More honours for Brock women’s basketball
Brock women’s basketball head coach Mike Rao has had enough of the individual awards.
After picking up the Ontario University Athletics and USPORTS women’s basketball coach of the year honours earlier this year, the veteran coached was named OUA male coach of the year May 6.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
Just like the two previous awards, Rao gave all the credit to his players for putting together a program best 27-8 record, winning the school’s first OUA women’s hoops title since 1982-83 and earning a silver medal at the national championships. He is way more excited that his club was named OUA women’s team of the year this week.
“I know it’s recognition of all the accolades we got this year and it’s recognition for everyone,” he said. “I think it is a super honour.”
He describes it as his proudest achievement.
Rao felt there was a ton of attributes that made the team special.
“The biggest one is that they were a smart club,” he said. “I don’t think people realized how intelligent they were and intelligence took us a long way.”
The second most important attribute was that everyone bought in to what the coaching staff was preaching.
“We scouted a lot, I thought certain things would work and they just lapped it up and there was no resistance to anything,” he said. “We made half-time adjustments, we made quarter adjustments depending on what I saw and these kids were smart enough to pick it up.”
The final factor in the Badgers’ incredible run was the team’s dogged determination.
“It was their all-out willingness to play hard and they did,” Rao said.
That hard work came as much in practices as in games.
“People didn’t see that we were correcting (Melissa) Tatti’s shot, we were correcting (Jess) Morris’ shot and Sam’s (Keltos) shot. Any adjustment we made, they followed through and did it.”
Rao has a big challenge ahead for the 2020-21 season with the departures of Tatti, Morris and Sofia Croce. Tatti is done her eligibility and graduated, Croce is entering teachers college and Morris is starting a masters program.
“The two have a year left but it is time for them to go and women are career-oriented,” he said. “I understand that they can’t make the commitment because they have to figure out the rest of their lives. And I am for that.”
The returnees are led by Sam Keltos, Kristin Gallant and Jenneke Pilling.
Rao has never been one to shy away from a challenge.
“Things have to change and we have to replace them but we will see. I have been in worse spots and we will work a little harder and do all the little things,” he said. “I am not going to change what we have been doing and we will see where the formula takes us this time.”
Brock varsity wrestlers Hannah Taylor and Clayton Pye were nominated for the OUA female and male athlete of the year awards but didn’t win.
“Our student/athletes, coaches, support staff and the entire University have a lot to be proud of,” associate director of Brock Sports Emily Allan told The BrockNews. “We were nominated in four of the six major award categories and I think that speaks volumes about the kind of student/athletes we recruit and the competitive Badgers that we are.”
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