BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
Five girls from the Sudbury area earned the right to represent the north at this week?s Nike Juvenile Development Program (JDP) at York University after securing roster spots on the North Regional team.
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Sudbury players at York University this week are: Julie Labre, Sarah Lazarus, Mylaine Magneau, Ashlee Faubert and Shannon Chellew. |
?We have a great team this year,? said Mylaine Magneau, 16, from College Notre Dame.
?Everybody doesn?t expect the north to do well, but we will prove them wrong.?
The girls won spots after tryouts in Sudbury during June and then moved on to Thunder Bay to practise and mesh with their new teammates from across the north.
To test their mettle, the girls, all 17 or younger, played the Lakehead University women?s basketball team.
?We played a good game and kept it close,? said Magneau.
?We were in their face the whole game and never backed down.?
Magneau has been playing basketball for six years and jumped at the chance to be on the JDP team.
?I played for the JDP last year and the bantam and midget teams before that, and this was my last chance to play on a team like this,? said Magneau.
?You see what kind of talent is out there and who will be playing university basketball.?
For Sarah Lazarus, 16, from Lasalle Secondary School, making the team has given her a chance to shine in elite competition.
Lazarus made the midget team last year as an alternate and was determined to make this year?s JDP team as a starter.
?Being an alternate last year motivated me to make the team this year,? said Lazarus. ?I am proud and honoured to represent the north.?
Lazarus knows she is in for a positive experience.
?Just to know you?re good enough to make a regional team makes you realize that you?re also capable of accomplishing more.?
Julie Labre, 15, from Lasalle Secondary School knows she has already improved her overall game just from the practices at camp and looks forward to representing the north.
?This is a great chance to grow as a player,? said Labre. ?We can be recognized for other teams and improve our skills at the same time.?
Labre has been playing basketball for five years and hopes to give the north something to cheer about.
?I was proud of myself for making the team,? said Labre. ?I hope to do a good job representing the north because that was my motivation to work hard in camp.?
Shannon Chellew, 17, from LoEllen Park Secondary School has played in these tournaments before and missed out on last year?s action with an injured ankle.
She is back this year knowing the experience is nothing but positive.
?I want to pursue basketball in university and the experience of the JDP camp will go a long way toward helping me achieve that goal,? said Chellew.
?It shows us who and what is out there.?
Ashlee Faubert, 16, also from Lasalle, has a great sense of pride in being on the team.
?It?s a great feeling knowing you?re one of the best the region has to offer.?
Faubert knows this team is ready for the challenges it will face because with the five girls from Sudbury, three from Lasalle Secondary School it has helped jell the team together.
?The Sudbury girls know each other and they split us up at mini camp with the other Northern Ontario girls for practice,? said Faubert. ?We all got to know the other girls through each other and that has helped build this team.?
The girls will back in Sudbury later this week.
