HSB26: NCAA-bound basketball player Evelyn Tounkara makes the most of family’s athleticism

By Fionn McGuire

The basketball bloodlines and connections run deep in Ottawa, so Fabienne Blizzard had an inkling pretty early on that one of her latest products from Capital Courts Academy could carry star potential.

Blizzard first met future NCAA basketball player Evelyn Tounkara when she was in sixth grade through her dad, who doubled as Tounkara’s coach at the time.

Blizzard already knew all about Ibrahim Tounkara of course. She’d played and then coached the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women’s basketball while he played for the Gee-Gees men’s basketball team, although it was on the gridiron that Ibrahim really made his mark, becoming a first-team All-Canadian football player, followed a seven-year CFL career and a Grey Cup win with Calgary.

It was clear to Blizzard that the next generation in the Tounkara family was quite promising as well. Evelyn’s older brothers Justin and Ty are University of Ottawa students and compete in basketball and sprinting, while it took her only one look at Evelyn to see her talents were evident.

“She was super athletic,” recounts Blizzard, “and I think it’s because the family is very athletic. You could see it in their genes.”

On top of the Tounkara athletic genes came tall genes. While Tounkara spent six years training and playing with Capital Courts, she grew to six-feet – sizeable for a shooting guard, which was the position she was set on pursuing.

“Because she’s a taller player, a lot of people would assume that you would put her in the paint,” notes Blizzard. “But she was so determined to be a guard and I said, ‘OK, but your ball handling has to get better.’ So she improved her ball handling.

“OK, now we have to be able to shoot at a higher clip, so you have to be able to catch and shoot, pull up, and attack the rim. So, she worked on all of that with pressure.”

Tounkara also gained an appreciation for many of the sport’s finer details while with CCA.

She became a player coaches admire for her intelligent movement away from the ball and her precision attacks, while her reach and length provides a nice boost to her defensive abilities.

“I didn’t have to be the tallest anymore (as a guard), so that’s where my ball handling, my mid-range, my threes and basically all my skills had to get improved,” Tounkara recounts. “I’ve always done extra work at home to make sure I have those guard position type of skills, so just being able to do that in Grade 11 really helped me in Grade 12 to be a full wing player.”

Tounkara enjoyed an unforgettable Grade 11 year when she helped CCA to its first-ever unbeaten season and an Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association championship.

Read More: Capital Courts Academy takes down nemesis Crestwood in Ontario finals, completes first perfect OSBA season

Tounkara’s Grade 12 year was another good one. Her team went 11-3 and reached the quarter-finals, and she stepped to the forefront to earn an OSBA second-team all-star selection, an appearance in The All Canadian Games (for Canada’s top high school players), plus basketball player of the year honours from the Ottawa Sports Awards.

Blizzard was proud to see Tounkara grow through the years as a leader and player, nicknaming her “Kumbaya Kid” for her positive mindset.

“I kind of placed my leadership in a box during that (championship) season because I had a lot of leaders ahead of me that were seniors,” Tounkara recalls. “So just being able to reopen that box and be a leader for this last season was really amazing to just guide my younger teammates on what the culture at Capital Courts is like.”

After graduating from Cairine Wilson Secondary School in the spring, Tounkara has now taken her talents to the Golden State, where she’s set to commence her rookie season with the Saint Mary’s College of California Gaels.

“I’ve always wanted to live in California,” Tounkara smiles. “It’s my dream situation going in as a freshman because I know I’m ready for the level that is the West Coast Conference and I’m going to be able to (make an) impact right away.”

Blizzard believes Tounkara could indeed turn heads at Saint Mary’s right off the bat.

“Her IQ is next-level,” highlights the 2025 Ottawa Sports Awards coach of the year. “I think she’s going to surprise them with how much she knows and how much she can do already coming out of high school.”

Tounkara is eager for the heightened test college ball will provide. Her Gaels went 13-17 last season and were ranked 183rd nationally among the NCAA’s 363 teams.

“I’m looking forward to building those new connections with my coaches and the players while also challenging myself mentally and physically, whether that be off the court doing my schoolwork and then physically playing against girls in their mid-20s,” says Tounkara, underlining that she’s very keen to continue “working super hard in the classroom.”

That’s a big part of the philosophy instilled by CCA as well as her family, who have somehow even managed to infiltrate housework as a key part of what it takes to be successful in basketball.

“The skills that you develop off the court – such as cleaning your room, doing extra chores for your parents and completing homework – that directly infers to your skills on the court,” Tounkara outlines. “Whether it’s listening to your coaches, taking instructions, and being able to be a good person while being an athlete, just trust the process and work hard at everything you do.”

Read More of our 2026 High School Best Series as we tip our caps to top local student-athletes at: OttawaSportsPages.ca/Ottawa-High-School-Best-2026

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