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Carly Clarke Confident In Latest Cadettes Roster Selections
The team announcement came after the final invite list of fifteen, was whittled down to twelve at a training camp taking place in Mississauga, ON.
Head Coach, Carly Clarke, commented on the arduous task her and her staff had, with making the right decisions on just who should be on this team.
“As always, the athletes make making these decisions very tough”, said Coach Clarke about the selection process. “Our selection committee has been evaluating our athletes year round. All have showed growth.”
“We have a gritty, athletic, cohesive team”, said Clarke. “Overall, the amount of talent is once again very exciting for our country.”>
When taking a look at this year’s roster, one will notice that it looks very familiar to last year’s FIBA Americas Roster that won a Silver Medal in the competition in Mexico.
Nine of the twelve selected team members are back for another shot at the podium. Many of the Cadettes had positive game experiences that they will look to build upon this summer.
Strong performances from players such as Julia Chandler (19pts vs Puerto Rico), Danielle Garven (16pts vs Venezuela), Bridget Carleton (16pts vs Mexico), Mael Gilles (15pts vs Brazil), Eternati Willock (14pts vs Mexico, and from the youngest on the team, Hailey Brown (11pts, 11rbs vs Venezuela) will be needed again from each if they are to be successful.
And in a game where reliance on good chemistry can lead to good results, the nucleus of the team will look to lean on the cohesion that began to form over the past 18 months.
Into the fold are newcomers Kendra Van Leeuwen, Maurane Corbin and Mikaela Brewer who will each be representing their country for the first time. Canada will look to leverage Van Leeuwen’s strong I.Q. Corbin’s size and Brewer’s speed into their rotation as the team enters Group A action that will have them suiting up against Hungary, Korea and the host nation, Czech Republic.
And as this Canadian team approaches these FIBA Worlds, they will undoubtedly be compared to the 2012 Canadian Cadette team that won bronze at the FIBA U17 World Championships for Women in Amsterdam. The 2012 team is the ultimate measuring stick being the only Canadian Cadette team to Medal at that event.
Certainly big shoes to fill for the 2014 edition.
But, as good as that World Bronze Medal performance was, Coach Clarke believes that the new dynamic isn’t a detriment, but brings a new opportunity to shine in a whole new way.
Point Guard Jaelyn Kirkpatrick will be looked upon to help run this Cadette Team’s offence.
“The last cycle we were based around our post presence and the now Senior team Point Guard,” said Clarke of standout Point Guard Kia Nurse and the 2012 team, when asked about how the makeup of this year’s squad differed from that team.
“This time around we have great shooting and scoring from all positions, particularly at the 2,3,4 spots. We were a top rebounding team last time around, although our size is distributed differently we still expect to be amongst the top rebounding teams, while also continuing the Canadian trend of being a top defensive team. The IQ of this team is incredibly high which will allow us to be creative offensively as well.
In order for this team to be successful, they will need to forge their own way. And, not resting on successes of the past is certainly the way to do it.
Coach Clarke is encouraged by the year over year improvement this team has brought to camp.
“It’s always fun to watch the growth and maturity of the athletes from
U16 to U17 year. All our athletes have demonstrated growth physically,
mentally and technically. We’ve had a great framework in place to
allow our athletes to train specific areas to prepare themselves for
this experience on and off the court.”
So, what is to be made of this year’s Cadettes selections? The way I see it, these girls are talented. Let’s give them space, minimize the comparisons and let them play the brand of basketball, Coach Clarke has proven she can bring to the table. The rest will take care of itself.
2014 Canadian Cadette National Women’s Team Roster
Chelayne Bailey 5’7”, PG, 2015
Mikaela Brewer 5’7”, G, 2016
Hailey Brown 6’0“, F, 2017
Bridget Carleton 6’1”, G, 2015
Julia Chandler 6’2”, F, 2015
Maurane Corbin 6’2”, F, 2016
Danielle Garven 6’1”, W, 2015
Mael Gilles 6’1”, G, 2016
Jaelyne Kirkpatrick 5’7”, G, 2015
Kendra Van Leeuwen 5’10”, PG, 2016
Eternati Willock 6’2”, F, 2015
Lauren Yearwood 6’4”, F, 2015