Halli Poock, Caroline Waite, Lasha Petree and Gabi Haack.
What do all those players have in common? They’ve all averaged 10 or more points per game in their freshman year at Bradley. And this season, we can add another name to that list.
In the Braves’ first regular season game against NAIA outfit Judson, a couple of new names graced the court in the starting lineup. One of those players was freshman guard Maya Foz, a native of Ontario, Canada, who had already earned multiple accolades with her previous teams.
In an era of women’s basketball when starting as a freshman is as difficult as ever, she cherishes the opportunity while remaining humble.
“When I found out I would be in the starting lineup, I was grateful more than anything,” Foz said. “I didn’t really let myself get too emotional, I just felt ready. All that work gave me confidence, but at the end of the day, it’s not about starting. It’s about doing my job and helping my team win. We’re a deep team with a lot of talent, so being able to play my role and contribute means a lot.”
Ball in the family
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Foz grew up with basketball in her blood. She says she looks up to many people in her family, especially her father, Farid, who has coached and been there for many of Maya’s best moments.
“I first started playing when I was seven,” Foz said. “[The point] I might’ve realized that I wanted to play this sport for a living was when I got to middle school. Being a coach’s daughter, I learned how to play the right way from a young age.”
Her uncles and community members may have also inspired Foz, but another important figure on her path to the NCAA was her older sister, Keana. She is currently a sophomore at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York, where she also plays college basketball.
In their younger years, they were exposed to basketball a lot, not only by their family, but also by two people who helped them realize they wanted to be on the court every single day in their adult life.
“We looked up to each other since we are only 18 months apart, which made us very close,” Foz said. “My sister and I had two babysitters who brought us to basketball constantly. They are really the reason we started playing basketball. They both played high-level basketball, one of them attended Central Michigan University. My sister and I are so grateful those sitters were put in our lives and we couldn’t thank them enough.”
Before she was recruited to Bradley, Foz was at one of the best high school programs in Canada: Fort Erie International Academy. Under head coach Handle Kipp, she played alongside athletes destined for the Canadian national team, learning more about her game day in and day out.
“I loved playing at Fort Erie because Coach Kipp and the culture at FEIA truly prepared me for this level,” Foz said. “We were taught to work, compete, use our voices and to never back down. Between those four lines, we all kind of delusionally believed we were already pros and that was our mindset. Playing alongside high-level players pushed me to elevate my game and understand my role, and it made me tougher, more confident and more competitive.”
Foz also honed her skills in AAU tournaments, which earned the attention of multiple college programs, including Wagner, Illinois State, George Mason and Marshall, along with interest from Power Four schools.
Despite these offers, she was technically quite underrecruited for a player of her caliber, but that doesn’t bother her at all.
“I was definitely under-recruited, but I’m not mad about it. Everything happens for a reason,” Foz said. “During my final AAU season, I didn’t play at all in the first U17 session and it was frustrating. We had a new coach who didn’t really know me and didn’t see me as one of the top players. But I chose to support my teammates and stay ready. My parents always told me that God will put you in the right situation.”
It turned out the right situation was in front of her the whole time. Before the second session, a couple of players on her team got called up to Team Canada. This meant Foz finally got her opportunity to play, and she “didn’t look back.”
Many tough games stood in her way at that point, but Foz was putting in the work, both offensively and defensively, against multiple ESPN-ranked players, putting on a show in whatever city she was playing in. Eventually, she caught the attention of Bradley head coach Kate Popovec-Goss.
A Brave journey
Coach Pop was watching an AAU tournament in Indiana, one Maya just happened to be playing in. After seeing a couple of sessions, she knew it was time to pull the trigger.
“When I had the opportunity to go see her, a couple of her teammates were playing with the Canadian national team,” Popovec-Goss said. “She was always a really good player, but I got to see her kind of in a different capacity. I thought that she was just incredibly talented and really, really versatile. And the biggest thing I noticed about her was that she was a winner.”
With quite a few options on the table, Maya chose Bradley. After meeting Coach Pop, it almost became a no-brainer.
“If [Coach] hadn’t been there, I honestly don’t know where I’d be right now,” Foz said. “She offered me after that session, and I just knew. Coach Pop is really honest and transparent; I respect that in a coach, and that’s what made Bradley feel right.”
When Foz arrived in Peoria, she was ready to do whatever it took to help the Braves. She immediately started training, and it quickly caught the coaching staff’s eye.
“I just think Maya is ridiculously competitive,” Popovec-Goss said. “Her and Mya Wardle really, really competed in the preseason. It was fun to see, because I think if you entered our practices, you would’ve thought that she and Mya did not like each other because of how competitive they were. And when you’re a coach, you love to see that, because the second they leave the court, they would be shooting after practice together and they would be walking around campus together.”
Since then, Foz has become a consistent starter, averaging 14.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from three. She was awarded her seventh MVC Freshman of the Week award of the season and has scored as many as 30 points in one game.
With only seven games left in the regular season, the Braves are 16-8 with a 9-4 record in the Valley. With many young talents like Foz herself, Wardle and Ellie McDermid, the future is looking bright for Bradley women’s basketball.
“I’m really excited; I love being a Brave,” Foz said. “The season is flying by, so I’m just trying to enjoy every moment, the practices, the individual workouts, the games, all of it. Our veterans have taught us so much, and I truly believe we’re building something special. The future of Bradley is bright, and I’m grateful to be part of a program with such a strong legacy; we want to add to that.”
In the best season since Coach Pop took the reins, she loves how much Maya has done for the team in her short time on the roster and believes she will continue to have a big impact.
“I think that this year, the sky has been the limit for our team,” Popovec-Goss said. “Maya’s been a big piece of that. We’re third in the league, we’ve done a lot of really incredible things here that haven’t been done in a long time and I think what makes our system so great is that we teach and we preach true team basketball, which is a big reason Maya came here.”
Giving back to basketball
Foz also loves paying it forward to the next generation of women’s basketball players. She is currently the vice president of a nonprofit called Point Goddess, which her sister, Keana, runs. The organization has hosted a ton of events, from “hosting WNBA legend Cynthia Cooper for impactful conversations” to “bringing together trailblazing women for an annual Women’s Celebrity Game.”
“Point Goddess creates a safe, uplifting space where girls can connect, grow, and fall in love with the game while building confidence and leadership beyond basketball,” Foz said. “Through initiatives like our global ‘Watch Me Luto’ campaign and an upcoming service trip to the Philippines, we aim to combine sport, culture and education to give back on a worldwide scale. Ultimately, our vision is to build a dedicated PG facility and continue expanding opportunities for girls everywhere.”
With all the work Maya has done, she has become a role model for young girls around the world, representing both Canada and her Filipino heritage. Although she believes the term “role model” may be too much.
“I don’t really think of myself as a role model,” Foz said. “I just want to leave the game better than I found it. My goal is to be the best version of myself, unapologetically me and hopefully that inspires young girls to be themselves too.”
“I was inspired by my older sister, my uncles, and my community through their actions,” Foz continued. “Now I’m just trying to do the same. It means a lot to represent girls who look like me. I represent Canada, but I also proudly represent the Philippines. If young girls see me and believe they can do it too, that’s more than enough for me.”
