Desiree Isaac-Pictou admits she’s still learning the sport of Wheelchair Basketball, but fresh off last month’s development camp, and with the Women’s National Championship Festival upcoming, Isaac-Pictou is excited to showcase her skills.
“I’m excited to compete there,” Isaac-Pictou said. “It’s going to be an intense competition, for sure. But I’m excited to get the experience of my first real tournament.”
Isaac-Pictou was one of 11 athletes who participated in the women’s development camp in Toronto in March—an opportunity for the 22-year-old to work on her skills and get advice from members of the Women’s National Team.
“I think one of my highlights would be scrimmaging with the senior athletes and having them give their input and advice to me,” she said. “I value their opinions a lot, so it was nice to hear what they suggested I do to improve my skills.”
The camp also allowed Isaac-Pictou to rub shoulders with fellow New Brunswick native Danielle DuPlessis. The pair grew up four hours from one another and have met just once previously, but Isaac-Pictou counts DuPlessis as one of her idols in the sport.
“It was super cool to be on the court with Danielle,” she said. “I’ve only met her one time previously, the first time I ever sat in a basketball wheelchair, so it was nice to be on the court and to scrimmage with her because I’ve never got the chance to do that yet, despite us both being from New Brunswick,” Isaac-Pictou said. “I think she’s a mentor. She’s an idol to me. I look up to her as a New Brunswick athlete in general.”
Wheelchair Basketball was introduced to Isaac-Pictou following an August 2020 accident.
She was watching a mud bog race— a form of off-road motorsport—near her home in Eel River Bar First Nation, N.B., when one of the vehicles derailed from the track and struck her resulting in multiple fractures and two leg amputations.
As part of her rehabilitation, Isaac-Pictou’s recreational therapist introduced her to Sally Hutt, the Executive Director at Parasport New Brunswick. The latter opened her eyes to the world of adaptive sports.
Though she played stand-up basketball, Isaac-Pictou said she noticed significant differences in Wheelchair Basketball.
“It surprised me how different it is despite it being super similar. Wheelchair Basketball is almost a more team-orientated sport than able-bodied basketball,” she said.
Off the court, Isaac-Pictou is in her final semester at the University of New Brunswick, where she is a Business Administration major.
“I’ve taken a lot of courses concentrating on human resources,” she explained, “but honestly, I’ve also taken a lot of marketing as well. I think I want to pursue a career in marketing or communications in the future.”