Martlets basketball recruiting class announced for 2011-12
(LEFT TO RIGHT: Tiye Traore, Dianna Ros, Shelby Eveleigh, Gabriela Hébert)
MONTREAL - Ryan Thorne, head coach of the McGill University women's basketball team, has announced that his four top recruits have each signed letters of intent to play for the Martlets during the 2011-12 season. Heading the recruiting class for McGill, which finished first with a 13-3 record in the Quebec conference last year, is Tiye Traore, a 5-foot-11 forward from Sudbury, Ont., who has been identified by Basketball Canada as one of the elite young players in the country. Other incoming freshmen include guards Dianna Ros out of College Montmorency, Shelby Eveleigh from Vanier College and Gabriela Hébert of College Ste. Foy.
Traore, a 17-year-old who will major in kinesiology, is a product of the Ontario Basketball Association's Lockerby Composite school in Sudbury, Ont., where she averaged 15.8 points per game last season and graduated as her school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. A four-year starter at Lockerby, she captained the Vikings to three city titles and a pair of Northern Ontario Secondary School Athletics championships. Also a member of the 2010 Ontario provincial team, she was selected to represent Canada in the 2010 Youth Olympic 3-on-3 basketball competition.
"After seeing Tiye play, I was most impressed by her athleticism and ability to defend," says Thorne. "These were two areas of weakness for our program last year, so adding her to an already strong offensive lineup will hopefully make a big difference."
Ros, a 5-foot-7 native of St. Laurent, Que., will study occupational therapy. She helped lead College Montmorency to a national championship last year and earned CCAA all-tournament honours. A former member of the Quebec under-17 squad, she recently won a $5,000 Pat Burns COGECO recruitment scholarship -- from the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence -- for demonstrating perseverance and academic excellence in sport. Ros, who averaged 8.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, will give McGill another strong outside threat. The 19-year-old led the Quebec collegiate AAA conference in three-point shooting last year with a .397 success rate, making 25 of 63 attempts in 18 games.
"Dianna has developed into arguably the best scoring point-guard in the CCAA and we've had our eye on her for quite some time," says Thorne. "Though she played the point for Montmorency, her ability to score and run the floor will result in her seeing more time at the shooting-guard spot with us. That flexibility at the two-spot makes us a better team in the open court, which should make us tough to defend."
Eveleigh, a 5-foot-6 point-guard from St. Hubert, Que., served as team captain at Vanier, where she earned all-conference and all-Canadian honours. She averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game with a stellar .487 shooting percentage from the field. The 20-year-old physical education student is expected to make an immediate impact, with her quickness and leadership.
"Shelby is a true point guard, who knows how to push the ball and find her teammates," says Thorne. "Her unselfishness on the court, make her a joy to play with on the offensive end, while her defensive tenacity will make it tough on opposing guards."
Hébert, a 5-foot-8 shooting-guard, averaged 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game with the Ste. Foy Dynamiques last season. The 20-year-old from Chicoutimi, Que.,is enrolled in the faculty of physical education.
"Gab is a very tough competitor, whom I had the pleasure of coaching earlier in her career," says Thorne. "She leads by example and will give everything she has to help the team succeed. A legitimate threat from the three-point line, she will definitely help stretch the opposition's defence."
The Martlets will open their 2011-12 season by hosting the annual Redbird Classic tournament at Love Competition Hall, Oct. 21-23.
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)