Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The youth movement is officially on for the MacEwan Griffins women's basketball team.
On a 13-woman roster, no less than nine players are only in their first or second years of eligibility.
That's about as young a roster as you'll see in any sport across all of Canada West.
"We know we're young and we know we are gaining experience," said MacEwan head coach Katherine Adams. "Every day, every practice, every competition, there's so much learning to be had. But we're really excited about the core that we have, this group and their potential moving forward."
The Griffins head into their home-opening weekend with a two-game series against Mount Royal University on Friday (5 p.m.) and Saturday (1 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
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(Note: Saturday's game is free admission as part of MacEwan University's Open House)
"The energy that comes from being the underdogs is pretty exciting," said new captain Allie Spenrath, who is one of just four Griffins in at least their third year of eligibility, forming the veteran core along with Sarah Burnell, Toni Gordon and Celine Quigley, who is new to the Griffins after transferring from the ACAC with previous stints at SAIT and Red Deer. "Just with us being so young, when we do something well, it's that much more exciting.
"There's no expectation for us to hit every shot or perform in certain ways, so when we do, it's really, really cool to see everyone coming together. Also, you're that much more excited for all the young ones. It's 'oh my gosh, it's your first time doing this.' "
The expectation for the young group isn't necessarily about short-term results, but more so about playing within the team's identity as a hard-working, intense group committed to details and focused on getting better each day. The results will follow in time.
"We've had some people who've had pretty big roles graduate from our program, so there's been some pretty big shoes to fill," said Adams, referring to leading scorer Noelle Kilbreath – who transferred to Carleton where she is pursuing graduate studies – and Hayley Lalor, whom they will face this weekend after the former Griffins guard transferred to MRU for her final year of eligibility to play with her sister Jamie. "You figure out how you do that, not necessarily with one person, but how a group of people can take over scoring responsibility or the defensive matchups – all the things that need to happen.
"It takes a little bit of time. Just learning how to compete at the Canada West level, it's a journey, but we're on it."
Spenrath will be the team's starting point guard and captain, which makes her the leader on and off the court. It's only been two years since she was a wide-eyed rookie, so she knows well what many of her teammates are going through.
"When I first came in, everything was going so fast," she said. "Even though I was playing point guard, I was looking at my vets and they were basically telling me what to do. Now it's so different because I'm the one making all those decisions and basically telling people where I want them and when I want them there, which is so different. But I think also the game's slowed down so much. My first year was very much 'I need to do as much as possible and I just need to run.'
"I think now being the starting point guard, my role has shifted to a little bit more of being the brain on the court, your IQ piece."
Second-year forward Samantha Hickey set a program rookie record last season with 19 blocks (Robert Antoniuk photo).
A strong recruiting class a year ago – highlighted by the team's rookie of the year Unity Obasuyi, rookie blocks record-setter Samantha Hickey and rookie steals record-setter Sofia Makinen – will have every opportunity to step forward and make major contributions on the roster.
Then you add in the rookie class – guards Ayla Grady, Morgan Clark and Lenora Hunter – and the future is bright.
"The group that we have really complements the athletes we already have," said Adams. "I think with their athleticism, length, level of compete and skill-set they bring to the table, it adds a lot of diversity and depth to our roster."
Already there has been some progression on the roster as massive early preseason losses – all with rookie-laden lineups as veterans nursed injuries – gave way to a victory over Thompson Rivers (53-45) in their final preseason match Oct. 19.
"We faced a bit of adversity this preseason just with some injuries and managing a pretty young roster and people filling new roles," said Adams. "So, we've taken our lumps and had some tough lessons. But it's really served as a great learning opportunity for us moving forward to showcase some resilience.
"Our last weekend of competition, we were really able to put our finger on 'this is our identity, this is how we want to play, and this is the way we can be successful.' To first be proud of their play and secondly to come out with a win was really, really big for us coming into the regular season."
They also gained a valuable bonding experience in Gingolx, B.C. for the Clash of Clans preseason tournament hosted last month by the Nisga'a Nation, which is already bringing them closer together.
"It was so important," said Spenrath. "I think bonding weekends like that when you actually get to really meet your players and learn who they are as people and where they come from in their background, it makes it just way easier to grow on the court.
"You can't give or receive feedback if you don't know the people who are giving it to you. It builds an extra piece of trust on the court."