Strength in numbers

With the start of the 2015-16 season around the corner for the McMaster Women’s Basketball team, a new challenge has shown up for the ladies. It goes far beyond points on a score sheet or standings in their division and it is a test that will show their strength and resilience for a team that plays with their heart on their sleeves.

For 22 seasons now, head coach Theresa Burns has helped push her team to greatness. Under her leadership the team has won OUA championships and made CIS national appearances. Burns has also been named OUA West Coach of the Year and CIS Basketball Coach of the Year for her hard work with the team.

While Burns was often busy dealing with challenges on the court, one of her greatest struggles was battling breast cancer. After overcoming her first diagnosis years ago, during a routine mammogram this summer, Burns learned that the cancer had returned.

Though the team was given the news by Burns during the summer months, the support they give each other when the season starts will be important for a team that wants to make a national championship appearance.

Coming off an improved 15-4 record last season, the team’s morale is high. This new season will feel different than past ones without Burns on the sidelines calmly cheering her team on.

“You hear it all the time that the best life skills you learn are through sport. There are going to be roadblocks but it is how you get through them that matters most. To have a locker room full of girls that are all going through the same situations makes it easier for us to rely on each other,” said captain Danielle Boiago.

With Burns currently undergoing treatment, the squad is currently looking to assistant coach, Anne Marie Thuss, who is in constant communication with Burns filling her in on the team’s growth and the progress made in the gym.

“They are extremely strong women and have continued with the process that coach Burns has laid out for them,” said Thuss.

Though Burns’ absence in Burridge is noticed, her expectations for the team are still present and the work ethic has remained the same on the court. Practices and lifts haven’t changed, and the hunger for a team with potential is untouched.

Teams come together on the court with the common goal of winning, but this Sunday, Oct. 4, the McMaster Women’s Basketball team will take part in the CIBC Run for the Cure: to bring awareness to the lives affected by breast cancer and to help fight for a cure.

McMaster basketball alumni, friends, families and the McMaster community have supported Team TB (Theresa Burns) with more than $15,000 currently raised, showing just how much of a positive impact she has had on so many lives.

“The run is a small way for us to do something for a person that has done so much for us,” said Boiago.

The McMaster campus is no stranger to breast cancer initiatives. McMaster Athletics hosts Think Pink week, dedicated to breast cancer awareness. It is always a success on campus and brings people together through the love of sport and the awareness to find a cure for breast cancer. This past year’s basketball game was special as guard Siobhan Manning scored a season-high 15 points, months after her mother was diagnosed with the disease.

Though Burns is not able to be in the gym with her team at the moment, the things she has taught her players on and off the court will be the push needed for them to strive for excellence. From basketball plays and drills to life lessons and wise words, Burns has taught her players how to succeed on hardwood and in life.

“Coach is a fighter in every sense of the word. She has taught us to put 110 percent effort in everything that we do but more importantly to believe in our abilities as athletes and as people,” said Boiago.

As the season starts in just a few weeks, the team is aware of the support they have from their coach, whether she is on the sidelines or watching from home.

Photo Credit: Yousif Haddad