Sadie Thielen

Roots and Fire: The Rise of Sadie Thielen

From chasing cousins on the court in Jaffray, B.C., to chasing dreams at St. Mary’s, Sadie’s story is built on family, grit, and pure love of the game.

Some athletes are built in cities; others are shaped by mountains, gravel roads, and communities where everyone knows the score before the final buzzer. Sadie Thielen is the second kind. Raised in Jaffray, British Columbia, she grew up surrounded by competition — the kind that doesn’t just test you, but teaches you.

“I was always chasing someone,” she says, laughing. “Usually my older cousins.” That’s where it started — backyard courts, small-town tournaments, and the kind of battles that build speed, grit, and stubbornness. Basketball stuck early and never left. Every season — school, club, provincial — deepened her connection to the game until it eventually carried her all the way to the St. Mary’s Lightning.

Ask about memories, and she doesn’t talk about trophies or stat lines. She talks about teammates. “I’ll never forget the incredible athletes I’ve been lucky to play with,” she says. “Especially my high school team. Their love, encouragement, and support shaped me into who I am.” Competing alongside them at provincials in Langley — two years in a row — remains one of the most meaningful chapters of her story.

Her motivation, though, runs deeper than competition. It’s family. Every time Sadie steps onto the court, she’s thinking about the people who made her who she is — and the younger siblings watching from the stands. “I want to make them proud,” she says. “I want them to see that hard work and belief can make anything possible.”

That belief runs in the family. Her Auntie Jessica Thielen — a Division I standout — showed her what greatness looks like up close. “Watching her travel across the country, leading her teams, showing what’s possible — it lit a fire in me,” Sadie says. “That’s when I knew I wanted to chase basketball with everything I had.”

Off the court, Sadie is still that small-town spirit — easygoing, grounded, always up for an adventure. She finds peace where she started: in the outdoors. “I love spending time with my family, being in nature, going for drives, exploring the mountains,” she says. “That’s where I reset.”

There’s something unshakable about her — a mix of humility, toughness, and pure love for the game. Sadie Theilen doesn’t just represent her hometown; she carries it with her, every time she laces up, every time the ball hits the floor.