Addy ready to take next step
Allie Addy had a true baptism by fire last season with the Brock Badgers women’s basketball team.
The 19-year-old St. Catharines resident suffered a high ankle sprain and was unable to play any of the games before Christmas. Her start of the season was then delayed by the COVID 19 pandemic.
When she finally was healthy enough to compete, it was just in time to suit up for the Badgers in some crucial Ontario University Athletics playoff games and at the USPORTS national championships. The Governor Simcoe product was on the floor for some important minutes, including 19 minutes of action in Brock’s 72-70 loss to Ryerson in the OUA championship game. She also averaged more than nine minutes of playing time in Brock’s three games at the USPORTS championships.
“It was tough coming back because I came back for the last couple of games of the playoffs,” the 5-foot-10 guard said. “It was really intense but all my teammates really encouraged me every time I was on the floor. That made it easy getting back into it.”
She was excited to play at the nationals in her rookie season.
“It was fun being there and getting to experience it.”
The concurrent education student admitted she was caught off-guard by how much she played in big games.
“I was surprised and I enjoyed every second of it.”
But she knows why head coach Mike Rao put her on the floor.
“I worked hard at practice and did whatever was asked of me.”
Addy didn’t look out of place when the games mattered other than a little bit of hesitation to shoot the ball or take in to the rim.
“Everyone tells me that I need to shoot more every time I get the ball. I have been working on that a lot and it means a lot hearing that from all the girls. It means that they trust me and I really appreciate that.”
She is hoping being tentative will be a thing of the past.
“I want to get out of that. I want to go up with confidence and be confident with every shot that I take. That is one of my main focuses this year.”
She has also been working on getting stronger to deal with playing against older athletes.
“Taylor (lead sport performance coach Tiessen) and the BSPC (Brock Sports Performance Centre) worked us out in the summer. I have been taking lifting more seriously because I am trying to get stronger. It inspires me to see all the other girls doing pull-ups with no band assistance. It greats to have a group of girls to work with and better each other.”
Head coach Mike Rao has listed Addy as someone he is looking to this season as the Badgers enter rebuild mode.
“That’s a big compliment coming from Rao but I try to work hard offensively and defensively, come up with a lot of energy, steals and offensive and defensive rebounds and make the most of my time,” she said. “It doesn’t just better you, it makes everybody on the floor better.”
Addy is all about helping her teammates succeed.
“I like to try to get everyone involved and look for the open man because I trust each one of these girls to take and make a shot.”
The former Niagara Juel player doesn’t disagree with the idea the team is rebuilding but she isn’t conceding the team can’t have success in 2022-23.
“We have bunch of players from last year but those players are now in different roles than they were last year. I agree that it is a rebuild but I trust all the girls on the team and we work hard. We are all here every day all day and I see the work that we put in. I think it will be a good season.”
She wants to improve right along with her squad.
“I want to be more effective on the offensive end and I want to be able to look for my shot. On the defensive end, I want to bring energy to the floor and do anything I can to help the team out.”
Rao likes what Addy brings to the court.
“Her effort every day is good, she learns really quickly and she is excellent with the ball. And she can shoot it. She brings a lot of the intangibles to the game.”
The Badgers open their season tonight in Toronto and will host Laurier Saturday at 6 p.m.
