Sudbury, ON’s Marianne Alarie Headed to Queens Next Fall

Marianne Alarie (5’9” PG, Lo Ellen Park, 2014) of Sudbury, ON has committed to attend Queen’s University for the Fall of 2014.

“I feel relieved to have made my decision. I was fortunate enough to have received offers from numerous OUA and NCAA schools. This was obviously something that was consistently on my mind and caused me to put pressure on myself.”

But with that pressure subsided after electing to attend the Kingston, ON University Alarie, who will be a Life Sciences Major, is now able to channel her attention on taking care of her studies and continue to round out her game, both at Lo-Ellen and with her Barrie Royals rep team.

“Now that I have made my decision, I will be able to focus both on my academics as well as my upcoming JUEL season without all of the distractions and the stress that comes with making such an important decision.”

Alarie is a sly Point Guard that has the ability to stretch the floor by being able to shoot a 3-pointer when left open. She can also do a good job running her team’s offence knowing where everyone should be and setting them up to succeed. Her ability to make the most of her talents and a good ethic will bode well for her on-going prospects with the Golden Gaels. Prospects that Alarie will treasure both on and off the court.

“I do feel that Queen’s University will offer me the best opportunity to grow as an individual and as an athlete”, said Alarie. And with her mind on the holistic student-athlete picture, she went on so say, “To me, it represents the best fit from an academic and basketball point of view. Queen’s is recognized as one of the best universities in Canada.”

“The sport facility is amazing and will provide me with a great environment to grow and improve as a basketball player.”

Despite a sub- .500 season last year, Queen’s was able to make it to the OUA Semi-Finals, demonstrating that they do have a few pieces to work with and are hopeful for future success. And with the optimism that surrounds the team on the eve of this year’s campaign, Alarie will be keen on keeping tabs on the Golden Gael’s results, eager to make her mark on things when she gets the opportunity.

“I played most of my career as a point guard, I am certainly able to play as a two, which I think will provide some flexibility to my coaches.”

She feels that her contribution could also come from bringing some key intangibles to the table as well.

“I am a true team player whose first ambition is to win and improve. I hope to be able to share my passion for the game with my teammates.”

Connection with those teammates in the way that she did at a training camp she attended there in the summer, helped to solidify Queen’s as a top choice.

“I enjoyed the team chemistry and the quality of the coaching staff.”