BY SCOTT
HADDOW
It's the height of summer and the heat has young adults running
for the beaches and backyard pools.
There's one young athletic star who isn't frolicking in the
cool waters of Greater Sudbury's 300 lakes.
This athlete is in a sweltering gymnasium, sweating bullets
everyday, working on her game and trying to become the best she
can.
Kristine Lalonde takes the game of basketball seriously. On and
off the court the 15-year-old is all business.
Typically, when she's not at the gym early in the morning or
late at night, Lalonde can be found shooting hoops outside her
home in New Sudbury.
Basketball is her life and she pours a great deal of energy
into honing her craft.
Her hard work doesn't go unrewarded.
Recently, Lalonde was selected to play for the Under-17
juvenile Ontario team. It's Lalonde's third year in a row
making the provincial grade. The last two summers, she competed
for the U-15 squad, which won national gold both times. In
2006, Lalonde was a tour-de-force for Ontario, leading the team
in assists and steals, while averaging eight points per game.
She was co-captain and was named to the First All-Star.
Lalonde wasn't just handed a spot this year. She was picked
from 72 of the best players under the age of 17, through a Nike
Basketball Ontario Juvenile Development Program (JDP) to
partake in a tournament held by the National Elite Development
Academy. There, she earned her spot, despite being the second
youngest player in the event.
Over the next five weeks, Lalonde will travel with the Ontario
squad for training camps and special tournaments in North
America before finally trying to earn a third national gold in
Vancouver from Aug. 14 to 18 at the national U-17
championships.
Lalonde has been playing competitive basketball for four years.
She plays high school ball for Lasalle Secondary School, where
she will be going into Grade 11 in the fall. Lalonde was a
powerhouse for Lasalle this past season, finishing second
overall in scoring with 90 points and leading all Division I
girls with 15 three point shots made. Her efforts helped
Lasalle go 8-0 in the regular season and win the city
championship.
Lalonde also plays club basketball, with the Lakers and the
Selects over the past three years.
Lalonde was born to play the game. Her mother and father, Mitch
and Mary, are both basketball coaches and her older brother,
Andrew, is one of the most dynamic players to rip up the local
scene in a long time.
Recently, Lalonde took time out to talk to Northern Life
reporter Scott Haddow about making the Ontario team, basketball
and life in general.
SH: What does it mean to you to make this Ontario
team?
KL: It's pretty important to me and the biggest thing going on
in my life right now. It was another one of my goals I had. It
will be a great experience and I'm looking forward to it.
SH: What are you looking to prove?
KL: I want to play my best. I want to earn a starting spot. As
a younger player, I will have to work a lot harder to get one
of those spots. I also want to earn a lot of playing time, so
when the team gets to nationals I will be ready to play even
more. I want to improve my overall game. I get a lot of
different training. It's a totally new level of intensity. It
will help me a lot, especially when I return to play high
school basketball. I will bring the experience back to high
school...and pass it on to teammates.
SH: Three years in a row on the provincial squad. Is
this making you into a leader?
KL: Yes. For sure. I want to be a leader and I have been doing
it. It's opening up a lot of different doors for me. It's a
good life experience too.
SH: What was the hardest part of making this team?
KL: It was the JDP camp and the tryouts. I had five games to
show coaches what I had. I had to try as hard as I could.
SH: What do you hope to gain from the experience?
KL: I'm a younger person, so I will get to learn new stuff from
the older players. Some of the players are in the National
Development Academy and train there all year. I have a lot to
learn from them.
SH: You have experience at the national level. What do
you feel you're bringing to this team, this time?
KL: I'm used to the pressure...playing for my province in front
of a lot of people. I bring strong defence. Being a 1-2 point
guard, I shoot and pass well...those are my strengths.
SH: What kind of expectations are you putting on
yourself?
KL: I want a lot of playing time at nationals...that would be
best for me. I just want to play well and score some points.
Obviously, the big goal is winning another gold medal. I want
to win gold. It will not be easy to do that.
SH: What's your motivation to put so much of your time
into the sport?
KL: I just love the game. I love the intensity a lot. I even
like practice. I get to learn a lot of stuff and meet all kinds
of new people and travel all over.
SH: Who has been the biggest influence in your
career?
KL: It would be my family. They're all heavily involved in
basketball. My parents have coached me. Andrew is like a role
model for me. He plays all the time. He pushes me to play
harder.
SH: What do you feel you've missed out on to get to
this point?
KL: I miss out on a lot of social stuff...going to summer
camps. I don't mind at all. When I'm practicing, I'm with my
friends anyways. Making a team like this makes it all worth
it.
SH: The Lasalle program, which turns out top players
continuously, how has it helped shape your life?
KL: It has done a lot for me. Our coaches are all great. My
teammates have been awesome.
SH: Playing with and competing against the best in
Ontario and Canada, what does it do for you?
KL: I get to see where I am compared to all the other players
in the country.
SH: Away from the game, what do you like to
do?
KL: I like to relax...hang out with friends and play on the
computer.
