Bridget Carleton is returning to the place where her career in basketball started.
The Canadian Olympian and WNBA veteran will be recognized by her former high school John McGregor Secondary on Friday, October 28.
She will be there when the school hangs a tribute banner in her honour at the school's Larry Lahey Athletic Centre.
"It's so special to my family and I," Carleton said in a statement. "I fell in love with basketball in the McGregor gym watching my mom coach the girl's basketball team and then eventually playing here for four years."
Carleton will be recognized for her accomplishments and her contributions to basketball in Chatham-Kent, then there will be a 7 p.m. exhibition game between the McGregor Panthers and Lambton-Kent Cardinals senior girls’ basketball teams.
The Chatham-Kent Wildcats U13 team will play an intrasquad game at halftime.
"It's an honour to be recognized and now to have a banner in a gym where I spent many hours," said Carleton. "It's a little bit of a full circle moment and it's just really, really special."
Admission is free and the first 100 families will receive a commemorative poster.
“The Chatham Kent Wildcats are extremely grateful to have Bridget Carleton as an idol to our young athletes," said Wildcats President and former coach Nicole Quigley. "She has a tremendous work ethic all while being an amazing ambassador for our young athletes and the Chatham Kent community."
