Redcoats learning on the fly
The Governor Simcoe Redcoats girls basketball team will be a work in progress in 2018.
“We have a very young team and a lot of people who have only played basketball in high school,” Simcoe coach Jill Stiefelmeyer said. “We have one travel player and that is it.”
The Redcoats are hoping to overcome that lack of hoops experience with their other attributes.
“We have a lot of athleticism and athletes out there, but we are young and inexperienced,” Stiefelmeyer said. “As the year goes on, we will get better every game.”
The Redcoats played their first games this week in the St. Francis tournament.
“This week, we only worked on plays and we didn’t do any defensive drills or anything like that,” she said. “We have a lot to build on and I was actually pleased with our first game.”
That game Thursday was a 34-20 loss to a much-improved Greater Fort Erie squad.
It’s the second straight year Governor Simcoe has run a varsity program, a combination of the junior and senior teams.
“Unfortunately now, a lot of programs aren’t getting the numbers out,” Stiefelmeyer said. “Kids are working and are busy with other things and we had to make a decision.
“We had eight players of senior age and six juniors so we went with one team. Hopefully we will be able to get a lot of the young players in and we can see what they can do.”
Stiefelmeyer is in for the long haul.
“We have everyone back next year so we have two years to work with them and that will help out,” she said.
This season, Stiefelmeyer will be relying heavily on her one travel player, Allison Addy. Addy is coming off a strong rookie season at Simcoe and an equally fine campaign with the Niagara JUEL Prep squad.
“Ally is very good,” Stiefelmeyer said. “She is our go to person and she can take the ball to the hoop at any time.”
Addy will have a lot of responsibilities with Simcoe.
“She has lots of experience with the JUEL Prep team and she sees the court very well,” Stiefelmeyer said. “She has the freedom to go to the hoop any time she wants to and her game will come. She is expected to do a lot out there and she will have to step up.”
Addy will have her hands full during the high school season.
“She will be double teamed and she will be guarded by the best player,” Stiefelmeyer said.
The 15-year-old is looking forward to that challenge.
“I like it when teams collapse on me so long as I can find the open man,” the 5-foot-10 player said.
Addy is entering her second year of senior high school basketball and feels she has improved from her rookie season.
“I think I have more confidence driving to the net this year, but I still want to look to the open player for a pass,” she said.
Addy knows she is far from a finished product.
“I would like to work on my defence and get more aggressive,” she said. “And rebounding is one of the big things I think I can be better at.”
