Brock women look to shake rust
Welland native Courtney McPherson has started in two games for the Brock women’s basketball team this season.
The Brock women’s basketball team can be excused if it looked a little rusty starting the Ontario University Athletics season with losses to Laurier and Guelph last weekend.
“I have eight players who didn’t play last season,” head coach Mike Rao said.
Among the list of non-rookie players who didn’t play university ball last season are Lauren Dempsey, Allie Columbus, Jessica Morris, Shannon Northey, Sofia Croce, Maddy Gojmeric, Miia Sorra and Melissa Tatti.
“I needed to change the whole roster so I scoured the school to see who was here and looked at who used to play, who played where, who did what and I went after it,” Rao said.
Tatti, who averaged 13.8 points per games for Brock before taking the 2017-18 off, is the key returnee for Brock and netted a team-high 24 for the Badgers in a 70-63 loss to Guelph.
“She is a great player and a good overall person,” Rao said. “She is always interested in getting better and learning. She fell into our lap and that was good. I wish we could give her a little more help, but it is what it is. She is doing her best to pull this team together.”
Tatti is going to be a big piece for Brock this season.
“We know we are counting on her a lot, but she relishes that opportunity,” Rao said. “She’s a quick learner and she’s falling into what we want to do as a team.”
Morris, a senior guard/forward from Guelph, is expected to play a key role for Brock down the line.
“Although she hasn’t done much yet, she is coming,” Rao said. “She is stepping up, doing some things I really like and I think she’s going to be a big part of what we do.”
Rao also likes what he has seen from veteran Baelie Campbell.
“She has been a role player for most of her career here, but she is stepping up and doing some things I really like.”
Tatti, Miranda Smith, Courtney McPherson, Kristin Gallant and Campbell have started both games for Brock this season, but Rao says he doesn’t have a set starting five.
“I go by our week’s practice, who is giving me the best effort. They are practising hard, they go at it and based on what I see in the week, that’s who I kind of put forward.
Rao has not done the expected early in his first season as the Brock women’s head coach.
“People who they love here are not playing as many minutes as they thought they were going to because we play a bit different ball than what is used to here,” he said. “That’s why it’s taking time and it’s a process.
“It’s going to take time to get us where we want to go. It’s not a set play or give it to one player and go. Tatti is having some success because she is distributing the ball and she is making other players better. And in the aftermath, she is getting better.”
The status quo is no longer acceptable at Brock.
“I’ve got players on this team who are used to individual play and Melissa is included in that,” he said.
Rao is trying to implement a system he used as a high school coach at Notre Dame.
“I like to distribute the ball and we want everybody to get the ball,” he said. “I like player movement, I like ball movement, I want to get the ball inside and kick it back out.
“We want constant motion and to get the ball in everybody’s hands.”
He is interested to see how that approach will work at the university level
“I did it in high school and it was highly successful, but who the hell knows for university?” he said. “I’m not planning it to be much different but the difference is at Notre Dame I had four years to develop it. When they came in, they were indoctrinated and they did it.”
It’s a brave new world for Rao.
“I don’t know girls and I don’t know the landscape too well,” he said. “I’m trying to make some inroads and do that and my goal is to change the identity a little bit — maybe a lot.”
Rao isn’t promising any immediate results or voicing optimism that a winning streak is right around the corner.
“All I can tell you is that we are working hard and it shows,” he said. “Whether that translates into some wins, I certainly hope so but I don’t know for sure.”
Rao is also working hard to get up to speed on OUA women’s basketball.
“It is my first time through the league as well and I don’t know any teams and I am just getting to know players through film and stuff,” he said. “But film is not the same as playing against them.”
Contributing for Brock in a 63-51 loss to Laurier were: Smith, 14 points and five rebounds; Tatti, 11 points and seven steals; and, McPherson, 11 points and eight rebounds.
Leading the way for Brock in a 70-63 loss to Guelph were: Tatti, 24 points, nine steals and six rebounds; Smith, 10 points; and, Campbell, eight points.
Brock’s men are to a 2-0 start following victories over Laurier and Guelph last weekend.
Leading the way for Brock in a 84-75 victory over Laurier were: Johneil Simpson, 27 points and seven rebounds; Tyler Brown, 15 points and nine assists; Cassidy Ryan, 13 points and six rebounds; and, Noah LaPierre, nine points and 10 rebounds.
Performing well for Brock in a 102-85 triumph over Guelph were: Ryan, 20 points; Simpson, 18 points; Brown, 13 points; LaPierre, 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists; and, Mitch Saunders, 10 points and seven boards.
