VICTORIA – Securing a place in the Basketball BC Hall of Fame is a prestigious accomplishment, but to do it twice in a single evening is a truly rare achievement.  

A CIS All-Canadian, championship MVP and former national team player, on September 7, University of Victoria women's basketball coach Carrie Watts will become a two-time Basketball BC Hall-of-Famer. Watts will enter the Hall of Fame as a member of the 2003-04 University of British Columbia's women's basketball team as well as individually for her athletic accomplishments.

"It's a tremendous honour to be recognized by Basketball BC and to have my name included alongside such an outstanding list of basketball players in B.C. To be inducted at the same time as my 2003-04 team makes it even more special, as that year had such an impact on the opportunities I had to continue playing basketball with Team Canada," says Watts.

In 2004, Watts was instrumental in leading the University of British Columbia to their first national championship since 1974, earning National Championship MVP in the process. The same year, she was also named CIS All-Canadian, CIS and Canada West Defensive Player of the Year and Basketball BC University Female Athlete of the Year, in addition to taking home the Marilyn Pomfret Trophy for UBC's Female Athlete of the Year and the Thunderbird Performance Leadership Award.

"I feel so fortunate to have played with great teammates both at UBC and with the national team who opened my eyes to what it takes to compete at the highest level and made those experiences so fun and memorable. I have been lucky to have been coached by so many quality coaches, from high school and provincial team, through to university and the national team whose passion and knowledge of the game were paramount to my development as a player."

Following graduation, Watts represented Canada on the senior women's national team for three years and represented Canada at the Pan American Games. She returned to UBC in 2007 to become the full-time assistant coach before accepting the head coaching role at UVic in 2021.

Watts joins former UVic men's basketball star Eric Hinrichsen as a 2023 Basketball BC Hall of Fame class member.