After whirlwind stretch from Siberia to Australia, Canada's Kayla Alexander gets back to basics

Disappointing. Normal. Hopeful. Downright scary. Kayla Alexander's last 16 months featured it all.

The Canadian basketball player was on the team that failed to advance past the group stage at the Tokyo Olympics. She then moved back to her professional club, a return to consistent, high-level basketball after the pandemic marred previous seasons.

One problem — her team was located in Russia, and Alexander was forced to return home in February after Russian troops invaded Ukraine. The whirlwind ended in Australia in September, where the Canadian women played for bronze at the World Cup, ultimately finishing fourth.

Now, finally, Alexander can breathe.

The 31-year-old from Milton, Ont., is settled into France's top league, long a hotbed for Canadian talent, where she suits up for Tango Bourges Basket. She's two years removed from the launch of her clothing business, Tall Size, which she's now looking to expand. Recently, Alexander spent a week in Toronto for a relatively low-stakes Canada Basketball training camp.

"This [was] kind of like a nice little breather to take a step away from our pro teams, come in to the Canada Basketball environment, not need a translator, getting back to the basics," Alexander said in a recent interview with CBC Sports.

WATCH | Alexander discusses basketball journey, clothing venture:

Alexander may have an increased appreciation of home and its familiarity now after her difficult exit from Russia. She fled just days before Brittney Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. 

"It's weird because I'm sure from your end of the world all you guys were seeing was the madness that was going on in the Ukraine. But in Russia, life went on as normal. You would never know that there was a war