This past summer, Villanova sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe represented Team Canada on the international stage for the fourth year in a row. Bascoe competed in the FIBA U19 World Cup, hosted in Brno, Czechia, alongside both Canadian high school players and fellow NCAA players.
Team Canada finished just short of the podium in fourth place, suffering losses to Australia and Spain. The two defeats followed a lengthy streak of wins over Portugal, Nigeria, China, Korea and Japan.
Bascoe expressed the pride she feels in being able to represent her home country, both on the international stage and in the NCAA.
“Showing that Canadian basketball players can play in the NCAA and represent the rest of Canada is something that definitely drives me,” Bascoe said. “I want to continue to represent my country, even in a Villanova jersey. Knowing that there are people back home that support me while I’m at Villanova is something that pushes me every day.”
The Canadian U19 Team’s journey began at a training camp in Toronto, just a month before FIBA competition. The group spent five days training in Canada before going overseas, where they traveled to Portugal for a week of scrimmages. Following the scrimmages, they flew to Czechia to begin the FIBA World Cup.
Throughout the tournament, the Milton, Ontario native averaged 13.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. Throughout Bascoe’s four years on Team Canada, she has averaged 10.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
With a year of NCAA basketball experience under her belt, Bascoe found herself in a leadership role on the team and served as a mentor for some of the younger Team Canada players.
“I think it was really big for me to be a leader on this team to a lot of girls who have or haven’t played in the NCAA yet,” Bascoe said.
The Villanova guard is familiar with playing against opponents of all ages due to her four years spent on Team Canada. This year, several of her teammates were still at a high school level, while others, such as Syla Swords from the University of Michigan, currently compete in the NCAA.
“Talking to Syla, I can be tough on her because she also spent the year in the NCAA,” Bascoe said. “But then there are some girls that still have two more years of high school.”
This season, all eyes will be on Bascoe following her outstanding freshman year performance. Last season, she averaged 16.2 ppg, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. Bascoe also received First Team All-Big East honors and a spot on the Big East all-Freshman Team. She also became the second-ever Wildcat to earn all-Big East honors as a freshman, next to Maddy Siegrist (2019-23).
Bascoe feels as though her leadership experience with Team Canada this summer has prepared her well for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
“I think it’s going to prepare me a lot just because our team is so new this year,” Bascoe said. “We can all work together, and I can help lead us through that.”
Villanova women’s basketball’s 2025-2026 season will begin at home on Oct. 24, with an exhibition scrimmage against Towson University. Additionally, the team will travel to Bascoe’s home country of Canada on Nov. 9, where they will face Virginia Commonwealth University.
Now that the roster is set in place for this coming season, Bascoe is more than ready to take her place as a leader on the team. With just about two more months remaining before her sophomore year campaign, fans spanning from the Main Line to Milton Ontario, excitedly wait for Bascoe’s return to Villanova basketball.
