Wednesday

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Contact:

Mark Kosak

Director, Athletics

University College of the Fraser Valley

Phone: 604-854-4583

UCFV coaches look to the future

At nine o’clock on a Saturday morning, most 18-year-olds are probably still in bed. Recently, however, a small group was assembled on the basketball court at the University College of the Fraser Valley for the Cascades annual spring ID camps.

Among the faces were local stars Greg Neufeld out of MEI and Danny Horner out of Mouat. Men’s coach Pat Lee set the tone for the morning by asking the hopefuls, “How hard do you want to work?” By the end of the three-hour camp, some players were feeling good about their chances when the real tryout come in September, while others have received a wake-up call about what it takes to play university basketball.

With UCFV basketball enjoying so much success over the past years, it is not an easy thing to walk into a gym, see national championship banners hanging overhead, and then go out and play your best. Lee emphasises defense and team play, but most of all he wants to see players who work hard.

Lee faces a tall task replacing three retiring players, including Brent Sedo and Kevin Dielman, each with two national championship rings, and solid post Mike McLaverty, who owns three.

Lee is confident about his team’s chances next year with the aforementioned Neufeld and Horner, fellow rookies Jared Bergen (Walnut Grove), Clayton Heuring (Thomas Haney), and Graeme McCallum (Terry Fox) joining third-year forward Jamie Vaughn, twin towers Shane Heuring and Kyle Graves, forward Jeff O’Brien, and third-year guard Lee Jackson.

“There was lots of nice talent here today,” said coach Lee. “It looks like we will be OK again.”

As for the women, coach Al Tuchscherer laid it on the line from the beginning: “We have 12 or 13 rosters spots available and 10 of those are already filled.” Tuchscherer was looking for players who were competitive at both ends of the floor to replace what may be the best class of players to have ever put on a Cascades uniform, namely All-Universe Lauren Alonzo, Cassi Born, Kalisha Reid, and Shiloh Minor.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of not having those four this year,” says Tuchscherer. “This will be the first year that all the players who are on this team were brought in by me and I am anxious to see how it turns out.”

The Cascades will go from a veteran squad to a very young squad, with only two players – Jamie Born and Estee Clifford – having played more than two years. With Born entering her fourth and final year, look for her to blow up.

“Jamie is going to dominate the league next year, no question,” says Tuchscherer. With Born, Clifford, and returning players Leah Garrigus, Olivia Hunt, Deanna Macrae, Ashley Teister, and Laura Hallinan joined by high schoolers Michelle Buhler (MEI), Carmella Silvestri (Thomas Haney), Monty Chohan (Abbotsford Senior), and Megan McAlister (Riverside), the Cascades will be looking to continue their record-breaking stomp through the BCCAA.

Perhaps the biggest asset to the Cascades’ coming season, both literally and figuratively, is 6”6’ post Natalia Grzywna, who redshirted with the team last season and appears ready to make an impact in the league.

“Even though we will be a better perimeter team this year, our posts will need to step up. If they do, then we will be well on our way,” says Tuchscherer. “There are a lot of ifs next season, but there were this season, too, and we did OK. I’m optimistic.”

For coaches and players around the BCCAA, when Tuchscherer is optimistic it’s a scary thought.

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