Flyers focusing on big picture
The Eden Flyers senior girls basketball team figure to be a work in progress this season.
The Flyers, who feature a good mix of veterans and rookies, had 10 players try out for the team and head coach Brian MacIssac kept them all.
“We don’t have any expectations. I was just talking to the girls about taking our starting point and just trying to get better every practice and every game,” MacIssac said Thursday as the Flyers defeated the St. Francis Phoenix 50-30 at the Phoenix Girls Basketball Tournament.
MacIssac is more concerned with the process than the end goal at this point.
“It’s such a short season and so quick it’s hard to develop the players like you would like to,” he said. “We don’t have any goals about winning this or winning that. We want to compete in every game and play hard and we want to grow and see where you are in two months. If you’re there, you’re there. If not, you did your best.
“We have kids with great attitudes who are there every practice so far, all of them, which is awesome.”
The Flyers will lean heavily on veterans Avery Cushing, Erika Rouse and Julia McNeaney, as well as talented Grade 11 student Madalyn Weinert.
“We have four players who have quite a bit of basketball experience outside of school,” MacIssac said. “The other side of that is we have five or six kids who don’t really play basketball besides in school.”
Cushing and Rouse will be the co-captains as voted on by the team.
Cushing will run the offence and is also a top-notch defender.
“She’s a very smart, intelligent player,” MacIssac said. “She’s been playing basketball for many years. She leads the offence and sets and is a great defensive player. She’s our on-ball defender.”
Cushing is looking forward to the challenge.
“I think this year he’s going to work on me being the leader of the team and helping people with the plays and knowing where to go because we have a lot of new people who don’t play,” she said. “Just facilitating on and off the court.
“It will be a challenge but it will help me with my season outside of school.”
Rouse has travel ball experience with CYO and is a centre/power forward.
“She’s a rebounder who brings a lot of enthusiasm and energy. She’s really taken on a leadership role this year. She’s been very encouraging,” MacIssac said.
Weinert is a diamond in the rough.
“The raw talent and athleticism is off the charts,” MacIssac said. “She’s potentially a top player in the region. She has great skills, she can run and jump, and is a great defender and incredible rebounder.
“She needs to refine her skills a little bit but she works on it continuously and she’s a very dedicated player and student.”
McNeaney, a Grade 12 student who has travel ball experience in Grimsby, and Isabel Neufeld round out the starting five.
Angela Martin, Kennedy Johnston, Shannon Norder, Cara DiTeodoro and Morgan Cushing are the other members of the Flyers.
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