Kyei makes her debut as Canada bounces Belgium to open GloblJam

TORONTO — Phillipina Kyei has put on a Canadian shirt for numerous national team practices the past few years, but the fit never felt quite so right as it did Tuesday night.

Just a day after Kyei became a Canadian citizen, the six-foot-eight centre from Ghana made her national team debut, starting for Canada's under-23 women's team in a 65-53 victory over Belgium at the inaugural GloblJam tournament.

"Definitely (the jersey felt different)," Kyei said with a wide smile. "The only reason stopping me from making the team was my citizenship. I just got that yesterday, played a game today. So, two (pieces of) good news."

Aaliyah Edwards led Canada with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Shayeann Day-Wilson had 18 and Shaina Pellington chipped in with 13. The 18-year-old Kyei had four rebounds and an assist in her 10 minutes of action.

Edwards made her Olympic debut last summer in Tokyo, and said the U23 tournament is a terrific chance to play a leading role.

"Having the experience with the women's national team, had a lot of mentors, all my big sisters carrying me up to that level, they're now moving on with their professional careers, so for me to be able to step up is what coach has been harping on, to be a leader and guide the next generation," she said.

Kyei — which is pronounced Chay — and her family moved from Ghana to Canada about four-and-a-half years ago, settling in Calgary. She'd loved playing soccer and running as a kid, but her height caught the attention of the high school basketball coach and so she went out for her Grade 9 team.

"I didn't know anything about basketball. It started off not so great, I struggled a lot. The rules were so much for me," she said.

Former Mount Royal University coach Nathan McKibbon