Brock women honour super seniors
Missy Tatti greeted seniors night with mixed emotions.
“I’m excited, I’m happy and I am a little bit sad at the same time,” she said prior to the Badgers’ Wednesday game against the visiting York Lions. “It’s also a little bittersweet. It is a little bit early for the game because I know we are going to be back for the playoffs.”
The former Ontario Univeraity Athletics all-star and all-rookie team member is having a hard time believing her university basketball career is coming to an end.
“I would never have thought it would have gone this quickly,” the 23-year-old Ancaster native said. “You think you have next year and the next year and then here you are.
“I hear the rookies talking about having four more years and I am thinking that they don’t understand,” she said. “It goes so quickly.”
The 5-foot-4 guard came into Wednesday’s game leading the OUA in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game and assists per game (7.0). She padded those stats Wednesday with her second straight 30-point game as Brock defeated York 73-55.
Her play has Brock leading its division with a 14-3 record making this season the highlight of her career.
“It started last year with (Mike) Rao coaching,” she said. “Last year we weren’t as talented, but this year’s we have the talent and the horses to go,” she said. “I know we can push through the playoffs this year and last year was a little bit unknown because we didn’t have a winning program.”
Her career low point was sitting out a year at Brock because she was unhappy with the coach at the time.
“My family and my friends helped me through everything, but it was definitely one of the lowest points of my life.”
The return under Rao became that much sweeter for Tatti and her parents.
“As much as I did it for myself, I came back for them too because it has been a big part of their lives.”
At least as far as hair colour goes, Tatti will end her career the same way she began.
“I started my basketball career blond when I was six or seven years old and now I am ending it blond too,” she said, with a laugh. “My dad asked me if I had done it on purpose.”
Tatti will graduate this spring in social sciences and she is not exactly sure what lies ahead.
“Rao wants me to go play pro in Europe but I am not too sure if I want to do that,” the Bishop Tonnos alumnus said. “I am probably going to do stuff with my business.”
She has a YouTube channel called Threadsobsessed that deals with fashion and other topics.
Brock head coach Mike Rao has run out of words to praise Tatti.
“What can I tell you?” he said. “She is super to coach, a fine young lady and I love her to death.
“Her blueprint is all over this team and I think it is going to be on this program for years to come. She has set a standard.”
Also honoured Wednesday as a graduating senior was 23-year-old Guelph native Jess Morris. Morris scored all of her eight points Wednesday in the decisive fourth quarter.
Prior to the game, she expected in to be an emotional night.
“Especially for me because I quit basketball twice in my university career and I didn’t expect to ever see a seniors night,” the 5-foot-8 guard said. “It’s something that I am proud of being able to accomplish and come back into the sport that I love.
“But it is also sad because I think this team is just getting started and they have a bright future. I am glad I could at least be a small part of it for at least a year.”
The therapeutic recreation major sat out one year when she transferred to Brock from Guelph and then, like Tatti, sat out another because of the coaching situation at Brock.
She can’t believe her career is reaching its conclusion.
“It feels like last year was my first year and for Melissa (Tatti) and I, we are both technically in our sixth year based on our age,” she said. “It’s crazy to think that six years of university off and on playing have gone by already.
“I am glad that I was able to share three years of the journey with her.”
The Bishop MacDonell product came into Wednesday’s game averaging 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in a season that clearly has been the high point of her career at Brock.
“This year, beating Ryerson was huge because Melissa and I had never beaten Ryerson before,” she said.
Brock has followed it up with victories over McMaster, Windsor and Queen’s.
“Those are all teams that I had never beaten and didn’t expect to ever beat in my university career,” she said. “This year has been full of highs for me.”
Her obvious low point was the second time she sat out a year at Brock.
“Looking back on it now, we both learned a lot from that year taking a step back from basketball,” she said. “We leaned on each other to get through it and being able to come back has made us stronger.”
At the conclusion of this year, Morris is hoping to get into an occupational therapy program at University of Toronto, McMaster or Western and, if not, she has also applied to Brock’s masters of applied health science program.
“My career might not be over, but we are kind of looking to close that door,” she said of her remaining year of eligibility.
Rao will miss her if she is done.
“Jessica was one of the first girls I reached out to when I got the job and I am just so grateful that she trusted me for the last couple of years,” he said. “She is a super kid and a great basketball player.”
York fell to 10-7 with the loss. The Lions came in riding a five-game winning streak.
“They are a very, very good team,” Rao said. “In the second half, we made a few shots and we cleaned it up a bit.”
Badgers 73 Lions 55
BPSN Player of the Game: Brock’s Missy Tatti with her second straight 30-point game.
For the Brock Badgers: Tatti 30; Kristen Gallant 10; Sofia Croce 10; Jess Morris 8.
For the York Lions: Lauren Colding 17; Katrina Collins-Samuels 10; Cyanna King 10; Megan MacLeod 8.
Game stats: Field goal percentage: Brock 41.4, York 26.4. Free throws: Brock 6-8, York 10-11. Rebounds: Brock 30, York 46. Turnovers: Brock 12 , York 20.
Up next: Brock is at Ryerson Saturday
