Lions have their eyes on playoffs this season
Lewis Chaitov
staff writer
Our women’s basketball team is in top condition heading into the 2011-2012 season. Head coach Bill Pangos is now entering his 26th season in charge of the roaring ladies Lion’s basketball team, along with coaches Ralph May, in his third year with the club, and Laura Lenon, who used to play for Pangos. The team has added a couple of new recruits this year to help offensively and add a little grit to the lineup.
This off-season, seven of the players were on campus taking summer courses and working with their strength and conditioning coaches.
“You can see the development and the improvement in their game, in their speed and acceleration, and that makes a difference,” says Pangos.
“The women on the team this year made commitment.”
The new players on the team this year are: Number 10, Samantha Ernest from Oakville to help the team in goal, and number 12, Haley Finn from London, a “feisty player that adds some grit to the lineup that we needed,” says Pangos.
Returning to the team are two rookies that showed a lot of progress last year: Llyandra Kerr, with her strength rebounding off the boards both in defence as well as offence; and Courtney Osborne, who has been training hard in the off-season. In her fifth season is Brittany Szockyj, the captain of the Lions and a big part of last year’s team with her hustle on the court.
Also returning are Nadia Qahwash and Kayla Pangos, both strong point-guards that have been team leaders off and on the court.
There are two new players this year that are walk-ons: Jillian Walker from Sydenham and Emma Ferguson from Toronto, both guards.
The team opens up on the road against two tough opponents: November 11 against Western, then the next night against Windsor—the best team in the in the CIS last year. The first home game will be against McMaster November 18.
The challenge for the women this year is playing the back-to-back nights throughout the whole season. Strength and conditioning will be the key to a winning season.
