By Davie Wong

The Douglas College Royals are proud to announce the commitments of Naomi Vinluan and Zainab Khan to the 2017-2018 women’s basketball program.

Naomi Vinluan

5’2” Point Guard

SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) Transfer

Holy Cross Regional High School (Surrey, BC)

Joining the Royals to strengthen the Guard positions will be Naomi Vinluan. An All-Star coming out of high school, she was highly sought after by multiple post-secondary institutions. Naomi chose to sign with SAIT for her first year of post-secondary basketball.

Being a student athlete in a completely new city and environment is never easy. After a year at SAIT, and a third place provincial finish, Vinluan returned home to Surrey, BC, where she would make the decision to transfer to Douglas College.

A big part of that decision was aided by the fact that the Royals head coach, Steve Beauchamp, was Naomi’s coach in high school, where she found so much success. The second year point guard will bring a lot to the team in the backcourt, as the Royals no longer have playmaker Adelia Paul to set the pace. Here’s what Naomi had to say about joining the Royals: “I am so excited to join the Douglas Royals and reunite with my former high school coach, while having the opportunity to play with one of the best CCAA Women’s basketball teams in Canada”.

Zainab Khan

5’6” Shooting Guard

Blue Stars Basketball Club

Panorama Ridge Secondary School (Surrey, BC)

In addition to Naomi, the Royals also manage to sign multiple MVP and All-Star winner Zainab Khan to bolster the team at the shooting guard position. Able to rotate in between guard positions and be a threat from virtually anywhere on the court, Khan will add a lot of versatility to the Royal backcourt as well as depth on the roster and bench.

Coming to the Royals out of the highly regarded Blue Stars Basketball Club means that Khan will be raring and ready for PACWEST action when the season comes around. A key part of her team in high school, the Royals will be looking for her to bring a similar kind of energy to the team.

“I am honoured to be joining, and to be a part of, such a well-developed program like the Royals” – Zainab Khan