Playing at the Burridge Gymnasium, the Marauders grabbed their second OUA win against the University of Toronto after a challenging preseason
The McMaster University men's basketball team started their preseason back in September with three games against teams outside of the Ontario University Athletics league. The Marauders played against the Mohawk College, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Concordia University.
The results from these games showed some inconsistencies in the team, as they finished with a record of one win and two losses. A notable defeat during the team's preseason was against the Concordia Stingers, as in years past the Marauders have consistently been able to beat the Stingers.
The results that came from these games showed some inconsistencies in the team, as they finished with a record of one win and two losses.
The team's up and down form did not stop after these games as the team continued their preseason at the University of Manitoba Bison's tournament where the Marauders suffered three losses and picked up only one win.
Before the OUA season opened, the Marauders suffered another unsuccessful game against Mercyhurst University but they did manage to pick up a win against the visiting University of Calgary.
The Marauders began their OUA campaign against Laurier University, where they played the Golden Hawks on Nov. 1. and picked up a win with a score of 75-72.
In their first OUA home game, the Marauders hosted the University of Toronto and they began a winning streak, beating the Varsity Blues with a score of 78-80.
A few of the Marauder players especially shined in their first game of the season at Burridge. Fifth-year Daniel Graham and fourth-year Moody Qasim tied as scoring leaders, with both players putting down career highs of 16 points. Defensively, fourth-year Nathan Charles cleaned up with three rebounds.
Fifth-year Daniel Graham and fourth-year Moody Qasim tied as scoring leaders, with both players putting down career highs of 16 points.
This is a promising start of for the Maurauders, following their unsteady preseason, and hopefully they are able to keep up their current form as the season continues.
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.
There is a tendency in basketball to think big. It used to be true that the bigger the player was, the greater the advantage. Think of Shaquille O’Neal. He was one of, if not the, most dominant player in National Basketball Association history. Quite frankly, the reason why he was so dominant was because he was bigger and stronger than everyone else. Makes sense, right?
While it might be true that height is an asset in a game with a ten-foot net, there are ways to challenge this. With the increasing move from the paint to the arc, teams are looking for other opportunities to make buckets.
The value of height in basketball was challenged following the recent NBA trade deadline, after which the Houston Rockets became the smallest team in the league, with no players over six foot seven. This is very different from the rest of the league. Only the tallest player on the Rockets meets the league-wide average height of six foot seven.
Remarkably, a total of 11 per cent of the league is over seven feet tall, so you’d think the six foot seven center on the Rockets would have a tough time guarding opponents.What the Houston Rockets are doing is referred to as small ball, and to any Ontario University Athletics fan, this is very familiar.
OUA teams have been playing small ball for quite some time. Out of the teams who choose to disclose the height of their players, only 25 players in all of the OUA are over six foot seven. The average height between all 25 players over six foot seven comes in at six foot eight and a half. In addition, the OUA has only two players who are seven feet or taller. To give context, there is a minimum of 15 players per team and a total of 20 teams in the league, with the largest rosters reaching just under 20 players.
Clearly, the OUA is a much smaller league than the NBA, which recruits top-notch talent from around the world. However, the OUA is still significantly smaller when compared to other collegiate level athletics associations. The National Collegiate Athletics Association, for example, regularly hosts talent above seven feet on many of their division one programs,.
The OUA’s shorter roster leads to faster-paced games that are focused on shooting or quick cuts to the hole rather than focused on slow, grinding out offence with bigs backing down the defence. The big man is more or less non-existent for the OUA. In fact, there are even teams without any players over six foot five, like the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. Having shorter players means that scoring can't come from big men with their backs to the basket. Instead, these teams must rely on skilled shooting.
The smaller teams and faster pace does make for exciting basketball, and certainly higher scoring games due to more three-point shots, but is this good for basketball? With the NBA getting perpetually smaller and the OUA looking the same, we have to ask ourselves, is this the future of basketball?
It very well could be, especially if the OUA embraces the strategies of teams like the Houston Rockets.
Positionally, the OUA plays to traditional roles of basketball. While there are exceptions, the majority of centers in the OUA play like centers of the past like Hakeem Olajuwon or Shaquille O’Neal, and leave the shooting to the guards. These are the fundamentals of basketball, but rules are meant to be broken and the innovative are rewarded.
Let’s look at our Marauders to see how they shoot from three. They do not prioritize three-pointers, with top scorers Jordan Henry and Kwasi Adu-Poku taking less than a third of their attempts from beyond the arc. But should they continue this way? Working on the three-pointer is a tough task, but well worth the time.
Pounding the paint is tried and true, but with the emergence of smaller teams and the continuing reign of the three-pointer in professional leagues, the OUA has room to adapt. They could benefit from taking advantage of the smaller skilled players they inevitably have and go all-in on small ball.
In order to be more successful, coaches could stand to benefit from taking notes from the pros and start experimenting more from the three-point line. This could help to crack the scoring code that many famous players like Steph Curry and James Harden use, and ultimately lead to long-term success.
Any team in sports history that was ahead of the curve has been considered a wild card, whether it was “Dr. J” dunking or the Golden State Warriors changing basketball by making their team all about the three ball. As they say in Vegas, you have to bet a lot to win a lot. In this case, the OUA should play small to win big.
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Photo C/O Kyle West
The 2019-2020 McMaster men’s basketball team kicked off their season on Oct. 25, with a heartbreaking two-point loss against the Lakehead University Thunderwolves. Following this loss, they won their next two games, against Lakehead and the Brock University Badgers, bringing the team to a record of two wins and one loss.
This season, the team looks to break the playoff barrier and achieve their first winning record since the 2015-2016 season. With how strong the team looks this year, this goal appears promising.
This season, the team looks to break the playoff barrier and achieve their first winning record since the 2015-2016 season. With how strong the team looks this year, this goal appears promising.
Other than starting the season at two wins and one loss, the team has shown flashes of their potential in order ways, demonstrating how dominant of a team they can be at their best. Notable performances from players, such as second year guards Jordan Henry and Sefa Otchere along with fifth year forward Connor Gilmore, have propelled this team into a potentially great season.
Right off the bat, Henry jumped into the season as one of the top statistical performers on the team, having a hot first game, and improving in every game thereafter. On the court, he has maintained a field goal percentage of 47.2 per cent, while averaging 23.3 points per game. In the team's second game of the season, Henry led the team in points, assists, rebounds and steals. These stats are all quite remarkable as Henry is only in his second year.
Otchere is the other second year guard who managed to start the season with an impressive 33 points, while leading the team with four three pointers in their first game.
Gilmore could be one of the key players down the stretch. He has a reputation as a “glass cleaner”, grabbing rebounds left and right, through a playstyle similar to former Toronto Raptors player, Jonas Valančiūnas. In each of the last two seasons, Gilmore averaged over eight rebounds per game. This season he’s continuing this trend with a strong presence in the paint. As the team’s leading rebounder last year, a big year from him could be critical down the stretch and could lead to a perfect send off, being that it is Gilmore’s fifth and final year with the team.
When asked about his goals for the team this upcoming season, Gilmore offered an optimistic and ambitious response.
“I hope to get to nationals this season,” Gilmore said.
Gilmore believes in a more team-oriented approach to basketball, choosing not to focus on individual accolades.
“I’ve learned over time that if you care about things like that, your team won’t be successful. I’m worried about our overall success, and whatever comes after that is just the cherry on top,” Gilmore added.
“I’ve learned over time that if you care about things like that, your team won’t be successful. I’m worried about our overall success, and whatever comes after that is just the cherry on top,” Gilmore added.
The fifth year veteran was also asked about the most significant change for the team during his time.
“The most positive dramatic change would have to be the hiring of coach Tatham and the positive effect he has had changing the culture of our program. He was given a tough hand to start with, but he has done an excellent job thus far and will continue to do so,” Gilmore denoted.
Coach Patrick Tatham is entering his third year as the Marauders’ head coach. Before taking on the role, Tatham was an assistant coach for the Maine Red Claws of the G-League, which is the developmental league of the National Basketball Association. Throughout the season, it will be interesting to watch how coach Tatham adjusts his gameplan from game to game given his professional experience.
Despite winning their second game of the season against Lakehead, their field goal percentage was only 35.8 per cent, with a three-point percentage of 27.2 per cent. Also, there were only seven assists made in the game. Ball movement and smart shots will be key for the team going forward. This will arguably be one of the most important things to watch for this season, as the team looks to build on the 2018-2019 season, in which they made the OUA quarter finals.
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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The men’s basketball team was down in Toronto last weekend for some regular season action, facing off against the Ryerson Rams and University of Toronto’s Varsity Blues. The season started off with a strong win over Guelph, but the Marauders arrived at their weekend in Toronto with a different mindset after back-to-back games to the York Lions and Queen’s Gaels.
“The guys came in with a lot of confidence today,” said head coach Patrick Tatham following the Ryerson game. “We had our ego’s bruised last week with Queen’s and York, and I challenged the guys to play better defence, both team defence and one-on-one.”
For Tatham, the former head coach of the Rams and 2016 Ontario University Athletics Coach of the Year, a win against his former team after two crushing losses was all he wanted.
“It’s always weird coming back to where you actually started everything and sitting on the opposite side,” said Tatham. “Coaching against coach Rana, who coached me when I was 14 and 15 years old, and playing against some of the kids that I recruited four or five years ago was just an amazing feeling. But the best feeling would be getting that W.”
The Marauders went into the game knowing what it would mean to win for their head coach, but are also aware that they always need to play with a winning mentality no matter who they face.
“We understand that [Ryerson] loves him as a coach and will be glad to see him back even if he’s on the other side, but it doesn’t change how we prepare for the game,” said first-year starter Kareem Collins. “We are going into this game hoping we can win just like any other game.”
Collins is one of the 2016 recruits that both Tatham and former head coach Amos Connolly brought in to revamp the Marauders. Miles Seward, a former National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I player at the University of Northern Colorado, Kitchener natives Sasha Simic and Tyrick Thompson and former Carleton Raven Sheldon McIntosh are among the team’s new faces in this transitional year.
“They really took [playing with more of a defensive mindset] to heart this week in practice and it really showed today,” said Tatham. “We were not only physical and aggressive on the glass, but also defensively and offensively.”
Mac was able to lead by a marginal difference early on in the first half for the first time this season. This was largely due to newcomer Seward, who is already one of the OUA’s leading scorers, averaging 25 points per game. The Marauders were able to end the first quarter 25-20, surprising both the Rams and the several Rams fans attending the school’s Blue & Gold Night game at Coca-Cola Court.
The Marauders were not able to maintain the lead for long after the second half, when Ryerson was able to outscore Mac, and pull ahead to a 44-41 lead in the third quarter. For the rest of the game, the two teams went back and forth matching each other shot for shot.
For veteran player David McCulloch, playing with more discipline was a huge part of the team’s mindset coming into the game against Ryerson.
“We’ve been pretty undisciplined for the last few games,” said McCulloch. “So we really needed to control their tempo and play the game we wanted to play.”
The Marauders executed their game plan extremely well throughout the whole game, but were not able to make the most out of their opportunities when it really mattered. The win started to look in Mac’s favour as Matt Quiring was able to tie the game 69-69 at the 30-second mark. But the Marauders were unable to get the lead because of missed free throws and a stolen inbounds pass.
It was the worst time possible for the Marauders to make such fundamental mistakes after playing extremely disciplined the entire game.
“We really felt like we had the game,” said Seward, who ended the game with a career-high 29 points. “So losing because of our lack of discipline and inability to execute when it mattered the most is unacceptable and what we will be focusing on tomorrow.”
Unfortunately for Mac, the same problems followed them into their next game. They were able to start the game off strong against the Varsity Blues, but lost the lead by the the end of the first quarter. The Mac men were unable to catch up for the remainder of the game.
Reminiscent of their previous match, the Marauders still continued to make mistakes playing catch up. To make matters worse for Mac, Tatham was ejected from the game after receiving two technical fouls for disagreeing with a referee’s call.
Although McCulloch was able to finish the game with a team and career-high of 32 points, the game ultimately just slipped out of the team’s grasp in a close 92-88 loss. Simple mistakes make the biggest differences in tight games like this.
This was the fourth straight loss on the road for the Marauders, but a valuable learning experience for both the team and the coaching staff. With the next two games back at Burridge Gym, the Marauders hope to maintain their 1-0 home win record.
One of the most valuable takeaways from their weekend in Toronto is that the Marauders have what it takes to hang with the best of the best. As they look to face the Laurentian Voyageurs and the Nipissing Lakers this upcoming weekend, they need to not only use their upsets to ignite a fire in them, but get back to basics so they can defend their home court.
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Basketball started early this year for the men’s team as they saw some preseason non-conference action during the Marauders’ homecoming festivities.
These games offered an opportunity for the Marauders to debut several new players along with the Marauders’ brand new head coach Patrick Tatham. Coach Tatham arrived in Hamilton early this May and has been working hard behind the scenes ever since.
“I always said if I was going to leave Ryerson it would be for Mac. So I’m kind of living the dream right now,” said Tatham.
Tatham’s impressive basketball history includes playing for National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Cleveland State University and as a member of the Canadian Junior Men’s National Team. He also played three professional seasons in Switzerland, Syria, Qatar and Germany and added a U Sports 2016 Coach of the Year award following his career as a player.
Tatham came prepared to bring the Marauders to a new level. “I’ve always been a defensively-minded player and carried that with me into coaching,” he said. “Right off the bat, I think we’re going to be very tough and gritty and very quick on defence.”
Coach Tatham started off the team’s training with a week-long boot camp during the last week of August, and although their first games proved they have a lot of work to do, he believes the team has been adjusting quite well.
"Right now we're just going to put our hard hats on and get after it game after game."
Patrick Tatham
Head coach
“That week showed me that they really want to work hard,” Tatham said. “The next week was a mini-training camp and it was literally four days of all defence. They have been responding very well to the defence-minded thoughts that I have”.
Although it is still too early to tell, Tatham is hoping that with hard work the Marauders can shock teams across Ontario University Athletics.
“We didn’t really finish in a great position last year,” said Tatham. “But I do want to surprise a lot of people in the OUA West and the OUA East. Right now we’re just going to put our hard hats on and get after it game after game.”
To do this, Tatham has recruited several players, including shooting guard-forward combo Sasha Simic from Kitchener, ON and former NCAA D-I player Miles Seward.
“Everyone could really expect to see Sasha as a hybrid four,” said Tatham. “And Miles is just a flat-out scorer. He’s going to be so exciting to watch.”
So far this has proven to be true. In their first two preseason wins, Simic has shown great versatility while Seward has lit up the court with his shooting ability.
But the team still has a lot to work on, as was shown during a brutal 103-63 loss to Laval University, these challenges were no surprise to coach Tatham.
"All the guys love him. He's very energetic and he's one of those guys that likes to get us hyped up."
David McCulloch
Men's Basketball team
“They’re still trying to get used to me and how I coach,” Tatham said. “Whether it’s yelling or getting into their ear or getting into their face, I’m going to be faced with challenges where sometimes they may not respond or maybe they won’t be used to the coaching that I’m going to instill on them”.
Another challenge coach Tatham hopes to turn around is the lack of hype and disinterest towards the program and the basketball culture at Mac.
“I think that’s one area where we struggle with a little bit,” said Tatham. “One of our managers, Robert Rawson, is really kind of owning our social media presence so I’m excited for that too.”
Above all, coach Tatham hopes to leave a long-lasting impact on his players.
“I’ll never forget it,” remembered Tatham. “My coach when I was in school at Cleveland State University used to say: ‘we’re the last line of defence for all these young men before they leave to go off into the real world’.”
He believes that if he can train them on how to work hard on the basketball court or in the weight room, he can also guide them to have good characteristics that help them to be young men when they finish university.
“Those little things are the things that I take pride in so that hopefully when they’re done here in two, three or four years, they can use those skills when they’re young men,” said Tatham.
Coach Tatham brings a new excitement to Marauders basketball this season. His passion for the sport cannot be hidden which is exciting to watch for both fans and players alike.
“All the guys love him. He’s very energetic and he’s one of those guys that likes to get us hyped up,” said fourth-year player David McCulloch. “That’s why I really like him as a coach because he makes me want to play for him. But at the same time, he’s also very tough and he’s straight up with you”.
With so many changes going into the new season the Marauders are still adapting, but they plan to use the four preseason games left to shake off the jitters before the regular season starts.
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She is McMaster’s all-time leader in points and steals. Third on the Ontario University Athletics’ all-time scoring list. A two-time U Sports All-Canadian first team member. OUA player of the year, OUA Defensive Player of the Year and, as of last week, the first Marauder ever to win the Nan Coop U Sports National Player of the Year.
You would be hard-pressed to find a better resumé in all of McMaster history, or have a conversation about the greatest of all-time without putting Danielle Boiago at the top of the list. But as bright as the spotlight on Boiago has been since she first arrived at McMaster, there is more to her than the titles beneath her name.
Never one to boast about her accomplishments, there is also a player, a person, who has been a part of her program and this community for five years, known only by the people closest to her.
So as we look back on an incredible career, it seems only fair to introduce the person few fans ever got the chance to meet.
The Role Model
“I remember before I signed with McMaster I went to go see the girl’s team play against Brock at Brock University,” said Jelena Mamic, a fourth-year guard on the women’s team.
“As I was sitting in the stands, Danielle automatically stood out to me. Not only was she this first year starting for a varsity team, she was an absolute threat on the court. I remember Mac had the final shot of the game in order to win or lose and Danielle sank a 3-point shot that was probably three feet away from the actual three-point line with seconds left. After seeing that I knew I’d want to play with her and learn from her. She had the confidence and skill of any fifth year player and she was only in her first year.”
As easy as it is to see the influence Boiago has had on her teammates on the court (averaging 4.3 assists per game, third most in the OUA this year), but it these moments that have often gone overlooked. Having such a gifted player can be enough to grab the attention of other talented recruits, drawing like-minded individuals to the program and creating depth in the team, something Boiago has done from the start.
“Danielle was a highly touted recruit for both Canadian and American schools,” said women’s basketball head coach Theresa Burns. “At the end of the day I think she decided she had what she needed here in terms of basketball and academics… and it has turned out wonderfully for the program. To have someone of her calibre here that people could watch and see not just read about if she had gone somewhere else… I think that was good for the basketball community.”
Having coached Boiago alongside assistant coach Anne Marie Thuss for the duration of her career, Burns felt first-hand the impact that watching Danielle could have from when she was still in high school.
“From the first time I saw her play we knew she was special,” said Burns. “Special players have that aura about them on the court, she is pure scorer she could always find a way to put the ball in the net. She could score inside outside, she had that passion and that drive… you could see it from day one.”
The Workhorse
“I think the thing that will always stick out to me about Danielle the most is her dedication,” said Rachael Holmes, a fellow fifth-year guard.
“Whether it was a Sunday afternoon after a weekend, 7 a.m. on a Tuesday in the off-season or an hour after practice, you could always find Danielle in the gym.”
When you see someone as skilled as Boiago, it can be easy to assume that their level of play is just a product of their natural talent. But talent can only take a player so far if it is not developed. With a tireless work ethic, Danielle was always the type of person to keep pushing herself further, and nothing speaks to that better than her progress over the years. Since 2012, Danielle has improved in almost every statistical category including assists (2.0 to 4.3), three-point shots per game (1.9 to 2.7), points per game (15 to 19) and field goal percentage (29.7 to 44.1).
Danielle automatically stood out to me. Not only was she this first year starting for a varsity team, she was an absolute threat on the court.
Jelena Mamic
Fourth-year guard,
Women's basketball
“There is a lot of talent in the OUA,” said Holmes. “There are a lot of extremely hard workers in the OUA. When you combine those two attributes that is when you get the really special players — that is how Danielle created a tremendous McMaster career. She became the best because she was talented but never satisfied, she worked every day to elevate her game and elevate the team.”
Take Boiago’s play on the defensive side of the ball as an example. Coming out of high school scouts knew she could score, she was fast and smart but her skill defensively still offered room for improvement. Standing at just five feet and seven inches, some might have questioned how far it could go. But since then Boiago has seen her total number of steals improve from 2.4 to 3.3 per game, best in the OUA. Even more impressive, her rebounds per game improved from 4.5 to 7.0, bested only by players more than half a foot taller.
“She grew every year,” said Coach Burns. “She was never satisfied, always trying to be better and add something to her game. In terms of her skillset, her defense, her leadership… she always added something. That is her work ethic. That is her drive.”
The Teammate
“In every practice and game that we’ve had Danielle always shares her input and gives advice in order for her teammates to improve,” said Mamic. “In practice if she’s defending me or any other player and she sees something we could have done better or smarter she instantly tells us. That’s just the type of person she is. Yes she cares about her own game but she also cares just as much about her teammates, if not more.”
Working with Boiago meant anyone on the team had the chance to improve in the same way that she was. But even teaching was a skill honed overtime.
“In her first year she was pretty quiet, didn’t say a lot,” said coach Burns. “You could see leadership skills but it was more actions providing the leadership… but [since then] she has become more confident. You can see that maturity as a person; she can talk to her teammates and say what needs to be said.”
Hard to believe that someone who speaks volume on the court would ever be considered “quiet,” but personality is just one more aspect of who Boiago has grown to become. Whether it is joking around with teammates after a game or pepping up a rookie who had a rough night, it is the small gestures of her demeanor that really shape the relationships around her.
“It was during exam time in December and Danielle and I had some time to shoot around and workout in the gym.” said Mamic. “We got some shots up for a bit, but then we both made the workout into a competition, where the first one to make five pull ups on each side would win. Even though I don’t like to admit it, Danielle did win… plenty of times. But during the whole thing we would bicker back and forth and try to throw each other off rhythm. We would be mad and frustrated if we did not win a round… it was great… That’s what Danielle did for me. She pushed me, not just on that day, but every day. I will forever be grateful for that.”
“What’s better than being able to play basketball with my close friend and the U Sports Player of the Year?”
The Finale
After one of the best seasons women’s basketball has seen Boiago and her team’s playoff run came to a heartbreaking end this year after a one-point loss to Carleton in the OUA semi-finals. Looking back on an athlete’s career, it is always how they play in the face of adversity that seems to be the most telling, and her performance that night was no exception.
“In the game against Carleton, I remember us being down and looking around and thinking ‘this is going to be tough,’” said Linnaea Harper, a third-year forward. “But as I looked at Dani… her eyes still had that belief in them that they always had. [my belief] we could do it was reassured.”
“I think that’s another thing special about her: her leadership didn’t always necessarily come from her words, but from her confidence. She is very modest, but every time she stepped on the court, she and everyone else around her knew she was the best player on the court and that it would be a battle and fueled our team. In that Carleton game, you could tell the fire in her was the brightest it had ever been. Every time Carleton would make a play, you’d better know that Dani was coming to the other end to drill a three, an and-one, — you name it, she would lead us there.”
Unfortunately, it was not meant to be as the team fell 55-54 in regulation. But even after a game that could have easily been the OUA final, with a result that could have fallen either way, Boiaga was not the player to just walk away on the strength of her own efforts. She took the time to rally her team and leave them with a message that with resonate for years to come.
“Along with the other graduating seniors, [their message] was that we believe in our hearts we gave it everything we had,” said Burns. “We are so happy to be a part of this… and [we] hope they left the program in a better place. I know for Danielle she certainly has. What she has accomplished is just phenomenal. To put up the stats she has, to be the leader in points and steals…it is just crazy how amazing it is. To say we are proud of her… it doesn’t even come close.”
The Friend
“One game I remember taking a charge,” said third-year guard Erin Burns. “Danielle was the first one to sprint all the way from across the floor to pick me up and give me pat on the back and high five. That is just the kind of player and team leader that she is. If a teammate falls down she is there to pick you up.”
For all of her incredible games and statistical performances, if there is one quality that stats will never be able to capture, it is way Boiaga treats her teammates. It doesn’t matter who you ask, if there is one thing every story about her has in common it is the genuine love she shared for those around her.
“She is just a really special person. As a third-year walk-on who doesn’t get many minutes, whenever I did something well on the court, Danielle would be the first one on her feet giving me a standing ovation and smiling from ear to ear,” said Adrienne Peters. While she was very humble about her own accomplishments, she never let someone else’s accomplishment go unrecognized… I think that’s one quality that sets her apart from other competitors in our league.
So as we say goodbye to one of the best of all-time, it is only right that we look back on the person beyond the numbers. The role-model, the workhorse, the teammate, the friend.
Farewell Danielle, we hardly knew thee.
The recent influx of basketball programs has caused Ontario University Athletics to make a change.
According to multiple sources with direct knowledge, the OUA administration is in the midst of realigning the men and women’s basketball conferences. Currently, the OUA is split into two divisions: the OUA West and OUA East. The proposed realignment would radically shake the landscape and create four divisions instead of two.
Algoma University, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., began OUA competition this season, and Nipissing University, based in North Bay, Ont., are set to join the league in 2014-15. The realignment aims to cut down travel costs, shorten the season to possibly nineteen games and balance the amount of distance that each team has to travel.
The OUA confirmed that realignment is being discussed, but would not go into greater detail about what the conference would look like. Sources say that the four divisions could look something like this:
Those divisions have not been confirmed by the OUA. However, it could mean that teams within the same division would play twice – home and away – and non-divisional teams square off only once. The first draft of the 2014-15 schedule has been released to athletic departments, but there are potential issues with travel already. One school has Algoma, Carleton, Laurentian, Lakehead and Nipissing travelling to their school, which means that the next year, all of those games would be on the road.
Games are slated to take place on Wednesdays, Fridays or Saturdays throughout the season, which would be a change for teams in the OUA West. Under the current system, West teams play weekend double-headers against the East and Lakehead, and play Wednesdays and Saturdays in divisional match-ups.
The OUA says that the season structure is not finalized yet, but an announcement will be made within the coming months. Playoff format has yet to be decided, and currently, there is no information available on what it would look like.
With seven seconds left in the 2012-13 season, Scott Laws exited a game for the final time as a McMaster athlete. It wasn’t dramatic. There was no romantic end. It was a playoff game at Lakehead University; this moment was not important to the people in attendance.
Laws gave his coach a firm handshake and grabbed a seat on the bench. He didn’t show much emotion - other than frustration about losing the game. It was a simple moment for the end of a wild ride.
The 6’4’’ guard out of Gormley, Ont. first came to Mac after being recruited by former head coach Joe Raso. His first two years donning the Maroon and Grey had an instant impact on the team, with his defensive abilities making him a key member of the rotation.
With a year of experience came more floor time, and Laws’ minutes jumped from 19.8 per game to 27.5 between his first- and second-year. But just as Laws was starting to come into his own, an injury struck early in November 2010 - his third season.
“I was going to the basket for a lay-up and came down on someone’s foot and then just twisted my ankle. Originally, we thought it was just an ankle sprain and I walked off the floor and all that kind of stuff. I thought it was fine. I tried to get back in and play,” explained Laws. “Every time I would try and step or run, it didn’t feel like my body was letting me do it. There was no stability, which was weird because it didn’t hurt. Immediately after the game, I couldn’t put any weight on it.”
The following morning, Laws woke up with his right foot covered in bruises. He had broken the fifth metatarsal, which was the pinky bone halfway up his foot. At the time, Laws and the coaching staff didn’t know the real extent of the damage.
“I played the second-half of the season with [a broken foot]. I had surgery once the season was done. I had a screw in it and then when they did the first surgery, it wasn’t viewed as that bad of injury,” said Laws.
This was supposed to be the end. The nagging injury was supposed to disappear and Laws could get back to helping the Marauders on the court. It wasn’t that simple though.
“The way [the bone] broke, and the special kind of break that it was made it really difficult for it to heal with the way it was being treated. That’s just because my foot had been broken before but we didn’t know. Then it broke more,” Laws recalled. The way that it broke, the bone peeled away and when they tried to reattach it to the base of the bone, it didn’t mesh. Then they thought the bone was dying.”
This kind of break is called a nonunion fracture. When a bone does not grow back, the ends of a fracture can be too far apart for bones to signal to heal together. Laws says that they can’t nail down when he originally broke his foot and that it could have been earlier in university, or even dating back to high school.
Laws would have a second surgery that would finally solve the break, but required a much longer recovery period.
“They did a different kind of surgery where they wrapped some kind of mesh around it and attached a tendon underneath to the ligament,” explained Laws. “Then I had a bone stimulator, that was supposed to encourage growth. It all worked, but just took so much longer because it was nonunion break.”
Laws would be forced to sit out his entire fourth-year. He would apply his education to create some marketing campaigns for the basketball program, including the Midnight Madness team hype session and Pack This House event.
After taking the year to get back to 100 per cent, the senior was at a crossroads. The program was going through a rebirth; Mac was rich with talent but not yet a national contender. Laws also had not been healthy in over a year and admitted to having concerns how effective he could be.
“The question was always in the back of my mind of whether I’d be able to play to the same level I had before. Any athlete that’s been an athlete, if you can’t play to the same level you has before… It’s pretty difficult,” said Laws.
He pointed to spending a lot of time with teammates as a reason for why he returned. Having a year on the bench allowed Laws to foster a better camaraderie with the other Mac men.
Laws return proved to be a major difference maker in his final season. Head coach Amos Connolly praised the quiet consistency of the team leader.
“He showed the way. To return, under the circumstances that he chose to this year, to lead by example were big things for our guys. All our young guys this year needed to still be learning, and they are much more prepared going forward because of what Scott was able to do,” said Connolly.
Moving forward, Laws has been accepted to the University of Toronto to work towards a Master’s of Business Administration. He explained that it’s bittersweet to walk away, as Mac is on the verge of breaking out next season.
“I’m sad that my time is over but I’m proud of the time I spent there. I truly feel that I’ve left the program better than when I got there,” said Laws.
As his rollercoaster career at McMaster comes to a close, Laws won’t finish as an all-time statistical leader in anything. Defensive prowess doesn’t transfer well to the box score. But what Laws accomplished is more important than what numbers can describe.
When the Marauders headed to the locker room after the playoff loss, the players headed in while the coaches waited outside the doors to discuss what would be said in the postgame talk.
The room was full of disappointment. After seven months of work, the team finished well short of their goal. Laws stood up and took control of the group – a side that fans don’t normally see.
Laws asked them to make a promise. He wanted the group to make it back next year and to not make the same mistakes.
What he was really asking for was perseverance. The same resolve he showed after his series of disastrous setbacks.
The players obliged. If they make good on that promise of perseverance, the ceiling for this program is higher than ever before. A national championship could be in the future.
Should Mac find themselves with a CIS championship, Scott Laws will be as worthy as anyone of wearing the gold medal.
