roster, seven are in their first year or two of eligibility.

Sure there have been a few lop-sided results, but the progress shown by Sergey Shchepotkin’s team is undeniable. A road victory against UFV on November 21, coupled with some close showings against Victoria and Trinity Western have the young Timberwolves feeling motivated and confident that better days are ahead.

“The close games we’ve played have shown us that we can beat these teams,” Caceres said. “But it also means we have to work even harder to get better. We just have to put that work in at practice and keep showing up every day. We see the effort that Sergey and our coaches are putting in, and we want to do it for them as well.”

For Caceres, the introduction to Canada West came early — and emphatically. Facing the nationally ranked Alberta Pandas at home provided her “welcome to Canada West” moment, a first-hand look at just how relentless the competition would be on a nightly basis.



Toor’s breakthrough arrived a few weeks later, on November 28 at home against Victoria. The first-year guard knocked down five three-pointers, finishing with 15 points in a performance that felt like a turning point. It came after a simple, confidence-boosting pre-game conversation with head coach Sergey Shchepotkin.

“He just told me, ‘Just shoot. Don’t worry about anything else — do what you can do,’” Toor said with a confident smirk. “It was a great game.”



The bigger picture, she says, extends well beyond her rookie season.

“We’re young, and everything is building toward Year 2 and beyond,” Toor added. “For me in Year 1, I just want to get used to everything and learn what to expect. That’s only going to make me train harder for the years to come. We’re keeping our heads high, and we’re ready to finish this final month strong.”

EmpowHERing the Next Wave of Girls

Emily King wears many hats within the Prince George Minor Basketball Association. She helps coach, serves on the executive committee, and has been a vocal supporter of the EmpowHER campaign since its launch last year. Above all, she is one of the community’s most consistent advocates for girls in sport.