The Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team will debut a new and improved look when it plays its home-opener tonight at 8 at Concordia gym on Loyola campus.
“This season we will play a very up-tempo game,” says assistant coach Rastko Popovic. “We’re small but very athletic. We will be hard to guard because of our speed and athleticism. And you can look for us to shoot a lot of 3s.”
With a 6-10 win-loss record in 2009-’10, the Stingers missed the playoffs. However, Concordia’s prospects are brighter this year. The team has already beaten the Laval Rouge et Or, a perennial powerhouse in the women’s game, by a 79-48 score in Quebec City on Nov. 12.
“In the Quebec league, anyone can beat anyone on any given night. Every game really matters,” Popovic says.
Three key veterans will provide the Stingers with a wealth of experience this season. Concordia can count on two fifth-year guards – Yasmin Jean-Philippe and Kendra Carrie. Third-year forward Anne-Marie Prophete will provide a lot of the scoring as will Jean-Philippe.
Newcomers to keep an eye on include guard Kaylah Barrett, a Brampton, Ont. native out of the Ontario high school system, and forward Tina Mpondani, a Montrealer who played at Collège Montmorency. The coaches are also pleased with rookie guard Alex Boudreau who played at CEGEP Trois-Rivières and calls Chicoutimi home.
“We are much deeper this year,” says Popovic. “We have a lot of talent off the bench that can play. We’re more balanced this year. We don’t have to depend on one or two people to score points. We have a lot of players that can give us scoring. This team is definitely going in the right direction.”
Tonight is the first home game of the Quebec regular season. The Stingers will put their talent to the test at 8 p.m. versus the McGill Martlets. They are home again Saturday, Dec. 4 when they host the Rouge et Or.
