Ukrainian basketball players find homes at Canadian college

Ukrainian nationals Kovalevska, (left) and Hozalova at the University of Lethbridge, in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Photos: Leslie Ohene-Adjei/University of Lethbridge/AP

The squeak of their shoes and the thump of the ball on the court feel blessedly normal for Vika Kovalevska and Vlada Hozalova.

Basketball provides a brief sanctuary from the ceaseless undercurrent of tension they feel about what’s happening at home in Ukraine. The game also helps ground them in their new life in southern Alberta, Canada, where they play basketball for the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.