Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

I thought I would provide a brief re-cap of the fall season, but first, congratulations to Robyn Pearson, who was named the Queen’s Athlete of the Week last week for her record-breaking performance (rebounding) in our win against Algoma.  She has cracked the OUA All-time Top 10 list for rebounding and has her sights on climbing the list in the second semester.

We are 6-0 in league play with wins:

at York, 85-54

at Guelph, 63-47

vs. Laurier, 84-78

vs. Waterloo, 93-63

at Lakehead, 68-61

vs. Algoma, 73-33

The U-Sports (formerly CIS) keeps track of team (and individual) statistics across the 47 teams in the country, rating 23 different categories related to on-court performance.  Here’s a quick run-down of some of the highlights:

We are currently ranked #1 in the country in 5 of the 23 categories:

·         Points per game (77.7)

·         Field Goals made per game (28.8)

·         Field Goals attempted per game (72.2)

·         Offensive Rebounds per game (20.5)

·         Blocks per game (5.2)

Other categories where we are in the Top 10 in the country:

·         Field Goal % (9^th)

·         3 Point Field Goal % (9^th)

·         Free Throws made per game (10^th)

·         Free Throws attempted per game (8^th)

·         Total Rebound per game (3^rd)

·         Rebound margin per game (4^th)

·         Steals per game (10^th)

·         Personal fouls per game (9^th)(least)

·         Points allowed per game (7^th)

·         Opponent’s Field Goal % (2^nd)(least)

·         Opponent’s 3 Point Field Goal % (10^th)(least)

Our biggest area requiring improvement is the turnover category.  We rank 23^rd in the country with a whopping 18.8 turnovers per game.  While this is somewhat a product of the fast-paced game we play, it is still an area that needs to be improved significantly as we move into the second semester……..a semester that will feature some much tougher games.

Up Next on the Road:

Thunder Selects Tournament (at St. Mary’s University) – Halifax, NS

Wednesday, December 28 vs. St. Mary’s  6pm (local time)

Thursday, December 29 vs. Acadia  7pm

Friday, December 30 vs. Dalhousie  2pm

As this will be my last Newsletter prior to the holiday break, on behalf of our entire team, I would like to wish you and your family a very safe and enjoyable holiday season.

All the best.

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

For our Canadian readers, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend (our American readers can look forward to Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks).

I am very pleased to announce that Emily Hazlett has been awarded the Catherine Gertrude (Milliken) Smith Scholarship for this season.  Established in March 2007 by Sherwood H. Smith, Jr. of Raleigh, North Carolina, in memory of his mother Catherine Gertrude (Milliken) Smith, B.A. 1924, who, while attending Queen's, played for and managed the varsity women's basketball team. Awarded to recognize academic achievement and athletic excellence to a student-athlete who is on the competition roster of the Gaels interuniversity women's basketball team.  Emily, a fifth year Kinesiology student,  is the current Captain of the Gaels and starting point guard, having received recognition as an Academic All-Canadian last season.

We will be hosting our annual ID/Training Camp in early December (Sunday the 4^th) once again this year.  It will involve on-court sessions with the Q’s coaching staff from 9:30-11:45am and again 1:30-3:30pm, along with a facility tour and Q&A session in between.  It is intended to student athletes in Grades 10-12 who may have an interest in Queen’s down the road.  There is no cost for the Training Camp, but please drop me an email if you would like to attend, so I can prepare for the numbers.

Our Tindall Tournament/Homecoming/Alumni Weekend/Reception & Silent Auction are on tap for this weekend, beginning with our game on Friday at 6pm against Acadia University.  This will be followed by a reception with hot & cold hors d’oeuvres and cash bar at the Confederation Place Hotel on Ontario St. in downtown Kingston (approximately 8:00pm).

Important Information about the weekend:

Please register on-line for the event so we can plan for numbers (and you can receive a discount on game tickets):  https://advevents.queensu.ca/cgi/page.cgi?_id=3&action=viewdetail&event_id=2052

Alumni vs. Alumni game is open to ALL Alumni

We will be recognizing team members from 2000-01 to 2004-05 at the Reception Friday evening.  Jen Oliver (nee Bittner) has a Facebook page set up regarding the event. Please check it out at:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/queenswbballalumni/

All family and friends of Queen’s basketball are welcome and encouraged to attend the reception

$10 ticket for the Reception includes a drink ticket and appetizers (along with the opportunity to bid on the Silent Auction items).

A tournament pass can be purchased for the weekend for $20 - ONLY on our web site (instead of $10 per day at the door)

If anyone would like to donate something to our Silent Auction Table, please contact me directly.  Donations gratefully accepted as this is our major fundraising effort of the year.

Up Next at Home: Tindall Tournament

Friday, October 14

6:00pm Queen’s vs. Acadia  - Main Gym

8:00pm Alumni Reception/Silent Auction – Confederation Place Hotel (Ontario St.)

Saturday, October 15

12:00n Alumni vs. Alumni game/contests – Upper Gym (ARC)

6:00pm Queen’s vs. Alberta – Main Gym

Sunday, October 16

2:00pm Queen’s vs. Laval

Up Next on the Road: Carleton Tournament (Ottawa)

Friday, October 21 vs.  Thompson Rivers  6pm

Saturday, October 22 vs. Concordia  4pm

Sunday, October 23 vs. Carleton  2pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

Welcome to summer!

I have some incredible news to share:

Megan Saftich, Emily Hazlett, Sarah Saftich, Abby Dixon, Kat Holt, Marianne Alarie, Nicole Morse, Robyn Pearson & Jenny Wright all achieved the Academic All-Canadian standard (over 80% average).  Outstanding!

I am pleased to announce that Adriana Conti will be joining our basketball family.  A tough 5-9” combo-guard, Adriana is a former teammate of Myriam Fontaine at La Citadelle HS and on the Ottawa JUEL team.

We hosted the JUnior ELite (JUEL) championships in the middle of May.  Congratulations to Hamilton Transway as they beat the defending champions, Tri-County Thunder in a very exciting final.  Robyn Pearson was the keynote speaker at the JUEL Banquet delivering a very informative and impassioned speech which was very well received by the over 600 young female basketball players in attendance.   In conjunction with the JUEL Championships, we also hosted the OUA All-Star Game, featuring 3 Queen’s players: Jenny Wright, Robyn Pearson & Myriam Fontaine.

Our Elite Training & Scrimmage Camp is well underway, having sold out many weeks prior to its start.  It is a very skilled group that promises to provide exciting basketball in Kingston for years to come.  Up next are our ½ Basketball/ ½ Volleyball Camps starting up in early & mid-July for girls & boys entering Gr.2-5.  (The first week is already sold out). Registration for our end of summer Basketball Camp andBasketball Academy have already exceeded last year’s registrations and are nearing capacity.
Check out the camp details at:  http://rec.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2016/2/23/SummerCamp2016.aspx

Our basketball schedule is very near complete and is posted on our web site:www.queensbasketball.net
In addition to hosting the Tindall Tournament (with Alberta, Laval & Acadia), we will be travelling toCarleton’s Tournament, and to the Thunder Select Tournament in Halifax (Dec. 28-30).  We also have individual exhibition play scheduled at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) and Ottawa U (to be played at Ashbury College in Ottawa).  We have also added a late summer home game againstAbilene Christian University, a Division I school out of Texas on Tuesday, August 9^th at 7:00pm.

In conjunction with our Tindall Tournament (October 14-16) we will be hosting our annual Alumni Game, along with a Reception and Silent Auction.  While the Alumni Game is open to all alumni, we will be honouring the team members from the 2000-01 to 2004-05 teams, with keynote speakerJen Oliver (nee Bittner).  A tentative run-down of the weekend is as follows:
 

Friday, October 14
6:00pm Queen’s vs. Acadia
8:00pm Reception & Silent Auction – University Club

Saturday, October 15
12:00n Alumni Game
6:00pm Queen’s vs. Alberta
7:30pm Social activity tbd

Sunday, October 16
2:00pm Queen’s vs. Laval

Please click on the following to join a Facebook group created by Jen Oliver: https://www.facebook.com/groups/queenswbballalumni/

Enjoy!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

A quick update as we are working our way through a very busy Spring.

We just finished eight 2-hour practise sessions over the last four days with Canada’s Olympic Coaches, Allison and Mike McNeill.  The sessions were outstanding and will help set the course and tone for our team moving forward.  In addition to their extensive knowledge, Coaches Allison & Mike are excellent teachers and motivators.  Between our on-court practise sessions, Bob, James and I had the opportunity to sit and chat hoops for 3 hours each day with the McNeills  -- fantastic learning opportunity.

Out of the pan and into the fire – we are preparing to host the OUA All-Star Game this weekend in conjunction with the JUEL and JUEL-Prep Championships.   Jenny Wright, Robyn Pearson and Myriam Fontaine will be featured in the All-Star game set for Saturday, May 14 at 7:30pm in the Main Gym of the ARC.  Admission is free.  Last year the gym was packed for the game, creating a great atmosphere!

The JUEL Championships get underway on Friday (May 13) with games starting at 10am.  The banquet will be held Friday evening, with Robyn Pearson as a Keynote Speaker, before games resume on Saturday at 9am.  The Championship final is scheduled for Sunday at 2:30pm.  JUEL charges $6 per day or a $10 weekend pass.

Our basketball camp season is set to get underway later this month with the Elite Training & Scrimmage Camp first out of the blocks on May 26^th.  The very popular camp registered full prior to hitting May, with our other camps following in a similar vain.  In July we have two sessions of our Half Basketball/Half Volleyball Camps (girls & boys entering Grs. 2-5) and in August we have our Basketball Camp (Grs. 2-5) and Basketball Academy (Grs. 6-8).  September 10 marks our Jr. Girls Team Camp.  For details on all of our camps, please visit:  http://rec.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2016/2/23/SummerCamp2016.aspx

Updates on some exciting developments with the Alumni Weekend (October 14-16) will come in the next Newsletter.

That’s it for now.  Enjoy the rest of Spring!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

Time for a mid-Spring update. 

As mentioned in my previous newsletter, we are very excited to be having Veronika Lavergne  join us for next season.  Here is the link to her press release:

http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2016/4/7/basketball-w-6-4-post-lavergne-commits-to-gaels-basketball.aspx

We are busy preparing to host the JUEL & JUEL-Prep Championships on the May 13-15 weekend where 52 games will be played over the 3 days.  The JUnior ELite of Ontario is comprised of 14 teams (Gr. 11 & 12s) from across the province, with the same number of teams for the Prep division (Gr.9 & 10s).  We are still in need of scorers, timers or shot clock operators if anyone is interested in helping out – the calibre of basketball will by very high.

The OUA All-Star game is being played in conjunction with the JUEL Championships again this year.  The game will feature 3 Queen’s players:  Jenny Wright, Robyn Pearson and Myriam Fontaine and will be played on the Main court at Queen’s, with a 7:30pm tip off on Saturday, May 14.  Admission is free!

The Alumni Weekend is shaping up nicely – October 14-16 (also the University’s Homecoming Weekend).  We will be hosting our Alumni Game on the Saturday, followed by our Reception & Silent Auction, honouring team members from the 2000-01 to 2004-05 teams.  The Tindall tournament will feature teams that were all in the Top 10 this past season: Alberta, Laval, Acadia and, of course, Queen’s!

Lastly, the first of our Basketball Camps gets underway in late May – the Elite Training & Scrimmage Camp for female players entering Gr. 9 and those entering Grs. 10-12 (two divisions).  Both camps are near full.  Girls and Boys entering Grs.2-5 are well serviced with our Half Basketball/Half Volleyball Camps in July (2 camps) and our Basketball Camp in mid-August.  The Basketball Academy (girls & boys divisions) follows the Basketball Camp in August.  Lastly, our Jr. Girls Team Camp is slated for the 10^th of September (coaches can contact me directly about the Team camp).  Please see the Sport Specific Camps section:

http://rec.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2016/2/23/SummerCamp2016.aspx

That’s it for now.

Cheers,

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

Spring has sprung (and sputtered again) in this neck of the woods, with lots of things on which to report. 

Thanks to the generosity of Robyn Pearson’s parents, our team was treated to another Toronto Raptor game (against Charlotte) at the Air Canada centre.  The team enjoyed the comfort (and luxury) of a Corporate Suite, with full food and beverage service, as the Raptors pulled out a late win over the Hornets.

Speaking of Robyn Pearson, I am very pleased to report that the graduating Commerce student has signed on to return to Queen’s for next season.  The OUA 1^st team All-Star and Canada’s leading rebounder did not want to pass up the opportunity to return for her fifth and final season and would like to take a few extra courses to further her gifted talents in the videography world.  She returns with high expectations and goals: to help lead our team to the National title!

Our athletic banquet (Colour Awards) was held last Wednesday with a very nice dinner affair.  Our team awards were handed out, including: Myriam Fontaine was named Rookie of the Year after her season which saw tremendous growth from the fall through the winter season.  Emily Hazlett received the Coach’s Award for her all around leadership and play.  She was really the spark plug to our team, both offensively and defensively.  Jenny Wright captured the MVP award for her stellar play and leadership.  The 4-time All-Star finished her career as the 2^nd all-time leading scorer in Queen’s history.

As I alluded to in my last newsletter, we were in the midst of something big, very big, that we needed to get some paperwork completed, before going public.  The paperwork is now in order and I am thrilled to announce that Veronika Lavergne will be joining our team starting with the 2016-17 season.  You may recall, Vee, a 6’4” post player, was a highly sought after recruit out of St. Peter’s High School in Orleans, graduating in 2015.  She was part of our pre-season ID/training camp the summer prior to her graduation (along with current players, Kat Holt & Myriam Fontaine), but was lured away by a Division I scholarship to the States.  After experiencing some good success as a rookie, Vee found the camaraderie she experienced at Queen’s was significant enough to reconsider her university choice --  a decision we were more than happy to accommodate!  A press release will be issued in the coming weeks – stay tuned to www.queensbasketball.net for the release.

That’s it for now, but there are lots of things in the works.  I’ll be back in touch in the not-too-distant future.

All the best.

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

I thought I would send out a Newsletter as a number of things are on the horizon and a quick look back at the season.

Highlights of the 2015-16 season

August

* Trip to Barcelona, Spain in August – played 2 games against professional teams – spent 9 days touring the city

September

*Weekend Team Retreat at a cottage in the Thousand Islands – great team building

October

*Won the Tindall Tournament beating Carleton, Memorial and UQAM

November

*Went 6-1 in League Play

December

*Held a team training camp with Canadian Olympic Coaches, Allison & Mike McNeill

February

*Raised almost $6,000 for Breast Cancer Research (Shoot for the Cure game)

*Participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto – beating Windsor 60-41

OUA All-Stars Announced

I am very pleased to announce that Jenny Wright and Robyn Pearson were selected as 1^st Team OUA All-Stars, and that Myriam Fontaine was selected to the OUA All-Rookie Team.  This is Jenny’s third consecutive selection to the 1^st Team All-Stars, after being select to the All-Rookie team in her first year.  Robyn finished the season leading the country in rebounding.  Myriam’s game grew dramatically over the course of the year, increasing her minutes from 7/game in the fall to over 15/game in the second half of the season.

Speaking of All-Stars, Queen’s standout, Gemma Bullard (2013-14 OUA All-Star), will be making her return to the team for the 2016-17 season.  Having successfully navigated surgery on her wrist this past season, she is already working hard in the weight room and anxious to get back on the court.  Her talent and maturity will have an instant positive impact on the team.

Stayed tuned for another exciting player announcement coming shortly.  Just need to get the (i)s dotted and the (t)s crossed.

Spring/Summer Camps

We will be offering our usual array of basketball camps again this summer as follows:

Elite Training & Scrimmage (for girls entering Gr. 9, 10, 11, 12 in September)

May 26 – July 28 (Thursday evenings from 7 – 9pm)

½ Basketball ½ Volleyball Camp (for girls & boys entering Gr. 2, 3, 4, 5)

July 4 – 8 (Week 1) (8:30-4:30 daily)

July 18 – 22 (Week 2) (8:30-4:30 daily)

Basketball Camp (for girls & boys entering Gr. 2, 3, 4, 5)

August 15 – 19 (8:30-4:30 daily)

Basketball Academy (for girls & boys {separate} entering Gr. 6, 7, 8)

August 22-26 (8:30-4:30 daily)

For details on these camps and how to register, please visit:

http://rec.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2016/2/23/SummerCamp2016.aspx

We will also be holding our Junior Girls Team Camp on Saturday, September 10^th.  Interested teams should contact me directly.

Cheers,

Dave.

Women's Basketball Update

Hi Folks,

Happy New Year!

It’s been a long haul since our last game, so the players are very anxious to get the games this weekend in Toronto.  We did, however, have an excellent training camp with Olympic Coaches, Allison & Mike McNeill.  In addition to being brilliant coaches, they are also excellent teachers and our players (and coaches) were thrilled to have the learning opportunity.

With the NBA All Star weekend about a month away, tickets for our game against Windsor will go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday) at NBAtickets.com at 10:00am.  They have not released to us the ticket prices (sorry about that).  Please see our SID release for as much detail as has been provided to us by the NBA:

http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2016/1/11/WBB_0111160923.aspx?path=wbball

Our 2016 Alumni weekend dates have been announced:  October 14-16, 2016.  For the first time in a number of years, this date coincides with the University’s Homecoming Weekend, meaning this will be a very exciting a busy time.  We will be hosting our Tindall Tournament on the weekend, along with our Alumni game, and our Reception & Silent Auction.  This year we will be honouring our team members from the 2000-01 to 2004-05 teams.  Of course, Alumni from all years are invited to attend.

With the Harlem Globetrotters coming to town again, our local (CKWS) television broadcaster, Bill Welychka, has enlisted the help of our players in preparing him to play against the Globetrotters.  There will be some live filming going on next Monday, along with some interviews with our players and Globetrotter, Zeus.  It should be a lot of fun for the players.

Third year forward, Andrea Priamo, has taken the lead again this year in our Shoot for the Cure, Breast Cancer awareness game scheduled for Saturday, February 6 at 6pm against Lakehead University.  Andrea, along with 5 other team members will be cutting their hair following our game to donate for the purpose of making wigs for cancer patients.  If you would like to make a donation please click on the following link:  http://tinyurl.com/ShootforaCureQueens

And finally, Queen’s is once again the proud host of the JUEL & JUEL Prep League Championships, this year scheduled for the May 13-15, 2016 weekend.  The premiere girls basketball event in the country, 28 teams from across the province will be on-site for the 3-day event.  If anyone would like to volunteer for the weekend (scorers/timers/shot clock operators, event supervisors, etc.) please let me know – and event this size is not possible without the great support we have had from the community over the past two years.

Up Next on the Road:

Friday, January 15 @ U of Toronto  6pm

Saturday, January 16 @ Ryerson  6pm

Saturday, January 23 @ York  1pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

I thought I would send out a newsletter even though we have not played since the last issue.

After sitting in the 11^th spot in the National poll since it was first published in November, last week’s edition moved us into the Top 10 (albeit at the 10^th spot).  Here’s a re-cap of our fall league schedule:

W Q’s 64 – York 47

W Q’s 61 – Laurentian 51

W Q’s 71 – Nipissing 42

W Q’s 60 – McMaster 53

L Q’s 50 – Brock 69

W Q’s 64 – Laurier 61

W Q’s 84 – Waterloo 69

With that, we sit atop of the Eastern Division with a 6 – 1 record.  Ryerson has a game in hand, with a 5 – 1 record, followed by Toronto, 2 – 4 and York, 2 – 5.  The top 3 teams in each Division make the playoffs.

As mentioned in the previous newsletter, the NBA All-Star game is being hosted by the city of Toronto in February and our basketball team has been invited to be part of the weekend festivities.  We have moved our home league game with Windsor on Saturday, February 13^th to the Enercare Centre in Toronto, the venue for the NBA All-Star Fanfest.  Game time will be 4:00pm.  Please see the Q’s press release for further information:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/12/3/WBB_1203152546.aspx

We are still investigated the possibility of getting block tickets set aside and will update you when the information becomes available.

In other exciting news, our former Physical Education Centre (PEC), which was our home before building the Queen’s Centre which houses the Athletic & Recreation Centre (ARC), is getting a complete over haul.  As you may know, we opened and refurbished portions of the PEC a few years ago, mainly the 3 gymnasiums.  This has provided us with a total of 6 basketball courts between the ARC & the PEC.  The next phase of refurbishment (actually gut-job) will be on the lower level, where a new High Performance Training Facility will be built, including state of the art strength & conditioning equipment, aerobic, anaerobic and functional testing facilities, and many more aspects designed to train, test and educate our high performance athletes.

I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of our entire basketball family, to wish you and your family a very safe and enjoyable holiday season!

Cheers,

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

It has been a very busy end to our summer, hence this update is long overdue.

We assembled our team in mid-August for 4 days of training before hopping on a plane to Barcelona, Spain.  We had an outstanding trip, practicing most days and playing a couple of games against two different professional teams from the Spanish league.  We split the two games, finding both games tough and competitive.  Our hotel was in the heart of Barcelona, so we could walk everywhere.  We also added in some guided tours that were spectacular.  Robyn Pearson captured much of the trip in a short video she put together.  It can be viewed on our facebook page and at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPiILSErZLA&feature=youtu.be

We have added another exhibition game to our schedule.  Tuesday, October 13 at 6pm, Windsor will drop by for a game.  It should be a good one.  Our last encounter in Windsor ended up with an 81-89 loss. (Check our website:  www.queensbasketball.net for our schedule)

We have a very exciting press conference scheduled for this Thursday (Sept. 17) at 11:00am in the Alumni Lounge.  We will be introducing the newest extremely high level recruit for the 2016-17 season.  More details to follow.

Our Alumni Weekend, held in conjunction with the Tindall Tournament is all set for the October 16-18 weekend.  A reception and silent auction will be held in the Alumni Lounge following our 6:00pm game on Saturday (vs. Memorial)  where we will be honouring team members from the 1995-96 to 1999-2000 teams.  Wendy Moon and Jacqueline Butler (nee Beaudoin) will be on hand to speak on behalf of those teams.  All friends of Queen’s basketball can register for the event (and receive a discount on game tickets) at:  http://gogaelsgo.com/sports/2011/8/19/WBB_0819114220.aspx?path=wbball

Our annual Alumni vs. Alumni game will take place on Saturday at 1pm featuring players from all years.

You can also check out our facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Queens-University-Womens-Basketball/410735072319684?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal

I am very pleased to announce, Jenny Wright (5^th year nursing student) becomes the first two-time recipient of the prestigious Catherine Gertrude (Milliken) Smith Memorial Award.

Established in March 2007 by Sherwood H. Smith, Jr. of Raleigh, North Carolina, in memory of his mother Catherine Gertrude (Milliken) Smith, B.A. 1924, who, while attending Queen's, played for and managed the varsity women's basketball team.  It is awarded to recognize academic achievement and athletic excellence to student-athletes on the competition roster of the Gaels interuniversity women's basketball team.

Lastly, our Athletic Department welcomed our newest addition, Sean Scott in mid-summer.  Sean fills the newly created position of Director of High Performance Sport, where he will focus on making our varsity teams compete for Provincial and National titles.  He comes to Queen’s from the Canadian “Own the Podium” government group, where he worked with Canadian athletes and teams to secure medals at the Olympics and World Championships.  This is just the latest in our push to become the best Athletics Program in Canada.

That’s it for now, but more to come shortly.

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

Time for a mid-summer update – let’s start with a quiz.  What do the following 10 players have in common?

Marianne Alarie

Liz Boag

Gemma Bullard

Abby Dixon

Emily Hazlett

Nicole Morse

Robyn Pearson

Andrea Priamo

Sarah Saftich

Jenny Wright

Answer – see bottom of this note.

Our summer basketball camps have gone very well.  All but our earliest camp have been sold out.  We have two camps left in August --- the Basketball Camp (Gr.2-5) is sold out, and we have just opened another section in the Basketball Academy (Gr. 6-8) running August 17-21 to accommodate the growing waiting list.

Our league schedule is up on our website (www.queensbasketball.net) and will have our exhibition schedule up as soon as possible.  To date, this is what our exhibition schedule looks like:

Thursday, August 27 10:30am (local time) @ Lima Horta (Spanish Pro Team champions) Barcelona

Friday, August 28 10:15am (local time) @ Sant Adriá (Spanish Pro Team) Barcelona

Monday, September 21 @ St. Lawrence College (Kingston) 6pm

Friday, October 2 @ Concordia University (Montreal) 8pm (following a men’s game)

Tindall Tournament

Friday, October 16 vs. UQAM 6pm

Saturday, October 17 vs. Memorial U. 6pm

Sunday, October 18 vs. Carleton U. 2pm

Thursday, October 22 @ Brock U. (St. Catharines) 6pm (time to be confirmed)

Friday, October 23 @ McMaster U. (Hamilton) 1pm

Saturday, October 24 @ Guelph U. (Guelph) 6pm

Saturday, January 9 vs. McGill 2pm (to be confirmed)

Also in conjunction with the Tindall Tournament will be our Alumni vs. Alumni game at 1:00pm on Saturday, October 17.  A reception and silent auction will be held in the ARC following our 6:00pm game where we will be honouring team members from the 1995-96 to 1999-2000 teams.  Wendy Moon will be on hand to speak on behalf of those teams.  All friends of Queen’s basketball can register for the event (and receive a discount on game tickets) at:  http://gogaelsgo.com/sports/2011/8/19/WBB_0819114220.aspx?path=wbball

You can also check out our facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Queens-University-Womens-Basketball/410735072319684?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal

Training Camp and our trip to Spain is less than a month away.  Players have been working hard on their strength and conditioning programs, as well as on court basketball skills.  We will be ready to compete in Spain.  We also have a number of tours planned in the region – I’m sure there will be plenty of photos posted on facebook in time.

Hope you are enjoying your summer.

All the best.

Dave.

	All 10 were recognized as Academic All-Canadians (over 80% average)

 

Answer:

This is an amazing accomplishment for any varsity athlete, but especially with the long basketball season ….. and to have 10 in one year is unprecedented!  No question our team environment has helped the student-athletes, who support each other both on and off the court.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

A few things to catch you up on………

Our Colour Awards (Athletic Banquet) was held in late March, revealing some extraordinary accomplishments and accolades, namely:

1.       Our team awards were presented to:

a.       Marianne Alarie as the Rookie of the Year

b.      Gemma Bullard and Jenny Wright as co-recipients of the Coach’s Award

c.       Liz Boag as the team’s Most Valuable Player

2.       Kathryn Telford, our lead Student Trainer won the Hal Dunlop trophy as the university’s top student trainer.  Kat has been an integral part of our team for the past two seasons, and will be moving on to Chiropractic College this fall.

3.       Liz Boag received the PHE 55 Award as the Top Female Athlete in the University.  Liz is one of only a handful of athletes to capture the Alfie Pierce Award (as the Top Rookie) in her first year and then be awarded the PHE 55 in her fifth year.  Outstanding!

Two days after Colour Awards, our team headed to Toronto to catch the Raptors-Lakers game at the Air Canada Centre.  Courtesy of Robyn Pearson’s parents, the team was treated to a Skybox experience for the second year in a row (complete with food and beverages), and were invited down to floor level for the Raptors warm up.  Raptors commentator, Jack Armstrong, was kind enough to come over and chat with the players.

Our trip to Barcelona, Spain, scheduled for late August is starting to take shape. Still a number of tweaks to be made, but hopefully I can share the itinerary in the next newsletter.

Our Alumni Game and Reception (complete with Silent Auction) has been established for the fall, again in conjunction with our Tindall Tournament.  October 16-18 are the dates, with the Alumni Game to take place on Saturday, October 17, 2015.  We will be honouring team members from the 1995-96 to 1999-2000 teams.  Please put these dates on your calendar and I will follow up with more information in a later Newsletter.

We are gearing up to host the JUEL and JUEL-Prep Championships on May 8-10.  In addition, we are also hosting the OUA All-Star game as a feature on the Saturday evening (7pm tip time).  The All Star game will include Jenny Wright and Liz Boag.  Over the course of the weekend, we will have up to 5 gyms running at time – a huge undertaking.  Anyone wishing to help out would be welcomed with open arms – just drop me a note.

Lastly, we are heading into Summer Camp Season with our Thursday nights, Elite Training and Scrimmage the first to hit the floor, beginning May 28^th.  For a list of all our camps, please check out:  http://rec.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2015/2/18/CAMPS-KIDS_0218153233.aspx# (under Sport Specific Camps).

That’s it for now.

All the best.

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

As we are preparing for our first exhibition game next week, I thought I would bring you up-to-speed on a few details.

Liz Boag presents a gift to Queen’s Grad, Ontario Premier, Kathleen Wynne:

Photo of Wynne & Boag 

TORONTO (August 13, 2014) – Gaels women's basketball guard Liz Boag (Kingston, Ont.) got the chance to meet with and congratulate former Gael and now Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne Artsci'77, on her majority government win.

"Premier Wynne was very personable and down to earth," said Boag after meeting Ontario's newest Premier. "It was great to hear about her student experience and what it was like at Queen's along with her involvement as a member of the track team."

Boag was joined by Taylor Jennings, president of the Queen's student alumni association, as the two Queen's students congratulated Premier Wynne along with Kingston and the Islands MPP Sophie Kiwala with track jackets.

Wynne was a member of the varsity track team during her time at Queen's including being a co-captain.

My day with the Toronto Raptors' coaching staff and players:

On Monday, September 15^th I had the opportunity to meet and discuss strategies with Toronto Raptor Head Coach, Dwane Casey, and his staff.  After a morning pre-practise meeting, the coaches and players took to the court for a 2 hour practise.  Coach Casey and I spent an hour talking strategy at the end of practise and followed that with another 4 hour session with the entire coaching staff.  Assistant coach, Tom Sterner was kind enough to spend another hour with me to further go over some strategies and tactics.  It was an incredible learning experience for me, and I can’t say enough about how accommodating, friendly and professional the entire group of coaches and players were.

Basketball Alumni Weekend (and Tindall Tournament) Update:

October 3-5 marks the Basketball Alumni weekend, held in conjunction with the Tindall Tournament.  We will be honouring team members from the 1990-91 to 1994-95 teams at a Reception and Silent Auction on Saturday afternoon.

Friday, October 3

6:00pm Queen’s vs. Acadia  (ARC Main Gym)

Saturday, October 4

11:00am Alumni vs. Alumni game (Bartlett Gym)*

2:00pm Queen’s vs. Laval (ARC Main Gym)*

4:30pm Reception & Silent Auction (Clark Hall)*

*note time change

Sunday, October 5

2:00pm Queen’s vs. Thompson Rivers

We have a special deal for the weekend by registering for the event - $20 will cover: 

·         Admission to all games (a $27 value)

·         Admission to Reception ($10 value)

·         Opportunity to bid on Silent Auction Items

·         Complimentary beverage ticket (for the reception)

·         Complimentary hors d’oeuvres at the reception

Please register at:

https://advevents.queensu.ca/cgi/page.cgi?event_id=1569&_id=3&action=viewdetail

Up Next on the Road:

Thursday, September 25 @ St. Lawrence College  6pm

Up Next at Home:

Tindall Tournament – October 3-5

Have a great week.

Dave.

P.S. Big news on the recruiting front coming soon!

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

Time for a mid-summer update:

Players, including our incoming rookies, have been working hard over the Spring & Summer in preparation for the upcoming season.  I am very pleased to report that significant progress is being made in our strength, conditioning, and on-court skills.  Also, with regard to our rookies, please see the press release on our website at: www.queensbasketball.net

We have added a home exhibition game to our schedule:

Saturday, November 1 @ 6:00pm vs. Ottawa U.

Our complete schedule is now up on our website.

As you may know, we hosted the JUEL & JUEL-Prep Championships this past May.  I am very pleased to report that, after submitting our proposal to host again, it has been chosen (over bids from London & Windsor) and we will be hosting the Championships again in May (8,9,10) 2015 and May 2016.   We are very excited to have the majority of this country’s best young basketball players playing in our gyms each Spring.  Of course, this means we will be looking for volunteers to help with this large event – just planting the seed early!  J

Planning is also well underway for our International Experience (planned for every 3^rd year), looking into flights and accommodations in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain.  We are targeting late August, early September of 2015 as the travel times, planning on practicing and playing some exhibition games against some Spanish teams. I’ll keep you posted.  Our last International Experience was in Puerto Rico in 2012.

The Tindall Tournament/Basketball Alumni Weekend schedule is set:

Friday, October 3, 2014

6:00pm Q’s vs. Acadia (Main Gym)

Saturday, October 4, 2014

1:00pm Alumni vs. Alumni Game (Bartlett Gym)

4:00pm Q’s vs. Laval (Main Gym)

5:30pm Reception & Silent Auction (Clark Hall Pub) – honouring team members from the                                                                                       1990-91 to 1994-95 teams

Sunday, October 5, 2014

2:00pm Q’s vs. Thompson Rivers

To register for the weekend, please follow this link: 

https://advevents.queensu.ca/cgi/page.cgi?_id=3&action=viewdetail&event_id=1569

We will be holding our annual ID/Training Camp on Saturday, November 29, 2014.  This is an ideal opportunity for anyone in Grades 11 or 12 to display their talents and receive instruction from the Queen’s coaching staff.  The day’s schedule is as follows:

9:30-11:45am On-court session

11:45-12:15pm Lunch break (on own)

12:15-12:45pm Facility Tour (parent’s welcome)

12:45-1:30pm Q&A session with Q’s coaches (parent’s welcome)

1:30-3:30pm On-court session

There is no cost for the ID/Training Camp – just let me know so that I can prepare for the numbers.

Lastly, the latest addition to the Gaels basketball family is Wesley Vincent Bambury, son of Coach James Bambury (and his wife, Kate): born on May 14, 2014.  Not surprisingly, his outfits consist mostly of basketball clothes.  If you follow James on Facebook, you can see a bunch of pics.

Cheers,

Dave.

 

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

A quick update this time around.

The OUA East/West All-Star game was held this past weekend at Western University with 4 of our players involved. Liz Boag, Jenny Wright, Gemma Bullard and Andrea Priamo all attended and were excellent ambassadors for Queen’s as the helped run 3 basketball clinics for young players before donning their uniforms for the game. Unfortunately, Gemma Bullard couldn’t play as she continues to nurse a bad shoulder, but she was on the bench providing her coaching expertise. The West won the game 97-90, but not without a battle from our young East team. The game featured 10 lead changes and 5 ties, with the West having the largest lead (11) early in the 4th quarter. Liz Boag finished with 18 points, going 4-5 from behind the arc in 23 minutes of play, while Jenny Wright added 10 points. Rookie, Andrea Priamo also showed well against a team that featured 5 fifth year players, with 4 points and 3 boards.

The OUA League Structure has now been approved. With the addition Nipissing University to our league we have re-aligned into 4 Divisions as follows:

North
Ottawa
Carleton
Laurentian
Nipissing

East
Queen’s
York
Toronto
Ryerson

Central
McMaster
Brock
Lakehead
Guelph

West
Algoma
Laurier
Waterloo
Western
Windsor

Teams will play home & home within their own Division and once against all the other teams (alternating home and away over two seasons). After two drafts, the third version is now scheduled to come out in early June. Likelihood is that league for us will begin on November 7. The top 3 teams from each Division will make the playoffs, with seeding of those 12 teams to determine the playoff bracket, culminating in a final 4 at the highest remaining seed.

Our exhibition schedule is almost set:

Queen’s Tindall Tournament
October 3-5 (Q’s, Laval, Thompson Rivers, + either Windsor or Acadia)
This weekend will include our Alumni vs. Alumni game, and reception honouring team members from the 1990-91 to 1994-95 teams.

West Coast Swing
October 16 @ UBC
October 17 @ Fraser Valley
October 18 @ Trinity Western

Carleton Tourney
October 24-26 (Carleton, Memorial, UQAM & Q’s)

This weekend (May 9-11) we are hosting the JUEL & JUEL-Prep Championships. With 5 gyms in service, it will be a very busy weekend, but with some great basketball, featuring some of the best players in Canada.

Happy Mother's Day,

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

A few things to report on now that our season is over:

Liz Boag ended up as the CIS Championship Tournament leading scorer with a 22.5 points per game average.

Our team awards were handed out as follows:

Rookie of the Year: Andrea Priamo (also selected to the OUA East All-Rookie Team)
Coach’s Award: Jenny Wright (also selected OUA East 1st Team All-Star)
MVP: Liz Boag (also selected OUA East 1st Team All-Star)

All three, along with OUA East 2nd Team All-Star and CIS Tracy McLeod Award winner, Gemma Bullard, will be representing Queen’s in the OUA East/West All-Star game held in conjunction with the OBA U15 Championships in London on Saturday, May 3rd .

At the Queen’s Colour Awards Athletic Banquet, Liz Boag was honoured to speak on behalf of all the Varsity Athletes. She delivered a very inspired and motivating speech that captivated the entire audience. I would like to say I coached her, but not this time – the speech and delivery was all hers!

On the Sunday following the CIS Championships, the team made another road trip – this time to Toronto to take in a Raptors game at the Air Canada Centre. Courtesy of Robyn Pearson’s parents, the team was well looked-after in a corporate suite for the game. In addition to the Raptor’s securing a comeback win, the atmosphere and culinary delights in the suite made for a terrific afternoon.

After our season ended, one of my toughest jobs has been keeping the players away from the gym and weight room. Assigned a 3 week rest period, the players have been very anxious to get back on the court and play – finally resuming practises this week.

As mentioned in a previous Newsletter, we won the bid to host the JUEL & JUEL-Prep Championships on the May 9-11 weekend. While our team is fully committed to working that weekend, we are in need of other volunteers to help out in a variety of roles (hosts, hospitality, minor officials, etc.). If anyone is interested in assisting, please contact me asap – I would love to build a large volunteer base.

Spring & Summer Camp season is fast approaching with our Elite Training & Scrimmage Camp first on the docket. It begins on May 29th and sold out quickly last year. Our full range of camps (and registration) can be found on the web at:

http://rec.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2013/8/2/CAMPS-KIDS_0802132609.aspx?tab=summercamps

That’s it for now.

Hope Spring has finally hit your area!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

Here we go………………Classes have started, the team is set, and we are ready for our first exhibition game this weekend against St. Lawrence College. We had an excellent ID/Training Camp in late August that featured most of our current roster and a number of Ontario’s best high school basketball players. It was both exciting and a real pleasure working with everyone.

Our active roster has been finalized with the addition of Nicole Barnard, a 5-11 wing player from Southwood SS in Cambridge. “Barney” played for KW Lightning at both the OBA and JUEL levels and brings a wealth of athleticism along with a great wingspan. She is a clever passer with good court vision and is comfortable shooting the long ball.

We have also added a late addition transfer to our roster (in a red-shirt capacity): Gia Spiropoulos. Gia hails from Belleville and was a long time recruit for us, but opted to go to Waterloo for their pharmacy program. She had a very good first year with the Warriors, giving her plenty of game experience. The 6-2 post enters the Con-Ed Science program at Queen’s, and by transfer rule, must sit out the 2013-14 season. She will, however, train with the team to keep her skills up.

I am very pleased to announce that Abby Dixon of North Vancouver is the recipient of the prestigious Catherine Gertrude (Milliken) Smith Memorial Award this year.

Established in March 2007 by Sherwood H. Smith, Jr. of Raleigh, North Carolina, in memory of his mother Catherine Gertrude (Milliken) Smith, B.A. 1924, who, while attending Queen's, played for and managed the varsity women's basketball team. Awarded to recognize academic achievement and athletic excellence to student-athletes entering the first year of a direct-entry undergraduate degree program at Queen's University and who is on the competition roster of the Gaels interuniversity women's basketball team.

Abby follows in the footsteps of previous recipients, Nicole Morse, Jenny Wright, Liz Boag, Hanna Koposhynska, Richelle Gaudet, and Alaina Porter.

Alumni Weekend is shaping up very nicely with over 10 confirmed Alumni returning for a friendly game, and a few others willing to cheer from the sidelines. The group being honoured this year (1985-86 to 1989-90) should be well represented. To register for the event (garnering free event tickets, access to the Reception & Silent Auction) please go to: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2011/8/19/WBB_0819114220.aspx?path=wbball

Up Next On the Road:
Sunday, September 22 @ St. Lawrence College 2:00pm

Up Next at Home:
Sunday, September 29 vs. UQAM 2:00pm

Tindall Tournament
Friday, October 4 vs. UPEI 6:00pm
Saturday, October 5 vs. Lethbridge 6:00pm
Sunday, October 6 vs. Concordia 2:00pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

We have started our countdown to training camp, as our players are set to hit the floor on August 26th – I’m very excited to have our group back together. They have been working very hard over the summer to hit the ground running this fall.

Also, exciting news on our Alumni front: Leslie Aldcorn 1985-90, and Julie Farquhar 1987-1991, will be on hand for our Alumni weekend and will be speaking on behalf of the teams we are honouring (1985-86 to 1989-90). Leslie is flying in from Lethbridge, while Julie makes the flight from Calgary. Both served as Captain for the Gaels, forming the core of teams that gained respect across the country for their toughness and tenacity. Please check out our website for details and to register for the weekend: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2011/8/19/WBB_0819114220.aspx?path=wbball

Alumni, Brittany Moore (2007-2012) is continuing her professional basketball career, this time in Kelter, Germany (in the south near Stuttgart). A very successful coach in the German pro league prompted Britt to make the move to southern Germany. She heads over at the end of August.

Queen’s Basketball Camp (Gr. 2-5) begins on Monday, August 19, with the Queen’s Basketball Academy (Gr. 6-8) beginning the following week (August 26). We finish off our summer camp season with a Junior Girls Team Camp on Saturday, September 7th. Spaces are still available, but limited. Our Elite Training Camp, now finished, sold out. You can register on-line at: http://rec.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2013/8/2/CAMPS-KIDS_0802132609.aspx?tab=summercamps
or contact me for the Jr. Girls Team Camp.

Please check out the “new-look” Gaels web site: www.gogaelsgo.com and be sure to click on our link to see our upcoming games and other news.

That’s it for now. With a game in 5 weeks, I will be in touch then.

Cheers,

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

Lots to catch up on now that summer has officially arrived. We held a very successful training camp on the first weekend in June, giving us our first glimpse of what our team will look like this fall--very exciting.

We are pleased to announce three new recruits: Kingston native, Amy Cotton, Andrea Priamo from Guelph, and Sarah Saftich from Markham. Please see our press release for details: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/mobile/index.aspx?path=wbball

Kingston native, and former Kingston Impact player, Jenny Wright was the key note speaker at their year-end banquet, and by all accounts she spoke quite eloquently.

James Bambury just returned from a Professional Development trip to Kansas University to meet with their Basketball Strength & Conditioning Coach.

Comments James, “Getting the opportunity to go to the University of Kansas and work with Andrea Hudy, a world-class strength and conditioning coach, was an experience of a lifetime. We were getting incredible access to both the facilities and the athletes which allowed us to observe both their student athletes as well as former student athletes who have now moved onto professional careers in their sport. Their level of passion and enthusiasm towards being the best that they can be and their professional approach will certainly be something we will aspire to at Queen’s. On a personal note, having the opportunity to spend hours in the hallowed halls of Phog Allen Fieldhouse was surreal and has ensured that the Kansas Jayhawks will be my 2nd favourite NCAA team come 2013, behind of course my beloved Duke Blue Devils.”

Our exhibition schedule continues to fill in, adding two games in September (22nd & 29th) and an adjustment to our UQAM game in Montreal (from Saturday to Friday, October 25th). These are now available on-line at: www.queensbasketball.net

Homecoming 2013 is building much momentum. Now paired with our annual Tindall Tournament, Alumni game, Reception & Silent Auction, this becomes our most important fundraising event of the year. We are making arrangements for on-line registration for the weekend that will include a game pass to ALL Q’s home events (except football), plus access to our facilities (if you would like to come in for a workout or two), and access to Alfie’s for our reception & silent auction (including complimentary hors d’oeuvres & beverage ticket). At the Reception, we will be honouring team members from the 1985-86 to 1989-90 teams. It’s going to be a great weekend – October 4-6 (just hard to find hotels, so book early).

Summer camps are off to a great start, having sold out our Elite Training & Scrimmage. Our kids Half Basketball, Half Volleyball camp starts next week, while our Basketball Camp and Basketball Academy are scheduled for the last couple of weeks in August. Check out our website for details.

That’s it for now.

Cheers.

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

I have a number of good things to update you on.

First, our team awards were distributed last month, with Emily Hazlett receiving the Rookie of the Year award, while Sydney Kernahan captured her second consecutive Coach’s Award. Liz Boag was selected as the team’s MVP, and also received OUA recognition as a second-team East All-Star.

Our schedule for the 2013-14 season is almost complete. Highlights include:

Our Tindall Tournament, October 4-6 featuring 1 team from each of the conferences across the country
CanWest: Lethbridge (where former Q’s standout Claire Meadows is the assistant coach)
Quebec: Concordia University
Atlantic: UPEI
Q’s will play each of the other 3 schools over the Fri-Sun event

New this year, our Alumni Weekend (and the university’s homecoming weekend) will be held in conjunction with the Tindall Tournament (October 4-6)
Alumni vs. Alumni game
Queen’s vs. UPEI (part of the Tindall Tournament)
Reception & Silent Auction
Honouring team members from: 1985-86 to 1989-90 seasons

Exhibition Schedule:
Host Tindall Tournament – October 4-6
@ Ryerson Tournament – October 18-20
In Montreal for exhibition – October 25-26 (to be confirmed)
@ Concordia Tournament – December (exact dates to be confirmed)

League Play opens on the November 1 weekend and again January 4th

Queen’s Athletics & QTV – looking to partner to broadcast (webcast) all home basketball games. Negotiations are almost complete, with a contract hopefully to be signed over the summer that would see QTV broadcast all home (league & exhibition) basketball games. For those that have viewed QTV’s production in the past, you will know that they provide a very high standard of broadcast.

Spring & Summer Basketball Camp Line-Up

Elite Training & Scrimmage – Thursdays, May 30 to August 1 (7-9pm)
Section I - Girls entering Gr. 9 & 10
Section II – Girls entering Gr. 11 & 12

½ Basketball – ½ Volleyball Camp – July 2-5 (8:30 – 4:30pm daily)
Girls & Boys 8-13 yrs. old

Q’s Basketball Camp – August 19-23 (8:30 – 4:30pm daily)
Girls & Boys entering Gr. 2 – 5 (separate divisions by gender)

Q’s Basketball Academy -- August 26 – 31 (8:30 – 4:30pm daily)
Girls & Boys entering Gr. 6 – 8 (separate divisions by gender)

Jr. Girls Team Camp – Saturday, September 7 (9:00 – 4:00pm)
For HS Jr. Girls Teams (8 max)
3 Scrimmages + team practise with Q’s coaches

For more information or to register, please go to: www.gogaelsgo.com and click on “Q-Camps” on the top banner.

That’s about it for now – hope the Spring weather has hit your area.

All the best.

Dave.