Badgers rookie delivers on potential
Rookie Madalyn Weinert has been all that and more for the Brock Badgers women’s basketball team.
The 18-year-old was on head coach Mike Rao’s radar when he took over the team prior to the start of the 2018-19 season and her name was prominently displayed on a whiteboard in his office for months on end. The Eden grad committed to McMaster in February 2021 before a last-minute change of heart landed her on Rao’s doorstep last fall.
“The stoppage in play really didn’t help anybody but she’s more than I expected,” Rao said. “She is an aggressive-type player and the only thing she needs to learn is our overall system, what we are trying to create and she has to learn how to trust her teammates. That is no different that any other player who has come up from high school, They have been the best player on their team and now they are a player. They have to learn to score, rebound and attack within how we set up.”
Weinert agrees with that assessment.
“It is taking a step back and realizing everyone is going to do their jobs and be great at their jobs,” she said. “It was hard to adjust to not being the one but it has been good for me because I have been able to see how when everyone works together that good things can come of it.”
It has also been adjustment for her to learn to play against women.
“It is a lot more physical and you have to work for where you want to go,” she said. “They are not going to let you rebound right over top of them. You have to get that good positioning or out-run or out-jump them which can be difficult as everyone is bigger, stronger and faster. It is about playing smarter because it is hard to be only athletic.”
In seven games for the 7-0 and third-ranked Badgers, the former Juel Prep First Team all-star and All-Defensive Team member is averaging 11.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 27.3 minutes per game. Weinert has started every game for Brock.
“She is one of our top six or seven rotation players whether she starts or not and she is going to play a lot of minutes,” Rao said. “She is developing every game and she has had some really good games.”
He can’t even guess how high her ceiling could be.
“She has so much room for improvement. Her game allows her to do so many things.”
Weinert is enjoying the journey.
“Things are going really good,” she said. “I love it here and it has been super fun. I love my coaches and the people I get to play with.”
She feels her game is progressing.
“We have been working on my shot a little bit and I have been getting used to playing surrounded by other people who are better than me,” the medical sciences major said.
She is looking forward to taking her game to the next level.
“It’s getting stronger and having a full off-season with hopefully no breaks because of COVID. It is also continuing to work together with the team to build that relationship, knowing where people are going to be on the floor and having trust in everybody that they are going to do what they have been told to do.”
She is having a lot of fun playing in front of family and friends.
“I have had a lot of different people come to watch: our neighbours; the kids I have been babysitting and all of their families; and, my cousins. It has been super exciting to see them in the stands.”
She enjoys playing for Rao.
“I love how invested he is in not only the basketball side of things but also how much he cares about you as a person. He’s willing to sit down with you whenever there is something you are not getting or help you with a problem you are having. I also love how much fun we have at practice. We get stuff done but we have a ton of fun.”
The Badgers resume their season after the latest pandemic pause Saturday at Windsor before returning home Wednesday at 6 p.m. to play the McMaster Marauders.
Getting through the shutdown wasn’t easy.
“It was really hard especially when you see out west that they didn’t stop and down in the States they haven’t stopped,” Weinert said. “It’s all about being positive and being hopeful. I am very thankful that we are able to get back.
