News Updates 2003-2004

Coach's Update
(15 October '03)

Just a quick note to let you know that the team gets back into uniform this weekend with a trip to Montreal to play in the McGill Redbird Invitational. After a number of weeks of practicing, and a good workout with our Alumni, the players are anxious to compete against other CIS institutions.

We will face tough competition right from the outset as we play Toronto on Friday, October 17th at 2:00pm. Saturday, we will play defending OUA Champions, McMaster at 1:00pm. On Sunday we will complete the round-robin tournament against the host McGill Martletts at 3:00pm.

The team has been practicing very well of late -- now the test will be to see how it translates to the games. New interpretations (and areas of emphasis) of the rules, may see the referees whistles blowing a little more that we are used to. Efforts to limit contact in the post and with ball handlers are a priority this year. How quickly we adjust is yet to be seen.

Looking ahead, we will be in Edmonton the weekend of October 24-26 and return to Bartlett Gym at Queen's for the Frank Tindall Inviational Tournament on October 31, November 1 & 2.

Dave

Coaches Update
(03 September '03)

Queen's Basketball Launches a New Fundraising Initiative
(...and it costs you nothing!)

As we get set for the 2003-04 basketball season, Queen's Athletics has teamed with eBay.ca to help generate revenue for the individual teams. The process is simple and it costs you nothing.

Simply click on the eBay.ca link that you can find HERE and follow the instructions to register for an eBay.ca account. For each registrant that registers from either this email or from the Women's Basketball Web Site, eBay.ca will contribute $5 to the women's basketball program -- it's that simple.

This is an important time for the team to generate revenue as we will be heading to Edmonton in late October to compete in the Alberta Hoopfest Tournament. With the significantly increased cost of air travel, we need to raise over $1,500 to cover the difference in cost from what we would normally spend on airline tickets. This tournament is critical to the development of our veteran team that has its sights set on our third berth in the National Championships in four years.

In other news, we ran a very successful pre-season training camp during the last week of August. Twenty-seven players, including eight returning players made the camp one of the most competitive ever. The "double-cohort" of incoming students certainly has had an impact, with 16-18 first year students expressing an interest in playing for the Gaels this fall. Formal try outs begin on September 8, with the team being selected by the end of the week.

International Basketball Game at Queen's

We have an International Basketball Game scheduled between our women's basketball team and Slovakia. Although we will have had only one practice as a team prior to the game, I expect our veteran team will put on a decent showing.

The game is on Tuesday, September 16 at 6:00pm in Bartlett Gym.

That's it for now -- hope you had a great summer and are looking forward to another season with the Gaels.

Dave

Coach's Updates
(29 July 03)

Thought I would bring you up to speed on a few happenings with Queen's Basketball Program.

Converse All Star Canada Inc. approached us to see about sponsoring our men and women's basketball programs. We have signed "on the dotted line" and will now be decked out in Converse athletic shoes -- or should I say Nike. If you have caught the news recently, Nike purchased all of Converse -- our deal, however, remains intact.

The recruiting process is all done for this year and the "double cohort" produced all the anxiety expected. Marks to get into Queen's were driven to an all-time high. None-the-less, we were very successful in attracting a number of high calibre athletes, which should make for very competitive tryouts.

A pre-season training camp will be held at Queen's from Monday, August 25 to Thursday, August 28 (5:00 to 7:15pm each day). All players interested in playing for Queen's this fall are encouraged to attend. Official tryouts begin on Monday, September 8, with the team being selected by September 12th.

On Tuesday, September 16th, we will be hosting an international game between the Queen's Women's Team and a club team from Slovakia. Game time will be 6:00pm in Bartlett Gym. The Slovakian team will be touring a number of cities, competing against universities along the way.

Our annual Alumni Game is scheduled for Saturday, October 4 at 12:00 noon. This will allow time for everyone to make it to the 2pm homecoming football game if so desired.

With less than 4 weeks until the pre-season training camp -- how are things shaping up? CIS All-Canadian Honourable mention, Erin McDiarmid is returning for her 5th year. Along with OUA East All-Star, Amy Goodday (4th yr.), we will have a very formidable front line. Casey Pratt (4th yr.) has been working extremely hard on the rehabilitation of her knee following the February reconstructive surgery. Healthy for only six games last season, Casey is anxious to get back into the thick of things. Jen Bittner (4th yr.) is coming off a tremendous year that saw her capture the Team's Most Improved Player Award. Her work ethic this summer to continue to develop her game is second to none. Third year guards, Kyla Burwash & Nathalie MacNeil will be looking to build on the valuable experience gained this past season. Both made great strides in their games. Claire Meadows returns for her second season with a nagging knee injury under control. A healthy Claire will allow her to build significantly on her Rookie Award winning season of last. Lindsay Robb & Sharilyn Roud (both 2nd yr.) have also committed to a solid off-season program and show much promise for the fall.

For players in the Kingston area, Amy, Bitts, Sharilyn, Derm (in May & June), Claire (when in town), 7:30am workouts with Tim & I have been a regular occurrence. Transfer student Chloe Wilson and incoming first year student, Agnes Herra have also taken advantage of the early morning workout sessions.

On a more personal side, I have had a great couple of months catching up with former players from around the globe. In March, Jacqueline Beaudoin (96-01) stopped in from her teaching job in London, England. She returned to Canada more permanently in late June and will begin teaching in the Oakville area this fall. In April, Cheryl Hunt (94-98) popped in from her place in Florida, having completed her Master's Degree. Hanging in Ontario for the summer, a trip back to the States is likely in the fall plans. Later in April I headed to coaching meetings in Vancouver and was treated to a terrific dinner and conversations with Shalea Piteau (96-00), Monica Marton (97-00) and Erin Cressman (97-02). Shalea & Erin are Master's students at UBC, while Monica heads into 3rd year meds. It is such a terrific feeling seeing these former players doing so well in their new endeavours.

That's it for now -- can't wait for the season to get going!

Dave

Coach's Notes
(31 March 03)

Colour Night -- The Queen's University Athletic Banquet

The annual "Colour Night Awards Ceremony" took place in the McArthur Hall auditorium on Sunday, March 30th to recognize the accomplishments of the Queen's teams for the 2002-03 season. Our own, Andrea Hanson did a terrific job as one of the Co-Master's of Ceremony for the affair. With over 800 varsity athletes, gaining recognition as one of the university's best is no small feat.

Prior to the formal awards ceremony, we had a gathering to present our team awards. Claire Meadows was selected as the team's "Rookie of the Year", while Jen Bittner captured the "Most Improved Player" award. Erin McDiarmid was selected as the team's "Most Valuable Player" for the incredible season she put together.

Now back to the "Colour Night Awards Ceremony" . It was great to see Amy Goodday and Erin McDiarmid recognized on stage, both as OUA All-Stars and Erin as an All-Canadian Honourable Mention. Andrea Hanson was also recognized as the "Joy Bellinger Award" winner and nominee for the TSN/Sylvia Sweeney Award.

Under the category of "Major Awards", the university selects an "Award of Merit" recipient based on the following criteria:

"It is presented to the female athlete who, through an exceptional contribution to her team, best displays the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, dedication and all round performance in her sport."

Congratulations to Erin McDiarmid as she was selected as the university's "Award of Merit" winner!

That pretty much wraps up the formal functions for the season. The players continue to scrimmage as often as they can and have already started an off-season strength and conditioning program. From the coaching side, scouting and preparations for next season are well underway, and the cycle begins again.

Coach's Notes
(13 March 03)

At the All-Canadian Banquet on Friday night in Hamilton, Erin McDiarmid was named as an "Honourable Mention All-Canadian." What a great and deserving compliment to Derm's effort and performance this season.

With regard to the team's performance at the Nationals -- I couldn't be more proud. The effort put forth during both games was second to none. As they say, 'they left everything on the court.' I heard numerous compliments from fans (Queen's fans and others) about how much they liked the way the team played, supported one another, and carried themselves in a professional and courteous manner. From my perspective, not only do the players represent Queen's University extremely well, but they also serve as fine role models.

Up next -- back on the recruiting trail, both for next season and beyond. I will be back in touch following our Athletic Awards Banquet, slated for Sunday, March 30th.

Gaels Face Laval at Nationals
by Frank Dixon
(6 March 03)

Hoops in March! This is why you play the game, to test your team at the highest level.

The Queen's Golden Gaels will make their second trip in three years to the CIS Basketball Championship, taking place this year in Hamilton.

Queen's qualified by winning their OUA East final game over Laurentian, 72-58 last Friday in Ottawa. The Voyageurs had not lost a game in four months, and they wound up not even making it to the Big Dance, as they dropped the OUA Bronze medal game to Laurier last Sunday.

The Gaels are seeded #7 in the 8-team tournament, and they will face the #2-seeded Laval Rouge-et-Or, Quebec champions, in the first round, played 3 p.m. on Saturday. This game will not be televised. Should Queen's win that game, they would meet the winner of the #3 Memorial Sea Hawks vs. Victoria Vikes game. That would be Sunday at 6 p.m., televised by WTSN. If Queen's wins that game, they will be in the championship final, Monday at 6 p.m. on TSN. If the Gaels lose their first round, they meet the loser of Memorial vs. Victoria. If they win that, then they play for fifth place on Monday.

Queen's Head Coach Dave Wilson was looking forward to the challenge of playing Canada's #2-ranked team. Wilson definitely respects the Rouge-et-Or, which Queen's played for several seasons when the Ontario East League and Quebec League interlocked their schedules. "They're not ranked that high for nothing," Wilson said, noting Laval's 15-1 record in Quebec league play. However, this will be the first time the teams have met this season, since they did not intersect in tournament play.

Wilson will be again encountering Linda Marquis, Laval's head coach, who is now a colleague with Canada's national program. Marquis is an assistant with the senior national team, while Wilson assists the junior national team.

Both teams are superb defensively, with Laval #2 in fewest points allowed per game, while the Gaels are #3 in Canada in that category. Laval, however, is a much higher scoring team, averaging 70 points per game, compared to 58 for Queen's. But that stat is a bit deceptive, since the Gaels are scoring at a higher rate over their last 14 games, where they posted an 11-3 mark to surge into the post-season.

Laval is a big, quick, skilled team, very deep, very experienced, with balanced scoring. Huge challenges for the Gaels will be posed by Quebec League MVP and All-Canadian Isabelle Grenier, a national team player and probably the best outside shooter in Canada. Look for Queen's first team OUA All-Star Erin McDiarmid to keep an eye on Grenier. The Gaels match up well in the post, where Amy Goodday, 6'2" and an All-Star herself who is on an amazing roll the last several games, will encounter star 6-footer Josee Lalonde, CIS Rookie-of-the-Year two seasons ago, and another national team player. At point guard, the Rouge-et-Or start skilled Marie-Helene Pedneau, and Gaels Nathalie MacNeil and Kyla Burwash should be able to match her quickness and playmaking skill.

Both teams are playing their best basketball right now. The Gaels have a real chance to pull the upset, if they can play as well as they did against Laurentian last week. In the Gaels' favour is the fact they have played 14 different opponents in Ontario league play, while Laval faced just three in Quebec league play. The diversity of styles of the Gaels' many opponents should help Queen's adjust a bit easier.

Two years ago, Queen's upset favoured Victoria in the first round, and gave eventual champions Alberta a great game in the semis before losing. No one can afford to underestimate the Gaels these days. Just ask the Laurentian Lady Vees about that!

Brackets:
#1 Simon Fraser (Vancouver, B.C.)
#8 Laurier (Waterloo, Ont.)

#4 Winnipeg (Winnipeg, Man.)
#5 McMaster (Hamilton, Ont.)

#2 Laval (Quebec, PQ)
#7 Queen's (Kingston, Ont.)

#3 Memorial (St. John's, NF)
#6 Victoria (Victoria, B.C.)

Coach's Notes
(3 March 03)

It's been a heck of a ride the last few days. I am exhausted and I don't do all the running the players do -- I don't know how they do it.

We have closed the chapter on the provincial level of play, capturing the Silver Medal, and have now set our sights on the National Championship Tournament to be held this weekend in Hamilton.

We head into the tournament as the 7th seed and will face the #2 ranked team, Laval University. Our game time is Saturday at 3:00pm. A win would have us playing Sunday at 6:00pm (televised on WTSN), while a loss would have us play at 1:00pm.

Congratulations to Erin McDiarmid on being selected as a first team OUA East All-Star and to Amy Goodday who was selected as a second team OUA East All-Star. Andrea Hanson earned her recognition as the "Joy Bellinger Award" recipient for her efforts as a role model by combining excellence on the court and in the classroom, while being actively involved in community service projects.

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