Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

We had a very successful weekend to finish off the fall portion of our schedule, recording road wins against Laurier and Waterloo.  Further, we hosted our ID/Training Camp on Sunday, with more than a dozen highly skilled athletes in attendance. 

Congratulations to Andrea Priamo who was selected as the Queen’s Athlete of the Week for her performances against McMaster and Brock (info was released just after my last Newsletter).

What does the NBA All-Star weekend have to do with our basketball team?  See below for details.

Queen’s 64 – Laurier 61  (Jenny Wright tops the 1,000 point marker)

Continuing in what seems to have become a tradition of very close games against Laurier, this game featured 17 lead changes, 9 tied scores, and neither team ever gaining more than a 5 point advantage.  The pace of the game was more to our liking as we ended up with 82 shots from the floor – the first time we have topped 80 shots in a while.  However, our finishing was still not where we would like it to be, converting only 29 of those shots (35%).  We lost the opening quarter 17-19 but then narrowly won the next three, 17-14, 17-16 and 13-12 for the 3 point win.  We had a very balanced scoring attack with 5 players in double digits, led by Robyn Pearson with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Jenny Wright, Emily Hazlett, Abby Dixon and Marianne Alarie all had 10 points.  Jenny finished the game with 1004 points to her credit over her 4 ½ seasons with the Gaels, securing third place on the Queen’s all-time scoring list.

Q’s SID Report: http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/11/27/WBB_v_Laurier.aspx?path=wbball

Queen’s 84 – Waterloo 69

We opened the game with what appeared to be a more relaxed shooting form leading to a 24 point quarter (to Waterloo’s 18) on 9 of 19 shooting (47%).  Our concern, however, was in surrendering the 18 points.  While our shooting percentage dropped to 30% in the second quarter, and Waterloo rose, we still managed to outscore them 16-14 to go into half with an 8 point lead, 40-32.  It was the third quarter (which had caused us some problems in the past) that actually blew the game wide open as we converted 13 of our 16 shots from the floor (81%) en route to a 31 point outburst, essentially sealing the game.  Four players hit double digits with Jenny Wright finishing with a game high 19 points, followed by Abby Dixon with a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards.  Emily Hazlett and Marianne Alarie each added 13 points.  With her 19 points Jenny now has 1023 on her career, just 32 points shy of Liz Boag (2010-2015) who sits in second place with 1055.  Brittany Moore (2007-2012) sits comfortably as the all-time leading scorer in Queen’s history (men or women) with 1,652.

Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/11/28/WBB_v_Waterloo.aspx?path=wbball

Congratulations to Jenny Wright as she was selected as the Queen’s Athlete of the Week for her performances this weekend.

Queen’s to be a part of the NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto

As you may know, Toronto is the site of this year’s NBA All-Star weekend, and we have been selected to be a part of the festivities.  We will play our league game against the Windsor Lancers on Saturday February 13, 2016 at the Enercare Centre in Toronto as part of the activities surrounding the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.  Game time is 4:00pm. More details to come in the next few weeks.

Our fall schedule is now complete and we sit atop the East Division with a 6-1 record.  We return to league play in mid-January on the road against division rivals, Toronto and Ryerson.

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

It was a very high and a very low weekend as we split the two games, beating the 4^th ranked team in the country, and then losing to the 7^th ranked team in the country – our first regular season loss.  We came into the weekend ranked 11^th.

Queen’s 60 – McMaster 53

We opened the game fairly well, shooting 6 of 14 in the first quarter (43%) while employing a new defence to disrupt McMaster’s main scoring threat.  Mac shot 4 of 20 in the first quarter, only scoring 9 points to our 14.  The second quarter, however, was almost the reverse, as we went ice cold (1 of 14) and only managed 5 points in the quarter to Mac’s 13.  We trailed 19 -22 at the half.  Our execution returned in the second half, as we shot 47% in the third quarter, outscoring Mac 17 – 11, and 62.5% in the fourth quarter, outscoring Mac 24 -20 to grab the 60 – 53 win.  We had a very balance attack, with 4 players in double digits scoring.  Emily Hazlett finished with 13 points and 6 boards, while Abby Dixon added 12 points and 4 assists.  Jenny Wright contributed 11 points, while Andrea Priamo was 1 rebound shy of a double-double, with 10 points and 9 boards.  Robyn Pearson also hit double digits with her 11 boards to go along with 8 points and 3 steals.

Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/11/20/WBB_v_McMaster.aspx?path=wbball

Queen’s 50 – Brock 69

Once again, we opened the game reasonably well offensively, shooting 7 of 19, but struggled somewhat on the defensive end.  We led 17 -16 after the first.  The second quarter seemed to grind to a halt, with neither team effective at finding the basket.  Only 19 points were put up in the quarter, 9 by Queen’s and 10 by Brock to leave the game tied at 26 going into the break.  Things went sharply downhill from there as Brock came out and scored the first 8 points enroute to an 18 – 4 run, from which we never recovered.  We were outscored 11 – 28 in the third, and again 13 – 15 in the fourth.  The difference in the game was basically shooting percentage (Q’s 30%, Brock 43.5%) and rebounds (Q’s 36, Brock 47).   Scoring was again spread amongst the same 4 players with Emily Hazlett chalking up 13 points and 7 assists and 6 rebounds.  Abby Dixon also had 13 points, with Jenny Wright adding 11 points and 2 steals, followed by Andrea Priamo completing her double-double this time with 10 points and 10 boards, along with 2 steals and 2 assists.

Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/11/21/WBB_v_Brock.aspx?path=wbball

Our league record is now 4 – 1 and we sit tied with Ryerson atop our division.  Toronto is in third with a 2 – 3 record and York in fourth at 0 – 5.

Quick shout out to Gaels former standout player, Claire Meadows (2002-2007), now in her first season as Head Coach of UBC Okanagan.  After dropping their first game, her team is now on a 5 game winning streak and sit atop their division (Explorer) in Canada West.

Last call for our ID/Training Camp – Sunday, November 29th

On court sessions will be from 9:30-11:45am and again from 1:30-3:30pm.  During the break in between, we will conduct a facility tour and a question and answer session (for players and parents).  The camp is designed for players in Grade 10-12 that may be interested in Queen’s as a university destination.  There is no charge for the camp, but please drop me an email so I can keep track of the numbers.

We have confirmed dates and times for former Canadian Olympic Coaches Allison and Mike McNeill to come and work with our players and coaches in December.  They will be in Kingston from December 27 to the 31^st and will work daily with the team, and additionally in smaller breakdown groups (by position).  We are thrilled to be able to provide our players (and coaches) with such a high level of professional development.  It should be a great week.

Up Next on the Road:

Friday, November 27 @ Laurier  6pm

Saturday, November 28 @ Waterloo  6pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,
 
A very successful road weekend left us with two wins, although we still have much to improve upon heading into a very tough home stand this weekend.
 
Queen’s 61 – Laurentian 51
We got off to a decent start in this game opening up a 5 point lead by the end of the quarter, 15-10.  The second quarter was much the same as the first, again adding 5 points to our lead to be up 34-24 at the half.  Our shooting percentage is still below where we would like it to be (43-45% or better), sitting around the 34% mark.  Having said that, our third quarter was pretty dismal as we only managed 9 points to Laurentian’s 14.  Laurentian continued to close the gap in the fourth, eventually tying the game at 47 mid way through the frame.  We then went on a 12-0 in the next 2 minutes to take the game out of reach, finishing with a 14-4 run and the 61-51 win.  Jenny Wright finished with a game high 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.  Robyn Pearson continued her dominance on the boards, grabbing a season high 18, to go along with her 4 steals and 3 blocked shots.
 
Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/11/13/WBB_vs_Laurentian.aspx
 
Queen’s 71 – Nipissing 42
While the final score was a wide margin, this game started out very competitive.  Our shooting percentage continued to hover around 35% for the first quarter, while Nipissing executed very well and converted on 70% of their shots, leaving us tied at 17 after the first quarter.  Our shooting improved to over 40%, while Nipissing dropped to 27%, resulting in a 19-10 quarter, and a 36-27 half time lead.  We came out in the second half with heavy defensive pressure, initiated by some superb on-ball defence by Emily Hazlett.  We outscored Nipissing 16-8 and then continued to wear them down in the fourth, outscoring them 19-7 to finish with the 71-42 win.  Robyn Pearson had a very dominant game with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Andrea Priamo and Marianne Alarie each chipped in with 10 points.
 
Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/11/14/WBB_v_Nipissing.aspx?path=wbball
 
As previously reported, we are very pleased to have signed combo guard, Emma Ritcey to our program for next fall.  Here is the press release for Emma:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/11/13/WBB_1113155454.aspx?path=wbball
 
ID/Training Camp – Sunday, November 29^th
On court sessions will be from 9:30-11:45am and again from 1:30-3:30pm.  During the break in between, we will conduct a facility tour and a question and answer session (for players and parents).  The camp is designed for players in Grade 10-12 that may be interested in Queen’s as a university destination.  There is no charge for the camp, but please drop me an email so I can keep track of the numbers.
 
Up Next at Home:
Friday, November 20 vs. McMaster  6pm
Saturday, November 21 vs. Brock  6pm
 
Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 27 @ Laurier  6pm
Saturday, November 28 @ Waterloo  6pm
 
Have a great week!
 
Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,
 
Just one game to report on this week as we opened league play at home against York.  We start the season ranked 12th in the country.
 
Queen’s 64 – York 47
This was very much a game of inconsistencies.  We opened the game on a tear, scoring 8 points on our first 3 possessions in just over 1 minute of clock time, to lead 8-0.  Then we went 6 minutes without scoring, before dropping another 9 points in the last 2 minutes of the quarter to lead 17-10 after the first.  Our floor shooting was a dismal 27%, although we were 2-5 from the 3 point line.  The second quarter was much the same as the first – our shooting improving marginally to 32% to build a 33-21 half time lead.  The third and fourth quarters saw little change in the style or consistency of play as we outscored York 16-13 in the third and 15-13 in the fourth to finish with the 64-47 win.  Our shooting percentage finished at a poor 32%, although our 3-point shooting was fine at 38%.  Jenny Wright finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.  Abby Dixon had 12 points, 7 steals and 3 assists.  Robyn Pearson had 13 boards and 9 points.  One very positive note, we had 16 assists on our 24 made field goals.
 
Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/11/7/WBB_1107152643.aspx?path=wbball
 
McLean’s magazine survey:  Queen’s Ranks 1^st in student satisfaction 
Queen’s leads in student satisfaction among Canada’s medical-doctoral universities according to Maclean’s 2016 university rankings.
 
Results from a student satisfaction survey are a new part of the Maclean’s rankings this year. Queen’s ranked among the top three in all of the survey’s categories, including satisfaction with course instructors, extracurricular activities, mental health services, and residence living, as well as administrative and student life staff.
 
ID/Training Camp – Sunday, November 29^th
On court sessions will be from 9:30-11:45am and again from 1:30-3:30pm.  During the break in between, we will conduct a facility tour and a question and answer session (for players and parents).  The camp is designed for players in Grade 10-12 that may be interested in Queen’s as a university destination.  There is no charge for the camp, but please drop me an email so I can keep track of the numbers.
 
Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 13 @ Laurentian  6pm
Saturday, November 13 @ Nipissing  6pm
 
Up Next at Home:
Friday, November 20 vs. McMaster  6pm
Saturday, November 21 vs. Brock  6pm
 
Have a great week!
 
Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

We finished a 3 game, 3 city road trip on Saturday, with stops in St. Catherine’s (Brock), Hamilton (McMaster) and Guelph.  We finished with only 1 win and 2 losses – a disappointing result.

Queen’s 56 – Brock 68

Our first stop was in St. Catherine’s to face Brock where we jumped out to an early lead and grew it to as much as 10 late in the first quarter.  We finished the quarter up 19-11, shooting almost 50% from the floor.  For an unknown reason (at least to me), our shooting touch left us for the rest of the game, dropping into the low 20s.  We were outscored 14-20 in the second and 10-25 in the third.  The fourth quarter wasn’t much better, although we did outscore Brock 13-12, but still only shooting in the low 30s.  We were unusually cold from the 3pt. line, finding the mesh only 3 times in 22 attempts (13.6%).   Marianne Alarie was the only player to hit double digits, dropping 18 point.

Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/10/22/WBB_v_Brock_EX.aspx?path=wbball

Queen’s 54 – McMaster 79

No question our shooting woes continued on Friday night in Hamilton shooting only 23% and scoring only 8 points in the opening quarter to trail 8-18.  While our shooting improved somewhat in the second, our defense was unable to stop the Marauders as they outscored us 17-23 to take a commanding 25-41 halftime lead.  Mac continued to execute offensively outscoring us by 4 in the third quarter (19-23) and 5 in the fourth quarter (10-15) to rack up the big spread.  Not surprisingly they beat us in every significant statistical category (shots taken, shooting percentage, rebounding, turnovers, steals, and assists).  Marianne Alarie led the way in scoring, again with 18 points, followed by Emily Hazlett with 13.

Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/10/23/WBB_v_McMaster_EX.aspx?path=wbball

Queen’s 78 – Guelph 62

Despite the fact that this was our third game in as many nights against fresh teams, we looked strong and rested.  Our shooting in this game improved significantly over the past two games (unfortunately Guelph had computer issues and was not able to provide the stats).   We continued to get stronger as the game progressed, outscoring Guelph 14-10 in the first, 20-17 in the second, 22-15 in the third and 22-20 in the fourth.  Five players finished in double digits with Marianne Alarie chalking up her usual 18, while Jenny Wright and Abby Dixon each had 11.  Emily Hazlett and Robyn Pearson finished with 10 apiece.

Q’s SID Report:  http://gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/10/24/WBB_v_Guelph_EX.aspx?path=wbball

We will be holding our annual ID/Training Camp on Sunday, November 29^th.  On court sessions will be from 9:30-11:45am and again from 1:30-3:30pm.  During the break in between, we will conduct a facility tour and a question and answer session (for players and parents).  The camp is designed for players in Grade 10-12 that may be interested in Queen’s as a university destination.  There is no charge for the camp, but please drop me an email so I can keep track of the numbers.

Up Next at Home:

Saturday, November 7 vs. York  6pm (league opener)

Up Next on the Road:

Friday, November 13 @ Laurentian  6pm

Saturday, November 14 @ Nipissing  6pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

We opened our CIS exhibition schedule in Montreal on Friday with a win over Concordia, 67-47. We got off to a good start, exerting a great deal of pressure over the full court, taking Concordia out of their rhythm.  We also did a very good job of taking care of the basketball, registering only 3 turnovers in the first half.  Our transition game provided us with good scoring opportunities, leading to a 21-12 lead after the first quarter.  We continued on a similar pace in the second quarter, 19-11 to go into half time with a 40-23 lead.  We continued our dominance in the third quarter, although our shooting percentage was a little lower, opening a 56-35 lead.  Concordia outscored us 11-12 in the fourth, but the game was never in doubt.  Emily Hazlett finished with a game-high 15 points, along with 3 assists and 3 steals in only 24 minutes of play.  Abby Dixon chipped in with 11 points, 3 boards and 2 steals.  Maddie Morris hit double digits in the rebounding category with 10, to go along with her 9 points and 3 steals.

I am very excited to announce that former Team Canada Olympic Coaches (London 2012), Allison and Mike McNeill will be travelling to Kingston shortly after Christmas to work with our team.  Our High Performance funding is allowing us to bring them in for four days to work on-court with our athletes, both in a team setting, and as individuals.  They will also spend time with our coaching staff, helping to evaluate and advise on a variety of tactics and strategies. 

McNeill is the longest-serving coach in senior national team history with an 11-year career. She guided Canada to the world championships in 2006 and 2010, returning after a 12-year absence. She did the same with the team and the Olympics, getting Canada to the Games for the first time in more than a decade, finishing in the top-8 after advancing to the quarter-finals for the first time in a 12-team tournament.  Under her reign, Canada moved into the Top 10 in the world!

Momentum is building for our Alumni vs. Alumni game scheduled for Saturday, October 17^th at 1:00pm.  All Alumni, regardless of year, are encouraged to participate.  The reception in the evening will be honouring the teams from 1995-96 to 1999-2000.  Of course this is in conjunction with our Tindall Tournament as follows:

Friday, October 16

6:00pm Queen’s vs. UQAM  Main Gym

Saturday, October 17

1:00pm Alumni vs. Alumni  Bews Gym

6:00pm Queen’s vs. Memorial U.  Main Gym

7:30pm Alumni & Family/Friends Reception and Silent Auction  Alumni Lounge

Sunday, October 18

2:00pm Queen’s vs. Carleton

You can register for the weekend and receive a discount on game tickets at:

http://gogaelsgo.com/sports/2011/8/19/WBB_0819114220.aspx?path=wbball

Prior to the Tindall Tournament, we have added a mid-week exhibition game as follows:

Tuesday, October 13

6:00pm Queen’s vs. Windsor  Main Gym

Have a great Thanksgiving (Canadian)!

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 - Game Report

Hi Folks,

A very disappointing performance against McMaster, left us with a 45-74 loss – our first double digit loss in league play this season.  Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net early in the game, going more than 3 minutes before the first score (by McMaster) and more than 5 minutes before we broke the ice.  We ended up shooting 5-20 in the first quarter (25%), managing only 12 points (equaled by Mac).  Then the game went askew – Mac shot 12-19 in the second quarter, while we shot 3-20, and were outscored 26-9.  We continued to be outscored in the third and fourth quarter, 17-11 and 19-13 respectively.  McMaster scored 19 points off our turnovers, and had 21 second chance points (dominating us on the boards).  Gemma Bullard was our lone player in double digits scoring with 11 points, while Robyn Pearson grabbed 12 boards.

Q’s SID Report:  http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2015/2/7/WBB_0207153844.aspx?path=wbball

We sit in second place in our division with a 9-6 record, only 1 game ahead of Toronto.  We host the first and second place teams in the Northern Division (Ottawa & Carleton), before completing the regular season on the road against Division rivals, Toronto & Ryerson.

With Saturday being our last regular season home game, we will be honouring our graduating athletes (Liz Boag, Gemma Bullard & Jenny Wright) immediately following our game against Ottawa.  At half time of that game, we will be honouring the parents of our entire team.

Up Next at Home:

Friday, February 13 vs. Carleton  6pm

Saturday, February 14 vs. Ottawa  6pm  (Graduating Athlete Night)

Up Next on the Road:

Friday, February 20 @ Ryerson  6pm

Saturday, February 21 @ Toronto  6pm

Have a great week!

Dave.