Humber College/Etobicoke Rams High School Classic Standouts(2011)

On October 20 and 21, 2011, the Humber College/Etobicoke Rams High School Classic girls’ basketball tournament took place in Toronto’s west end. It featured sixteen teams from as far away as Ottawa and Windsor and saw its fair share of upsets over the course of the weekend. But, with the amount of strong teams in this tournament and a number of injuries to some of the teams’ key players, anything could happen.
On the consolation side, Northern Secondary beat Amherst for consolation Bronze and Notre Dame (Ajax) defeated Havergal to claim the Consolation Championship.
On the Championship side, Bill Crothers beat Louis Riel to earn Bronze and in the Championship Finals, Waterloo CI defeated North Park (Brantford).

Here’s how some of the standouts looked throughout the tournament:

Lindsay Shotbolt (F, Bill Crothers, 2012)
Shotbolt seemed to be the type of player that loved to put her team on her back this past weekend. Yes, there was a cast of players around her that did contribute both on and off the scoresheet, but Shotbolt seemed to relish being the backbone of her team. She was the team’s on court general that exuded confidence when the ball was in her hands and had quite a bit of success in doing so, even as a Point Guard which she often played. This solid six-footer has good ball handling skills which shined brightly even under pressure. Yes, a touch more speed would be nice, but she was quite effective with what she does have. She can create her own shot and did very well to create for teammates as well. Shotbolt has very high ceiling and is poised to do well at the next stage of her basketball career at a variety of positions.

Rebecca Quinn (G, Havergal College, 2013)
In speaking with Quinn’s Coach, Coach Grannum, I learned that despite all of the success on the court this talented Guard displayed, it is on the field where she is better known. With multiple, high major D1, offers already on the table for this 2013’s soccer services, she could easily set herself up for D1 offers for herself in basketball as well. She is a decent sized player that has very good speed and good ball control to go with it. When faced with the opportunity, she took the game to other top prospect Guards and was certainly equal to the task. She did so by incorporating change of pace drives, very good footwork, and showing glimpses of well executed spin move in the process. She has a very good first step and does well in using a pull-up jumper to go with it. The only thing that may have limited her success this weekend may have been the lack of a supporting cast that may have supplied her with someone to play off of to minimize the amount of double teams she drew. She ended up logging a fair amount minutes per game also in order for her team to stay competitive, yet still showed she has a very good motor.

Catherine Traer (G/F, Louis Riel)
Traer is a promising, long and Forward that seemed to have played a number of different positions this weekend for her Louis Riel Rebelles. On defense she did a good job when in zone where she excelled at her position in the center of a 2-3 set. Where she was exposed a bit, was in man coverage where keeping her man in front of her was at times easier said than done. On the other side of the ball, she often brought up the ball as a Guard, slashed to the hole on offensive sets that were clearly designed for her and did a fair bit of posting up with her back to the basket. While she was very successful in actually getting to the basket, using her long strides and protecting the ball well, there is clearly a fair bit of work to be done on her completion around the rim. For this French school attendee, either more surety as to what she would like to see happen at the end of the drive or better calculation as to how to go about finishing is necessary for her future in-practice routines for better in-game results.

Dakota Whyte (5’9″, G, Notre Dame (Ajax), 2012)
After an opening round loss by Whyte’s Notre Dame (Ajax) Cougars that could be seen as disappointing, it would have been easy to roll over and call it a night. Whyte and the Cougars needed to fight back and get back on track which they did in order to earn the Consolation Finals Championship. On offense, Whyte was able to contribute to her team getting back on track connecting from long range with her shot, giving her squad the added boost they needed. She offset her shooting with nice looking drives to the basket and finishing fairly consistently. On defense, she was able to on several occasions, choose the perfect moment to bounce on opposing players for steals showing very good timing. A weakness I detected this weekend, was the need to keep very speedy, athletic opponents in front of her, limiting them to low percentage attempts. There were a few times I did notice that fast, creative Guards caught her off balance and were able to get by her.

Alex Klein (6’2″, F, Waterloo CI, 2012)
Toughness and aggressiveness are words that quickly come to mind when describing Klein’s play in this tournament. Klein made it difficult for anyone coming across the middle as if to send a message that the paint was her turf. And, if any opponent looking to set up shop there will have to answer to her. She worked this formula on both ends and certainly enjoyed the spoils that came from good positioning including good rebounding and optimal looks on goal. Because this formula may not always be able to be implemented going forward, Klein should continue to build on the quality shot making and on the passing execution she exhibited this weekend. I would challenge her to continue to work on her moves in the paint and around the basket. Solidifying the execution of the moves she has already under her belt and also increasing the number of them in general, will be needed to accompany her grit.

Lindsay Lessard (G, Waterloo CI, 2012)
This weekend, I saw a side of Lessard that showed that she can mix it up a bit with getting physical, and do so successfully. Along with that, came a more aggressive game play that boosted her game play in more ways than one. There was lots of hustle in her chasing down rebounds and securing them for her team’s attack, which was a precursor to her making smart decisions. She did well in taking advantage of opportunities as they presented themselves. I would have liked to have seen more speed when hitting holes in the defense but she did well to finish strongly with her left or right. Her shooting from long range was in good order as she had a nice consistent follow through in hitting shots from 15-20 feet away.

McKenzie Sigurdson (G, Northern Secondary, 2012)
Sigurdson is a Point Guard that exhibits a tremendous amount of heart. Time and time again she gave gutsy performances where you could tell that when she plays, she leaves it all on the floor. And, what she did show was extremely good ball control, the ability to get to the rack and being able to finish at a high rate. Understanding the problems she was causing on defenders and them having to double up on her, she employed the drive and kick to all too happy teammates who were given quality looks. That same intensity was brought on defense, where diving for loose balls was quite common. She was okay in pressuring opponents but quicker guards seemed to be able to stay one step ahead when they went all out as opposed to them slowing the pace of their offense down.

Honorable Mention
Sam Cooper (6’2″, F, Lockerby, 2013) – A tall, strong presence inside that pivots well, and did well collecting rebounds. Lateral mobility a question mark.

Yasmyne Salhia (5’6″, G, Bill Crothers, 2015) – Long term potential evident in the way she controls the ball and with the pace she does so. Cuts well to the basket, but could use better finishes.

Katie Breault (6’2″, F, General Amhest, 2013) – Had several blocked shots and altered several more. Has a solid body that is fairly agile and looks well running the floor for a player her size. More consistent finish on offense would take her game to the next level.

Allison DeLorenzi (5’8″, G, North Park (Brantford) – Demonstrated a good outside shot and nailed several 3-pointers. Found some success working the shot fake and drive to the basket.

Tori Larocque (5’6″, G, St Anne, 2012) – Displayed above average speed and leaping ability. Controlled the ball well when driving and didn’t shy away from contacts.