By: Wilson Wong - Manager, Communications and Sports Information (wilson_wong_5@sfu.ca)
BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser women's basketball program has strengthened an already excellent recruiting class with the signing of two players, Natalie Charity and Bree Neufeld, for the upcoming 2023-24 NCAA season.
"We are excited to add two players who will nicely help grow our culture," said
Bruce Langford, head coach of the Red Leafs. "They are both hard competitors on the court, studious in the classroom, and character people who everyone connected to them speaks very highly of."
Bree Neufeld
Hometown: Abbotsford, B.C.
High School: Mennonite Educational Institute
Height: 5-8
Position: Guard, small forward
Club: BC United
Neufeld is a 5-8 guard and small forward who competed for Abbotsford's Mennonite Educational Institute. She was selected a Second Team All-Star at the 2023 BC Triple-A Girls Basketball Provincial Championship in Langley after leading the Eagles to a sixth-place finish. In her Grade 11 year, Neufeld helped MEI place second at the provincial tournament.
"I chose SFU because it has one of the best academic records in Canada," remarked Neufeld. "As well, the women's basketball team plays at the highest level in the country, and I felt a great connection with the players, who have been very inviting."
Neufeld averaged 21 points, nine rebounds and three steals per game last season for MEI. She was a tournament all-star at three events, and also captained her BC United club team.
"Bree has shown excellent growth in her game over the last couple of years, and was instrumental in MEI making the BCs this year. She was selected to the BC high school girls All-Star game," said Langford.
"Beyond school, Bree has spent endless hours with a couple of BC coaching legends to enhance her game. In club ball, she played for BC United under Richie Chambers, who glows about her work ethic, her competitiveness and her intensity. The work that she has put in with added training with Neil Brown has helped her shooting, ball-handling and fitness. We are excited to add her to our team and watch her continue to grow."
Natalie Charity
Hometown: Exeter, England
High School: Nottingham Academy
Height: 5-6
Position: Point guard
Club: Nottingham Wildcats
Charity is a 5-foot-6 point guard who will make the move from England to Canada.
"I'm an aspiring med student who also had huge dreams about playing college basketball, so when I discovered SFU, it seemed like the perfect place in order for me to achieve both my athletic and academic goals," she said.
"Although I wasn't able to visit SFU in person, coming from England, I knew the school was going to be a great fit for me after my first conversation with Coach Langford. He shares the same values I do, the players immediately welcomed me into the Red Leafs family and I loved the style of play. Not only this, but SFU also offered a great academic program of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, which ticked the academic boxes too. It seemed like the obvious decision when I committed to SFU."
Charity played for the Nottingham Academy Wildcats of the Women's Elite Academy Basketball League, where she competed against athletes her own age. This season, she posted very impressive statistics, including 20 points and a league-leading 8.2 assists per game. Charity also recorded an average of 8.7 rebounds and 3.2 steals per appearance for a total efficiency of 22.2. She led her Nottingham team to the WEABL championship the last two years. Charity made the Northern Conference First Team, and won WEABL Player of the Week honours twice this season.
"Natalie is an athletic, high IQ floor general who has the ability to run an offence by making those around her better," described Langford. "She's a very good student with a 4.0 grade point average, who will handle the difficult challenge that SFU brings to all new students. With an outstanding medical board exam she was accepted to five British medical schools out of high school but is coming to Canada to play NCAA first."
Charity earned an SFU International Excellence Academic Scholarship, and has also been recognized with the Eileen Underdown Award for Most Outstanding Student in high school.
She will also have a busy summer as a starter with the British Under-18 National Team. Charity has been the point guard for each British age group national squad since the under-14 team.
"She also competes in the Women's British Basketball League (WBBL), where she plays a different role as one of the youngest players on the team," said Langford. "There, she defends well and helps make each star on the team get the ball in places for them to excel."
Charity and Neufeld join Natalie Curley (Mission, B.C.), Haley de Walle (Calgary), Rachel Loukes (Prince George, B.C.), Rilyn Quirke (Gresham, Oregon), and Kaitlyn Tetteh-Wayoe (Edmonton) as new recruits who will begin their university careers with Canada's NCAA team in the fall of 2023.
For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit
athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.
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