Following the Marauders basketball team’s 74-67 win against the TMU Bold, they gear up for their next challenge against the Queen’s Gaels
As the McMaster University Marauders continue their Ontario University Athletics playoffs, the air is thick with anticipation.
Coming off a vigorous win against the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold, the team is riding a wave of confidence while maintaining a realistic outlook of the challenges ahead.
The Marauders’ recent victory over TMU began with a rocky start as they fell behind in the early stages of the game. The Bold's aggressive opening led to them securing the first quarter 20-12. However, the resilient mindset within the squad picked up as the game carried on.
Sparked by Nathan Charles' steal and reverse layup, McMaster clawed back, gradually overturning the score through strategic plays and sheer determination.
This win was particularly sweet given the team's journey so far. Facing the departure of some veteran players, the injuries of key players like Ares Culley-Bremner and Brendan Amoyaw and integrating fresh talent have been formidable challenges this year.
"At the beginning of the season, people thought that we weren’t going to win thatt much. We lost a lot of our players [and] our veterans… We really just have to go out there and do what we know we can do," stated Charles.
As attention turns to the upcoming game against Queen's University on Feb. 24, the Marauders know what faces them ahead. Previous encounters have tested their abilities, with the last matchup ending in a 76-67 win for the Gaels. The Gaels’ physicality and focus on dominating the paint present significant obstacles the team will look forward to.
"We know we’re going to have to play physical. Queen’s is one of the better teams. . .I’m going to try and set the tone early so we can hopefully go up in the first and second quarter and keep on building from there," said Charles.
As the team prepares to take on Queen’s, who come into the playoffs with an 11 game winning streak, their strategy aims to match physicality with tenacity, focus on teamwork and maintain the momentum. The playoffs are not just a test of skill but a testament to the Marauders' spirit and resilience.
With their eyes on the prize, the team is ready to give it their all, setting an inspiring example of what it means to compete with heart and hustle.
C/O Travis Nguyen
An in-depth look at the Marauders basketball teams after years of success
Anyone who has been following Ontario University Athletics basketball recently would be quick to note the Marauders as one of the powerhouse teams in the league. Not only have the men’s and women’s teams started their 2021-2022 seasons strong, with both holding a five and one record, but recent history also sits in their favour.
Over the past decade, the men’s team holds a strong record of 122-73 in regular season play. The women’s team holds an even stronger 144-55 record with a championship victory from the 2018-2019 season to top it off, their first since the dominant 2000s run, which saw four championships in a 10-year stretch.
Having attained sustainable success, a rare and difficult to achieve outcome in sports, a deeper analysis into McMaster’s basketball program was completed to understand how the school can continue pumping out strong results year after year.
In reviewing the men’s team, it is an offense-heavy squad which has begun to improve its defense as well. They’re capable of scoring 90+ points on any given day, and find several scorers in double digits each game. On the defensive end, the team has begun to find great success in poking the ball away and racking up steals.
MBB | After bouncing back in the second half, the Marauders brought home the win 96-78!
— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) November 20, 2021
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Despite a slow defensive start to the season, the Marauders quickly picked themselves up and have become much more alive on the defensive end. Last time out against the Algoma Thunderbirds they tallied together to set a single game season high of 22 steals, defying their typical reputation as an offense first team.
The team is primarily based around offensive menace Jordan Henry, who holds a season statline of 22.7 points per game while shooting 54.1 per cent from the field and averaging 5.5 assists. The team is very top-heavy, but has a very strong group up top, including Sefa Otchere, Christian Bentley, Mychael Paulo and Mike Demagus, who commonly finish the game among the best performing leaders in several categories (minutes, points, assists, etc.).
When asked about the early season success, Demagus commented on the brand of basketball the team has played and the culture found within the organization.
“We all have one goal in common and that’s to win. Everyone on our team knows their role. Everyone on our team knows what they have to do for us to win and that’s where we come as a collective. No one outshines anyone else because everyone knows what they’ve got to do to win,” said Demagus.
Demagus would later shift his focus to head coach Patrick Tatham, a highly respected coach in the league. Prior to coming to McMaster, Tatham was an assistant coach of the Maine Red Claws of the NBA’s G-League, where he coached future and former NBA players including (but not limited to) Malcolm Miller (NBA champion), Damion Lee, Abdel Nader and Ryan Kelly.
“It’s great knowing we have someone with that type of experience that’s under our wing. He’s constantly trying to prepare us for the next level,” explained Demagus.
“It’s great knowing we have someone with that type of experience that’s under our wing. He’s constantly trying to prepare us for the next level.”
Mike Demagus, point guard
Finally, Demagus explained the close culture within the team and how comfortable each player feels with one another. When asked to choose one word to describe the culture of the team, Demagus chose “brotherhood,” describing the closeness of the team and how the lack of anonymity provides an advantage to the Marauders.
The rich culture was one of the most discussed reasons for success in the interview with Demagus, which soon became a common theme with the women crediting similar reasoning for their success.
The highly successful McMaster women’s team is a highly balanced squad with significant depth up and down the roster. They revolve around star point guard Sarah Gates, who holds season averages of 25.5 points and 7.7 rebounds, while shooting 52.6 per cent from the field. She also holds a season high of 38 points, which was significant in her achieving the OUA player of the month.
Beyond Gates, the team has a very deep rotation, where it’s common to see nearly every single player get minutes. Individual game point leaders regularly rotate through and many members of the team can step up when needed. Rebounds and assists are dispersed through the entire lineup and this has become one of the team's biggest strengths.
Tori Rigas-Didomenico, a point guard for the Marauders, discussed the chemistry of the team and the drive that they show in always wanting to be the best that they can be.
“From day one I could tell this was a cohesive group. It’s a “one team, one heartbeat” kind of thing. We’re working together on the court and off the court to have the most successful team possible . . . Our team is always ready to learn. We have that collective mindset and are pushing ourselves to the limit. I think that’s where our success comes from,” said Rigas-Didomenico.
“From day one I could tell this was a cohesive group. It’s a “one team, one heartbeat” kind of thing. We’re working together on the court and off the court to have the most successful team possible."
Tori Rigas-Didomenico, point guard
When asked about the impact the coaching staff has had on the team's success and development, Rigas-Didomenico was very quick to praise the job of coach Theresa Burns and staff.
“We have such amazing and committed coaches that care about us as players and people and that starts with coach Theresa Burns. She really knows how to connect with us on an individual level and make us the best players and people we can be. We all look up to her and see her as a role model, on and off the court,” explained Rigas-Didomenico.
Just as Demagus was asked of the men's team, Rigas-Didomenico was asked to provide a one-word description of the culture within the organization and the answer she provided was very similar to that of Demagus.
“It would have to be ‘home’ or ‘family’ — those two words really stand out to me,” said Rigas-Didomenico.
Although there is no definitive answer, the culture of both teams seems to be a strong reason for their success. The men and women both feel extremely strong connections with their teammates and always try to work as a collective unit, pushing the boundaries both on and off the court.
With a strong culture and coaching staff in place, it makes sense as to why the Marauders can recruit such high-level talent. It also makes sense that they can translate their relationships off the court into on-court chemistry and overall success.
C/O McMaster Sports
The women’s basketball team hits the ground running in the first month of play
As many McMaster students have become used to seeing, the women’s basketball team is once again finding themselves in the midst of a strong season. Despite a fairly inexperienced roster full of athletes making their university debuts, the team went into the winter break with a record of five to one, their only loss having come to the Guelph Gryphons.
Through the course of the season it has become very obvious that the Marauders have done a great job at playing team basketball, which has played a big part in their success. They regularly beat the opposing teams in assists by wide margins, and commonly find themselves sharing the load when it comes to scoring. It isn’t uncommon for the team to have several scorers bunched up around the leading individual point totals.
With such a young team, it’s rare to find such strong chemistry so early on, but according to forward Amy Stinson, that’s exactly what the team has been able to create.
“This year is very special for us. We have a lot of new girls, it’s a big new group. Going into the season in November we were really finding our chemistry, so as [games] went on, we were learning more and more about each other and our strengths . . . We were confident in each other and we were confident in ourselves,” said Stinson.
Stinson, a jack of all trades, frequently finds herself making a difference in the box score, whether it be by way of scoring, rebounding, or anything else. Stinson discussed the importance of being an all around player and how much focus she puts on scoring compared to all else.
“I like to look at the little things, like positioning on defence, rebounds, assists. It’s the stuff I look at when I [evaluate] my all around game. I’m happy with what I’ve been doing, but I think there’s a lot more I can do,” said Stinson.
"I like to look at the little things, like positioning on defence, rebounds, assists. It's the stuff I look at when I [evaluate] my all around game. I'm happy with what I've been doing, but I think there's a lot more I can do,"
Amy Stinson, Forward
Through the season Stinson has become a fairly consistent scoring option for the team, regularly finding herself among the teams top scorers. Despite this, she stressed that scoring isn’t actually a major focus in her game and is rather something that just comes as a result of the way the team has played.
“Scoring has actually never been something I’ve made a priority and I think that’s why I’ve had this success I’ve had this season; I don’t put much pressure on myself. I find that when I’m just in the game and playing for my teammates, sometimes it’ll just come,” explained Stinson
This season Stinson and [Sarah] Gates have been the only players on the team to find themselves scoring double digits on multiple occasions. Despite sharing this achievement, Stinson considers Gates to be on a whole different level.
“Sarah [Gates] is just another story, she’s just [incredible] . . . To her that stuff just comes naturally because she’s just outstanding,” said Stinson.
"Sarah [Gates] is just another story, she's just [incredible] . . . To her that stuff just comes naturally because she's just outstanding,"
Amy Stinson, Forward
After several strong performances in November, Gates was named the Ontario University Athletics female player of the month, putting up a league leading 25.5 points per game while shooting to a 52.6 per cent field goal percentage, accompanied by per game averages of 7.7 rebounds, two assists and two steals while shooting 38.6 per cent from three point range.
“It was my first time ever getting that award, so it was really nice! I was a little bit shocked to get it, but honestly, this will sound pretty cliche, but that’s not my focus. My focus is just to get to that national level and compete from there. We have the team to do it . . . I just see good things to come,” said Gates.
Gates, despite her own consistently strong performances, praised the efforts of her team, suggesting that they are going against the grain in what is stereotypically a “rebuilding year” in university sports.
“We have such a unique group this year, especially since it’s such a young team. The amount of work ethic and drive our team has is pretty awesome . . . When so many new [players] are coming in, people usually say it’s a rebuilding year. I wouldn’t say that — we’re definitely really good. I like being the underdog and we’ll take that to our advantage," explained Gates.
"When so many new [players] are coming in, people usually say it’s a rebuilding year. I wouldn’t say that — we’re definitely really good. I like being the underdog and we’ll take that to our advantage,”
Sarah Gates
One of the most notable games of the season was against the Gryphons on Nov. 13. After losing by a 28 point spread on Nov. 10, the team was able to refocus and pick themselves up before their next game on Nov. 13. Gates paved the way, having scored 38 points while shooting 67 per cent from the field and from three. She also put up 11 rebounds and five assists in the redemption game, which the Marauders would win by a final score of 74-70.
Gates suggested that the loss was just a part of being a young team and facing their first “strong” opponent of the season. With the nerves out after the first game, they were able to play their way in the second of the two game matchup.
“We just went in with confidence and knew that if we just played our game that we could dictate the outcome. It all came with our team's confidence,” said Gates.
With a confident and hardworking team of young players, the Marauders have a chance to make a strong push once the season resumes. Originally scheduled to start on Jan. 12, games up until Jan. 22 have been postponed, with their next scheduled game coming against the Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo on Jan. 26.
In playoff games, especially in basketball, one should always expect the unexpected. The McMaster women’s basketball team experienced a little taste of their own “March Madness” during the Ontario University Athletics Critelli Cup playoffs.
Leading up to the playoffs, the Marauders proved to not only to those watching but to themselves what they were made of. When several key players graduated at the end of last season, it was up to the mix of new veterans and younger players to step up to the plate.
“I think this season has been a growing experience for our team and an opportunity to prove what we have and how great our team truly is,” said fourth-year forward Linnaea Harper. “We are a lot stronger in our ability to score and play defence across the board, so overall we are more cohesive as a team this year.”
That cohesiveness began to solidify over the summer when the team went to Taiwan to compete in an invitational tournament.
“Having that stress-free time to play basketball with no pressure to win gave us more time to really bond and have fun with one another,” said Harper.
As the season went on, and the wins began to increase, this bond only became stronger.
“[My] last couple years have been amazing, but this year there was a different team connection and that connection off the court really helped with our chemistry on the court,” said fourth-year guard Hilary Hanaka. “Everyone was always so excited for one another, it did not matter who was scoring as long as they were in a McMaster jersey.”
The team’s handwork in the regular season was recognized as Hanaka was named an OUA First-Team All-Star and Harper an OUA Third-Team All-Star. First-year guard Sarah Gates was also recognized for her efforts, being named to the OUA All-Rookie Team.
“I knew I was having a good season but you never know with awards, so it was really a nice surprise,” said Gates.
With a regular season record of 20-4, the Marauders sat in first place in the OUA West Division by season’s end. After a well-deserved bye in the first round of the playoffs, the team regrouped to defeat the University of Western Mustangs 61-51 in the OUA quarter-final match.
The playoff madness began when the Marauders faced the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, a team they had lost to by just two points earlier in the season. Going into that game, one of the Marauders’ biggest problems was the size mismatch with the Gee-Gees’ 6’5” forward Angela Ribarich.
“We knew we had to double her when she had the ball in the post and get them to prove that they can make their outside shot,” said Harper.
Brigette Lefebvre-Okankwu also posed a threat with 14 points, 11 rebounds and three steals, while guard Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus contributing 14 points of her own. The Marauders were ultimately able to pull away with the win thanks to Harper nailing both of her free throws in the last eight seconds of the game, sealing a 47-46 Marauder win.
“When I was shooting the free throws, I blocked out the idea that these were basically the biggest free throws of my life,” said Harper. “But after I got the first one and I heard the crowd roar I felt a wave of relief knowing that I tied the game.”
That roar of the crowd was the cheers of hundreds of McMaster athletes, students and supporters in the stands being the perfect soundtrack to the nail-biting win.
“It was a redemption game because we fell by only a few points the last time,” said Hanaka.
“We knew we could do it, and being excited both on and off the court and the huge crowd that came out to support was all a huge bonus for us. That’s a game that I will never forget.”
The win against Ottawa meant that for the first time in 11 years, the Marauders would host the Critelli Cup final with the undefeated Carleton Ravens as their opponent. The Marauders hoped to give the Ravens their first loss of the season, and by the end of the first half with Mac up 36-28, it looked like they could pull it off.
“We had a really great first half against Carleton and that felt really good,” said Harper. “I do not think Carleton has experienced a game like they did [in the OUA finals].”
But after the break, the Ravens came out strong with a 12-0 run and managed to stretch their lead.
By early in the fourth quarter, Mac had managed to bring the deficit down to two at 55-53, but unfortunately, Hanaka, who was already at three fouls, committed her fourth. Making the obvious but tough choice, head coach Theresa Burns took her out the game and the Ravens were able to bring the score back up to 60-53 before she returned.
“I was a little disappointed in myself to foul that late in the game knowing the next couple of minutes would be crucial for our team,” said Hanaka. “But I tried not to hang my head and not show my emotions, not only to my team but to the other team. I told myself If I’m going be on the bench I need to stay engaged and make sure I’m supporting my team in any way that I can.”
When she returned at the five-minute mark, she played carefully so that she would be able to contribute in the best way possible. With Hanaka back in, the Marauders managed to bring the deficit back down to a five, but unfortunate fouls from Mac and proficient shooting by the Ravens lost them the game.
Though the Critelli Cup final did not end how they would have wanted, the Marauders are still grateful to be in the position they are in.
“As much as it sucks to lose, I do not think our team is feeling defeated,” said Harper. “If anything, we should feel more confident knowing that we can complete it with the top teams in the nation.”
Making their first appearance in the national tournament since playing host in 2011, the U Sports Championship hosted by Regina is the next challenge for the Marauders.
“I’m super excited to go to nationals,” said Hanaka. “Our team has come together really nicely
as a unit right now, we just have that little extra fire when it comes time to play the big games at the U Sports championships.”
With the tournament schedule set, the Marauders will face McGill University’s Martlets to start the competition. The quarter-final match up will be the first time the two teams will face each other since Mac lost 59-70 in their first preseason game. Five months and over 20 wins later, the Marauders are more than ready for whatever nationals has to offer them.
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The McMaster women’s basketball team has returned from Thunder Bay, the last stop of their five-city road trip, and are now sitting comfortably in first place of the Ontario University Athletics West Division.
One of the biggest contributors to the team is fourth-year guard Hilary Hanaka, who leads the team with an average of 16 points per game. Though she is now a key component of the winning team, Hanaka did not find it easy to assimilate to university-level basketball coming from high school during her first year as a Marauder.
“I actually found it to be a lot different than I thought it would be,” said Hanaka. “The pace at the university level and the speed of the game is so much different than in high school, but it’s still a lot of fun.”
One of the biggest changes coming to Mac was leaving her sister Julia Hanaka behind after playing together for two years at St. Mary’s High School. So when her younger sister made the decision to play for McMaster in Hilary’s third year, it was everything she could have ever wanted.
“When we realized we were actually on a university varsity basketball team together, especially because this doesn’t happen that often, we were so ecstatic,” said Hilary. “Now it’s just so much fun. I think I get more excited to see her succeed than I do myself.”
In the duo’s first year together in maroon, the younger Hanaka did not get the minutes she hoped for. But in her second year, with the departure of many senior players, her opportunities to play increased.
“Being able to get those minutes on court with her has been so memorable to me,” Hilary said.
"When we realized we were actually on a university varsity basketball team together, especially because this doesn’t happen that often, we were so ecstatic.”
Hilary Hanaka
Fourth-year guard
McMaster women’s
Basketball Team
“The first time we played together, I passed to her and that led to her scoring her first three and it was just an amazing feeling.”
As someone who does not show a lot of emotion when she plays, watching her sister in that moment made it impossible to keep a grin off her face.
“Seeing her hit that shot and how happy she was made me so happy,” Hilary added.
Julia is not the only younger player benefiting from having her older sister leading the way. As such a key component on the team in her fourth year, Hilary and the other seniors have been leading by example both on and off the court for the younger players.
“When I first started, I looked up to Danielle Boiago who was one of my senior veterans when I came,” said Hilary. “She was always the first to every ball during the game and the first [one in] and last one out of the gym.”
Now that she has become a senior player, Hilary hopes to set an example at all times to show the younger players that success does not just come to you naturally — you have to work for it.
“The younger girls are starting to realize it, especially the ones who have had to step up the last few games,” said Hilary.
These games include the games the veteran guard was sidelined because of to a knee injury.
“I was playing on a sore knee for a while and in one of the games I was hit,” Hilary said. “I continued to try and play and practice on it but finally I was like, ‘this knee is too bad’.”
After having it examined further, she learned she had torn a ligament on the lateral side of her knee.
“I’m trying to play through the pain as best I can right now and at the end of the season I’ll take care of it,” said Hilary.
So far, the elder Hanaka has definitely been playing well through the pain. She was awarded the Pita Pit Athlete of the Week upon her return to the hardwood. With an 11-game winning streak and only four losses this season, the Marauders will more than likely remain in first place in their division. But Mac’s starting guard knows they cannot let it get to their head.
“We have to just take each game as it comes and not get too ahead of ourselves,” said Hilary. “Whatever game is next is just as important as the one after that, so just going into each practice and game with that mindset to get us in the position we want to be in come playoffs.”
Prior to the Thunder Bay road trip, Hilary knew that getting two road wins would be crucial for the last leg of the season.
“It’s always hard to play away from your home court and in someone else’s gym,” the guard said. “Our main focus is just to play our own game and focus on our own stuff, rather than trying to break down each and every one of their offences, because in the end it’s what we do that will lead us to our success.”
With three games left in the regular season, it is up to Hilary and the Marauders to remain in the number one spot.
“Right now we are just making sure we are focusing on our reads and making sure we have that defensive rotation we have been talking about all season,” Hilary said. “If we do that, I think we’ll be more than okay.”
With Hilary leading the way, the McMaster women’s basketball team is on the right road to suc-cess this season.
“I hope that I can remain being an impact player on and off the court,” said Hilary. “I just want to bring that excitement to the team and make sure they’re aware that we have so much potential and if we bring that confidence within each other and in ourselves each and every game we’re going to be okay no matter who is against us.”
Being that impact player is nothing new to the venerated guard. With a promising future on the horizon for the Marauders, this will not be the last we hear of Hilary Hanaka.
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Once again, the women’s basketball team is securely in the U Sports top 10, maintaining their ranking throughout the season. The Marauders’ program is usually a stalwart in the national rankings, but this year looks a little different than those in recent memory.
Entering the 2017-2018 season, the Mac women found themselves without their top scorer and one of the most dominant basketball players in the country, Danielle Boiago. The former U Sports Player of the Year is currently playing professionally in the Netherlands, and that left a hole in the Marauders’ roster.
“[The season] started with us kind of doubting ourselves a little bit because we just lost Danielle Boiago and that was a big loss for our team,” said Marauders’ forward Linnaea Harper. “But slowly we were like ‘we are still really good and we have new good incoming players and still have players that played last year that play really good’. And with age comes more experience and skill so every year is something to look forward to. At the beginning of the year we were kind of getting used to the new team and now we are really gelling. I think beginning in 2018 we have really stepped up and shown that we can compete at the highest level.”
Harper, a fourth-year kinesiology major, is one of the key reasons behind the team’s success this year. With Boiago’s nearly 20 points and seven rebounds per game missing from the box score, there was a definite void that needed to be filled between Harper and the rest of the Marauders.
“In terms of scoring I had to step up but also get more players involved,” Harper said. “Trying to distribute the ball to other players to score was one of my goals and we have done really well with that. Across the board there are four or five people at least in double digits. How do you defend that?”
While the starting forward missed some contests due to injury, through 13 games played this season, Harper finds herself in or close to the top spot in every major statistical category on the Marauders this season.
Harper leads the team in assists and blocks per game, while sitting in second on the team in points, rebounds and steals per game. Harper also has the third best three-point shooting percentage in the nation with an impressive 44.4 per cent from beyond the arc.
Harper’s excellence on the court is directly a result of being around basketball for most of her life. After being scouted by a teammate’s parent on her soccer team in Grade 3, Harper tried out for the Newmarket All-Star team. After having to commit to one sport over the other in high school, Harper threw herself into basketball and that commitment has paid dividends.
Her time on the hard court and the dedication she brings with her shows up every night on the score sheet. Recently integrating caffeine into her pregame routine, Harper likes getting to the gym pretty early before games, taking time to work on her shot and making sure she is able to free her mind and calm her nerves before the first whistle.
Currently in her fourth year with the team, Harper still enjoys the moments of victory like any athlete, but can also appreciate the efforts of the younger players around her.
“I’m just really thankful for all the opportunities I have been given with being a Maruader athlete,” Harper added. “I am so glad I am here. It’s home.”
“I think when the end of the game is done and we have won, that is number one,” Harper said. “After a stressful close game, pulling out that win is the most satisfying thing because you worked your tail off the entire game. I also think seeing the younger players score and get into it has been something inspiring to me. Because I know I really struggled in my first few years. So seeing Sarah Gates, who has been playing so well. I played with her when she was in Grade 9 and I was in Grade 12 and just seeing what she was then and seeing her be successful now is super cool. Because it wasn’t like that for me, so I kind of live vicariously through her in that way.”
While it has not always been easy for the kinesiology major, being under the tutelage of coach Theresa Burns has definitely been one of the reasons Harper has enjoyed her time as a Marauder so much and continued to succeed on the court.
“She is amazing,” Harper said. “She is relentless. She isn’t much of a ‘yell in your face if you make a mistake’ kind of coach. She knows how to balance the friendship with the ‘hey I’m still your coach, we have to do certain things in order to move forward’. I really respect that because that is a hard relationship to strike with people. Being able to have that respect for her but also be her friend and athlete and player is awesome.”
While Harper is planning on returning to the Marauders next season, there is no time like the present. Based on how well the team is performing, the Newmarket product is dead set on taking her team to the championship this season.
“Obviously I want to win everything,” Harper said. “But I think our first goal is to win [the Ontario University Athletics championship] and then from there just slowly chipping our way at winning a national championship. Every athlete’s dream is winning a national championship. Striving high for that is important. Definitely to win it all, that’s my goal.”
At the end of the day, statistics and trophies make for great conversation, but memories and experiences ultimately stick with an athlete for a lot longer.
“I’m just really thankful for all the opportunities I have been given with being a Maruader athlete,” Harper added. “I am so glad I am here. It’s home.”
With Harper chief among a group of incredibly talented players, the women’s basketball team is positioned to take the country by storm once again this season. Winning is sweet, but winning for a place you consider home is even sweeter.
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School may have officially started for McMaster University students on Jan. 4, but for the McMaster women’s basketball team, the second half of their regular season started on Dec. 30 with a win over the York University Lions.
Since then the Marauders have remain undefeated, beating both the Windsor Lancers and the Brock Badgers. The team now sits at third place in the Ontario University Athletics West Division with an 8-4 overall record.
Although all three games were great wins, the most impressive of the three was the 75-44 victory over the Badgers. The victory was witnessed by many supporters thanks to the “Pack the House” initiative arranged by McMaster Athletics.
Different from any other home game, the first 100 McMaster students who filed into the gym received a free t-shirt courtesy of the McMaster Students Union Maroons and McMaster Athletics. There was also a contest rewarding the residence with the most students in attendance with a free pizza party, courtesy of Pizza Pizza.
The game started off slow for the Badgers in the first quarter, as Mac only allowed four points. That is exactly what the Marauders hoped for going into the game.
“Our game plan usually against teams is mostly defensive,” said second-year player Julia Hanaka. “We try to really get up and start the tempo early because we want them to be the ones following us instead of vice versa.”
The Marauders applied a lot of pressure early on, making it difficult for Brock to score as they finished the game 0 of 13 from three. Though for head coach Theresa Burns, she knew that their team was capable of more.
“We didn't have a great start, however it is going to happen,” said Burns. “I thought we turned things around in the second quarter and we started to play at the pace we wanted to play at.”
Leading the team in points, Lexie Spadafora scored 18 points, while Linnaea Harper was right behind her with 17 points. For their third straight win, the women’s team attributes both winter break scrimmages against top teams in the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and Queen’s University’s Gaels and the “Pack the House” turnout as the reason why the team played so well.
“When you challenge yourself against the top teams in the country, it can only make you better and it is such a great learning tool,” said Burns. “It gets you going again after the winter break and brings you back to that intensity level that you need to be at and get everyone on the same page.”
As for the large amount of support, it created an atmosphere that any player would love to play in. For Hanaka, a huge reason why she and other players chose to come to Mac was because they have seen first hand the amount of support that comes out during initiatives like “Pack the House”.
“When the whole crowd goes crazy, everybody on the bench gets fired up and we get more into [the game] because of how much support we see,” said Hanaka.
Being able to work on their transition game, apply different defences and just continue to get better as a whole over the break has surely paid off so far for the Marauders. With the next game at the University of Waterloo to face the 1-11 Warriors, Mac will have no problem building off of their momentum and keeping their winning streak alive.
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By: Andrew Sarkis
The McMaster women’s basketball team has not looked back since their Oct. 26 opening-night victory, compiling an overall record of 6-2 since then. The Marauders are currently riding a four-game winning streak and have outscored their opponents by an average of 22 points over that span.
The team’s most recent victory came on the road on Nov. 24, which turned out to be an up-and-down matchup against the Brock Badgers. The game was not an easy one for Mac. They squandered a first quarter 21-10 advantage, allowing the Badgers to tie the game up at the half.
Coming down to the latter stages of the fourth quarter, the Badgers attempted to claw their way back into the game by putting down a few late-game shots. Brock’s comeback attempt ended up being unsuccessful as the Marauders prevailed with a 70-61 win.
Head coach Theresa Burns credits the team’s unselfishness and overall comfort level as some of the reasons for their recent success.
“I think we’ve had a lot of nights where we shot the ball well,” Burns said. “I think we are spacing the floor and sharing the ball well. Some of our younger players are really starting to gain confidence and step up their game and look more comfortable. We’re getting contributions from our whole lineup, which is great.”
Additionally, Burns has credited one of the team’s star players, Hilary Hanaka, as a focal point for their recent success.
“Every game we get different contributions from different people,” said Burns. “I think Hilary Hanaka has certainly been a tremendous leader for us, especially since Linnaea Harper got injured. She has an incredibly high basketball IQ. As well as being able to generate offence for herself, she creates offence for other people. She defends for us. She just brings so much leadership to our team. We depend on her for a lot. She’s really turned into a good leader for our group.”
Hanaka’s impressive play has not only been recognized by her coach and teammates, but by the league as well. She was recently honoured with the Ontario University Athletics Athlete of the Week award. Hanaka averaged 30 points over the course of the Marauders’ back-to-back wins against Laurentian and Nipissing. The fourth-year guard recognized the honour as a great individual achievement.
“Individually, it’s obviously a great honour,” Hanaka said. “It’s always a been something that I’ve kind of strived for, to be able to be a leader on the team. This year, we’ve lost a couple of starters and our significant players. Stepping into the captain role this year, I had some big shoes to fill so it’s nice to have that confidence behind me now.”
Hanaka was also quick to credit her teammates as a reason for her individual accomplishment, mentioning their help as a reason for her success.
“I think just for myself and my personal game, that extra step and level of confidence is something that came with that award, knowing that other people are believing in me,” said Hanaka. “So putting in that extra effort is going to get me great places and help my team as well. But I wouldn’t have been able to receive the award without the help of my teammates. They are always willing to push me to the next level and they are half the reason that I’m able to score all those points.”
Sitting atop the Western division in a three-way tie with Lakehead and Windsor, the Marauders are at a good standing in the league. Looking to continue their success, Mac is up for a clash against the league-best Carleton Ravens. The Ravens are currently seated in first in the Eastern division with a record of 8-0. Carleton has dominated their competition, winning the majority of their games by a large margin in commanding fashion.
While the Marauders will be focusing on preparations for the undefeated Carleton Ravens, they will do so by fine-tuning details. Entering the next part of their season, the Marauders will not look to change their approach drastically.
“We want to play at fast pace, and that won’t change no matter who we’re playing,” said Burns. “For us, some of our young group will need better attention to detail. There are little details in our game that just aren’t there completely yet. We can get away with that sometimes, maybe against certain teams, but you can’t get away with that against teams like Carleton.”
Hanaka echoed her coach’s statements, noting that extra time will help the team be able to best prepare for the Ravens.
“We have pretty well the same approach all the time,” Hanaka said, “We’ll do some scouting of the other team and mainly focus on our own team stuff. Coming into this weekend, we’ll probably have an extra couple of days to go over the Carleton stuff, knowing that they’re obviously a very talented team.”
While they will focus their gameplay to accommodate the specific advantages the Ravens boast as a team, the Marauders also know they can rely on their own skill set that has not let them down this season. When something is working, it does not need to be altered.
“We’ll just go in like every other game and know that we’re prepared, and that when we play our game we can put up a good fight against any team that we’re up against,” Hanaka added.
Time will tell how the Marauders will fare against the Ravens, as they are set to square off in a heavyweight match on Dec. 1. This match kicks off a pivotal part in the basketball season and this matchup is one of many important contests the Marauders will have to win on the road to the playoffs.
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By: Andrew Sarkis
With last year in the rear-view mirror, the McMaster women’s basketball team have turned a new page, beginning the 2017-2018 season with an opening night 71-60 win over the Guelph Gryphons. In what was a foul-filled game, the Marauders ultimately came out on top, thanks in part to a team-leading 15-point performance from guard Hilary Hanaka.
It was evident both teams had to shake off a bit of rust during the season-opener, as the game started off slowly on offence for both teams before picking up in the later parts of the game. Head coach Theresa Burns saw that the opener was a scrappy match, and acknowledged that wins did not have to look pretty.
“It was a scrappy game,” Burns said. “Bodies were flying everywhere and there were lots of fouls. It was a very difficult game with lots of contact. For us, they’re not always going to be pretty and you got to be able to adapt to the teams we’re playing.”
Despite the tougher conditions of the game, Burns drew positives from the win, citing the team’s ability to adapt to high-pressure situations as an important factor.
“I was really happy with the pushback that our team showed,” Burns said. “Whether it was diving to the floor for the ball or pushing back on boxouts, our team showed a lot grit and tenacity for 40 minutes. Despite the fact Guelph ramped up the pressure and were trying to play a fast game with us, I was really happy that we made decisions at a fast pace. It took us a minute or two to figure out their pressure and once we did I thought we adapted well.”
Prior to the season-opener, McMaster had a unique international preparation opportunity. Through July 25 to July 30, the team travelled to Taiwan to partake in the Buddha Light International Association Cup Tournament. The Marauders were able compete against teams from seven different countries, an experience that head coach Theresa Burns spoke highly of.
“They’re critical,” said Burns. “To be able to challenge the best teams in the country you have to play the best teams in the country, just to figure ourselves out and show weaknesses in our own game that we need to fix up before heading into league. Playing games in Taiwan was just incredible. International basketball pace, style, intensity and skill level was just off the charts.”
The Marauders were also able to partake in the annual Ryerson Darcel Wright Memorial Tournament on Oct. 20 to Oct. 22. Mac swept the competition, defeating the University of New Brunswick and the host Ryerson Rams en route to a gold medal game victory against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
“The Ryerson tournament gave us three good quality out-of-conference games against teams that are going to be top 10 teams all year,” Burns said. “To challenge ourselves that way is fantastic and all about learning what we’re doing well and not doing well to better prepare us for the league.”
With both preliminary games and the season opener out of the way, the Marauders are now focused on moving forward with a lot of new faces on their roster. The departure of notable star player Danielle Boiago marks one of many ways how the team will be much different from the bronze medal winners from last year.
“Well, we’re definitely younger,” said Burns. “Our team last year was heavy with fourth- or fifth-year players. I think that for this year’s team, we’re going to score by committee.”
Having a well-rounded team will be integral for the Marauders in their 2017-2018 campaign. Burns notes that though the team possesses all-star players, having a good supporting cast on both offence and defence will pay dividends for the team.
“We have some people that are going to garner some all-star looks: Linnaea Harper, Hilary Hanaka and Olivia Wilson, in particular,” said Burns. “They’re some of the best players in the league but we also have a great supporting cast that are going to do their fair share of scoring and defence as well.”
Despite evident changes within the landscape of the team, expectations stay the same. With the presence of top-tier facilities and team staff on hand, the players can step forward and aim to achieve these expectations with aid and continuous support.
“We really focus on walking into the gym everyday and focusing on that day and getting better,” Burns stated. “If we operate that way, the results will take care of themselves. We have a fantastic strength and conditioning staff that works with our group. They have the team so well-prepared in strength and fitness. We try to give all support possible.”
With a superb coaching staff and excellent support system behind them, the new-look Marauders will turn to Queen’s University to build off their opening night success. Mac will face the Gaels on Nov. 3 for what promises to be the next step in a successful season.
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By: Griffin Marsh
Sometimes the events of life are larger and more important than any sports result and our sporting communities take these as opportunities to show support and care for one another.
For the McMaster women’s basketball team, the CIBC Run for the Cure, held on Oct. 1 this year, has come to represent something more than their basketball and university lives. It now represents family, community and strength.
This story begins in 2015, when head coach Theresa Burns was diagnosed with breast cancer and was forced to spend part of the season away from the court, fighting an entirely different competition.
Today, the cancer treatments are all finished. Coach Burns and the team are coming off a 2016-2017 historic season, finishing the regular season ranked first in the country and narrowly missing a trip to the U Sports National Championship in Victoria, B.C.
But this past weekend, that was all put aside as the team and the wider Hamilton basketball community came together as a sign of strength and resilience for those who have been touched by breast cancer or cancer more broadly. This year, the team raised $2,500 for the Canadian Cancer Society, with donations coming from players, family and alumni far and wide.
For coach Burns, this event means a lot more than basketball to her. It is about giving thanks and remembering her own journey and the journey of those who may not be able to share the walk with them anymore.
“The sad reality is that you could not go down our roster and not find a person whose family has not been touched by cancer in one way or the other,” said coach Burns. “I think we are all going to have lots of different people in our minds that day when we walk, and it is a chance to celebrate those special people in your life, pay some special attention to them and think about them.”
On the support that she receives personally from the Hamilton and Canadian basketball community, coach Burns was humbled and overjoyed.
“It is an amazing feeling, it is actually kind of overwhelming to be honest. Last year and the year before there were so many people to do the walk, we had this huge group picture with everyone who wanted to walk with our group. It is really truly very humbling,” Burns reflected.
Coach Burns was quick to add that the participation in this event is all athlete-driven. The players organize and share their excitement for the event, and coach Burns just follows along for the ride.
For Erin Burns, a fourth-year guard on the team, the event gives the team a chance to give back to their coach.
“I think that this run brings our team together on a deeper level in our shared respect and love for our coach,” said Burns. “For the past four years coach Burns has mentored all of her players both on and off the court. Coach Burns takes time to support each and everyone of her players whether that be regarding one’s education, basketball or life, so by our team participating in the Run for the Cure, it is just a small way our team can reciprocate that support for her.”
The time and impact that coach Burns puts into her players and her teams does not go unnoticed, as she as been awarded various coaching awards and guided her teams to Ontario University Athletics and National Championships on numerous occasions.
The appreciation for coach Burns does not end on the trophy shelf though as her current players echo an appreciation for coach Burns that she has heard throughout her career.
“[Coach Burns] exhibits strength and compassion, confidence and humility, kindness and tenacity. She is an extraordinary woman that inspires those around her to want to be the best version of themselves,” said Hilary Hanaka, a fourth-year guard and co-captain of the team.
“I believe Coach Burns is successful because of her outstanding character revealed through her honesty, leadership, her patience, her trust in each of us and her courage,” added Hanaka.
While coach Burns acknowledges that her battles off the court influence her message on the court, she works extremely hard to shape what that message is.
“It is just the idea that it is a challenge and people have to attack and face challenges and find ways to get through them,” reflected coach Burns. “It gives life a different perspective and I have always been someone who tries to appreciate the big picture and have some perspective in life about where sports lies. I think this just sharpens that point a little more and makes your perspective that much clearer.”
Moving forward, the season looks different but still very promising for the team. While some key members graduated following last season, coach Burns sees many players primed to step into a new role and lead this team forward.
While the disappointment of last year may still burn in this team’s belly, the walk forward continues. The unity that was exhibited at the Run for the Cure was just an early step, but this team is motivated and excited about the season and challenges that lie ahead.
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