VReds Up For The Challenge Of AUS Season As Pre-Season Concludes in Maine

So, the dress rehearsal wasn’t as good as the VReds hoped for. There’s still time however for the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds women’s basketball team to learn their lines.

Better come in a hurry, though, considering the Canadian Interuniversity Sport season’s curtain rises Nov. 12 at the stunning Richard Currie Center at the scenic UNB campus.

The Varsity Reds didn’t duck too many teams during the pre-season, an exhibition session that saw the VReds play some of the top ranked teams in the CIS, and produce only a few wins.

UNB’s record would have been much better had the VReds put teams away while leading in the fourth quarter, but that’s the sign of a club working out the kinks of new faces, new systems and new expectations in the Atlantic University Sport conference.

This is not going to be an easy 2011-12.

But if it was easy, it wouldn’t be challenging.

A year ago, UNB threatened for an AUS crown and a trip to the nationals, but fell short of its goal, losing a pair of key seniors in the process when graduation came calling for all-stars Amanda Sharpe and Leah Corby. Not to mention a devastating knee injury to key veteran Laura Fowler, who isn’t expected to play at all in 2011-12.

“We have to concentrate and focus on the players we have this year and we can be successful with the roster we have,” said veteran fifth year forward Emma Russell. “It’s easy to compare things to last year for sure, but we just have to push that out of our minds. We need to focus on what needs to get done this year.”

Therein lies the challenge for head coach Jeff Speedy, entering his sixth year patrolling the sidelines with the VReds.

He has some tools. He simply needs to fill out the toolbox.

“We have some players we will rely heavily on this year because the competition in the AUS didn’t get any weaker,” said Speedy. “We have brought in new faces and recruits, but anyone who has played at this level fully understands there is a major adjustment to make on and off the court. We demand an awful lot from our student-athletes. Some of those players will respond in different ways. But there is ample opportunity for players to step up here and keep us in the thick of things.”

Russell is one of those players.

Along with fifth year point guard Megan Corby, CIS All Rookie Claire Colborne and veterans such as Melissa Foster, Jenna Holstein, Sam Kaminsky, Danielle Scime and Tamara Tompkins, there is a considerable work ethic within the VReds’ room.

New faces ready to pull on the work clothes include Samantha Wilson, Alison Chalke, Rachel Cleary, Katelynn Carver and Colleen Daly.

Somehow, add this to that, shake this a little bit and pour it onto the AUS courts home and away and see how the ingredients mesh.

“The veterans are going to be relied on a lot this year and our first line leaders have to set the tone at the start of every game,” said Russell, whose work ethic is hard to surpass on the court. “We need to set the energy for the rest of the team, but we also need to step up and score and provide some stops on defence.”

Russell knows what it’s like to be a wide-eyed rookie being thrust into CIS play. It gets a little more familiar as a second year player, but she can tell you, even after four years, each season, each challenge is tough.

“It’s definitely a huge adjustment coming in from high school or even when you’re in your second year,” said the native of Grand Manan, N.B. “The game is so much faster, players are stronger and you have to put so much work into your game. Another huge adjustment as a student-athlete is time management with school. You have to work on that and try and get better each year. I’m in my last year and it’s still difficult juggling basketball and school. But you do it and you prepare for both.”

Russell will log key minutes for Speedy’s crew this season. She doesn’t mind the heavy lifting that comes in the paint, battling some big bodies under the AUS baskets.

“There’s a little pressure being counted on as a leader, but that’s my role with this team and one I’ve accepted,” she said. “I felt I was one of our leaders last year, but there’s more to step into. I have to remember people will be looking up at me, watching what I do. We’ve seen signs of progress and that’s what you aim for. We definitely have some quality shooters on this team, but we’re a running team. Once we get our fastbreak down, we will progress.”

What about the other side of the ball?

“We know our defence is a work in progress,” she said matter-of-factly. “Our D needs improvement. Once we all get on the same page, we’ll be able to get good stops.”

With the exhibition season behind them, the VReds will remain in Fredericton for the opening of the new campaign.

The club welcomes the Memorial University Seahawks to the Currie Center on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m.

For those who haven’t had a chance to check out the Currie Center during the Accreon Helen Campbell Tournament in October, the new home for VReds’ court sports is indeed stunning.

Gleaming wood structure, large windows and locker rooms as good as any in the country mean it’s an outstanding place for student-athletes to play varsity sports.

At the end of the day, a floor is just a floor, but the atmosphere in the Currie Center is great,” said Rusell. “It definitely takes our program to a professional level and that can intimidate teams. Even the locker room is such a huge change from what we used to have.”

The team will be a huge change this season, but the VReds new and old, can’t wait to leave backstage and get onto the front stage.