WBB | Four More Committed for Upcoming Season
Coach Jason Hurley and the Women's Basketball program are excited to announce the commitment of four more players for the 2020-21 season.
The class begins with Maria Cordoba. A point guard, Cordoba joins the Voyageurs by way of the Bishop's Gaiters where she played last season. A traditional-style point guard, the future Forensic Science student runs the floor with a pass-first mentality.
"I prefer giving up the ball," she said, "and making the pass that leads to the basket rather than scoring a basket on my own. I think my biggest impact will be setting up my teammates so that they get clear looks at the basket and open up the floor so that they can score."
Joining Cordoba out of Quebec is Monica Jean-Baptiste, who suited up for Saint-Jean in CEGEP last season. Jean-Baptiste, a combo guard who will be enrolled in the Psychologie du sport program in the fall, led her team in minutes played last season and finished third on the squad in rebounding.
When asked about her game, Jean-Baptiste confidently replied, "I can handle the ball very well and I'm able to see a lot of options. I can drive and shoot a lot and I am aggressive on defense. I like to put pressure on the other team. Offensively, I think my biggest impact will be my good IQ. I am able to read the defense and look at the best option and defensively, my biggest impact will be my good on-ball defense."
Coach Hurley will be looking to both of his new guards to chip in from the opening tip. "Maria and Monica have the experience to play and contribute right away. Maria and Monica have come through the CEGEP system. Both played at Division 1 level at CEGEP Montmorency and CEGEP Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu respectively. Maria was at Bishop's last year and is aware of the rigorous of the U SPORTS student-athlete schedule."
A pair of Brampton Warriors will also be joining the fold. Ashley Mauhay comes in from Loyola Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga and will be enrolling in the Concurrent Education program in the fall. The quick, feisty guard describes her game simply, saying, "My style of game is shooting threes, aggressive defense and quickness. I think my biggest impact the floor is my shooting and my press defence."
When it came to making her decision, it wasn't just the opportunities on the court that sealed the deal for Mauhay. "I've heard many great comments about Laurentian; the environment and the people are just amazing. Also, it provided smaller classes, which is a plus because I can actually make connections with my professors!"
Princess Bernardino rounds out the incoming class, joining the Voyageurs from Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School in Milton, ON. A future Kinesiology student, Bernardino prides herself on her playmaking ability. "I have good court vision and am a playmaker at heart," she said. "I make good passes but I'm also able to shoot from the three. I think my biggest impact on the court will be my playmaking, defence and communication skills. "
For Bernardino, her commitment checks off one of her major goals and opens the door for another. "The thing I'm looking forward to the most is the experience itself; it's always been a dream of mine to play at the university level so the whole thing is just very exciting. I also hope it can open some doors for me as I'm looking to play pro one day as well."
"Ashley and Princess come to us from one of the top girls' basketball organizations in North America," Coach Hurley commented. "The Brampton Warriors, led by Hugh Riley, teaches basketball the right way and have an impressive list of players that have come up through their program. Most recently, our own Emily Fisher, who was an integral part of our last playoff appearance, was a Brampton Warrior."
For Coach Hurley, the latest commitments will complement the team make-up extremely well. "I think these four quick guards will add a different dimension and mix in well to our six players who are 6'1" to 6'3" along with reigning Rookie of the Year, Helena, the perimeter shooting of Arielle, the toughness of Sid Crawford and the multi-faceted skill set of Maria La Rosa."