Raso makes transition to college ball
Welland’s Kate Raso was named to the Ontario College’s Athletic association (OCAA) East Division All-Rookie team with the Loyalist Lancers. PHOTOS BY: SASHA SEFTER/LOYALIST COLLEGE
Kate Raso couldn’t have asked for a better rookie season with the Loyalist Lancers.
The Welland native and Notre Dame graduate led her team in scoring with 231 points and 44 steals, putting her among the top -scoring rookies in the league. Raso turned in a season-high performance against the Centennial Colts in the second half of the season where she scored an impressive 26 points.
“I went in not thinking I wasn’t going to play a lot,” Raso said. “It ended up working out. We were short some players and a couple of rookies had to step up. It was really cool to get the opportunity to play as much as I did.
“Being able to play gave me the ability to do what I wanted to do.”
Raso, a 5-foot-6 guard, was quick to give her coaches and teammates credit her ability to play such a big role so quickly.
“I started so I played more of a leadership role once some of the other girls stepped down,” she said. “I had to step up.”
Raso played travel ball with the Welland Warriors and said that experience helped with the adjustment to the collegiate level.
“It’s a lot more physical and the girls are a lot bigger and it’s a lot more intense,” she said. “It helped with the transition for sure and getting the experience of playing bigger girls.
“In high school, we kind of just played local but in travel we got to experience Toronto teams which is what you experience at the college level.”
Raso said there was an adjustment period off the court as she adapted to being away from home.
“It was really difficult at first. My roommate is in nursing as well and she is in second year so that was real helpful to have that resource,” she said. “It was super difficult the first month but then you adapt to it. It’s still hard. It’s nice to come home and get home made meals and stuff like that.”
She is proud of her ability to juggle playing a varsity sport while taking a demanding course load.
“Basketball forced me to manage my time a lot more than if I wasn’t playing. I think it ended up helping my academics,” she said.
Raso said she intends to stay in Belleville once the school year is over to work on her game and also get a job.
She is already looking forward to next season. The Lancers finished with a 6-11 record this year.
“We did well with the circumstances and obstacles we had to overcome, I think we had a good season. With recruits coming in for next season, it will help us for sure. We’re a small team so it was difficult for us to compete against George Brown and the bigger colleges as a small school.
“For what we had to work with, we did well.”
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