In 2011-12, the Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team is looking to take a step forward after posting a 9-7 win-loss record and finishing in third place in the RSEQ conference standings last season.
A good recruiting class, a solid core of veterans and strong team chemistry have the Stingers thinking about securing one of the top two spots in the five-team Quebec league.
“This is probably the deepest team in terms of total talent I’ve ever had at Concordia,” says Stinger head coach Keith Pruden who is in his 16th season with the program.
Concordia had a good preseason run against tough competition. The Stingers also picked up a 75-66 win in the Quebec conference opener versus the Martlets at McGill last Thursday.
One key returning player to watch is Kaylah Barrett, a native of Brampton, Ont. The young guard will be counted on heavily to lead the Stingers. Last season, she was named the RSEQ Defensive Player of the Year, RSEQ Rookie of the Year and was a first team all-star. With an average of 11.5 points a game, she was the leading scorer on the Stingers.
A couple of fourth-year players are expected to have an impact this season; Magalie Beaulieu, a St. Laurent, Que. native, and forward Anne-Marie Prophete from Quebec City will be key components in the team’s success. The latter was one of the team’s top scorers last season with an average of 9.4 points a game.
Newcomers to look for include transfer student Ashley Clarke, a guard who played one season with the Ryerson Rams; Serginha Estime, a five-foot-10 forward who was an all-star at Dawson College; and Natasha Raposo, a guard from Vanier College who has been scoring in bunches in the preseason.
All three will help replace the scoring punch lost when Kendra Carrie and Yasmin Jean-Philippe, both of whom averaged more than 10 points a game last season, graduated in the spring.
The Stingers will play their home-opener at Concordia Gym this Saturday at 6 p.m. versus the Laval Rouge et Or.
