Sheridan Bruins Women’s Basketball Team

This year the 2019-2020 Women’s basketball team is special.  This is what coach Sean Douglas keeps telling the fifteen girls standing centre court at the end of practice. Not only is this particular team talented but they are all extremely dedicated and planning on making it to the national championships. 

What is the goal? CCAA (Canadian College Atheltic Association) Nationals. First, they must make it to the OCAA (Ontario College Atheltic Association) Championships where they must finish in the top two to move forward.  Last year the Bruins made it to the OCAA Championships but did not end up making it further than that.

Things are looking good for the team.  They are currently 4-2 with a loss to both Fanshawe (who was last years national champs) and Humber (who is the teams biggest rival).  These two teams will be the Bruins biggest challenge in the league. That being said, Sheridan played both teams early on in the season. When they play Humber and Fanshawe in the new year they expect it to be very different.

The Team

The season started with three new recruits: Jaedyn Dunkley, Laura Jareckas and Devyn Mackenzie. The Bruins only lost one player last year which already puts them in a great position bonding wise. This also means these players are adding more depth to an already talented team.  This is one thing that the Bruins have that many teams in the OCAA do not have, depth.  

Here is the 2019-2020 Women’s Basketball Roster.

Get to know your Bruins.

Travel

Whether it’s driving to Hamilton or Windsor, the Bruins must mentally prepare for the travelling days. Sometimes the team will be spending multiple hours on a bus before a game and it can turn into a head case for some athletes, but it is all apart of the gig.

The Bruins travel throughout Ontario during the regular season. In the new year, the team will be making an extra-long trip to Sault College. The doubleheader that weekend against Sault will be a testament to the team’s mental toughness as they face a ten-hour drive and two games in less than 24 hours.

Below you can see all of the schools that the Sheridan Bruins play within their conference. By clicking on each school you can reveal their exact location, the team’s record, and the next time the Bruins play at that location.

The Bruins Evolution

The team compared to 3 years ago is looking quite good standings wise.  Sitting 5th in the West OCAA division they are looking at placing 3rd overall by the end of the term.  The Sheridan Bruins pride themselves on their journey to becoming one of the top teams in the league.  As you can see below there was quite a difference in standings from the 2015-2016 season to the 2019-2020 season.  

A Recap of the Season

Below is a timeline of the scores and games that the team has played thus far into the season leading up to the pivotal game against St. Clair. St. Clair who is 5-1 is a team of quick guards that Sheridan will have to lock down on defence. If this team can beat both St. Clair and Mohawk to end the semester, it will put them in a great position to start the new year.

The Next Game: Sheridan vs. St. Clair

The Sheridan Bruins play the St. Clair Saints at home on Saturday, November 23rd, 2019. The team has been preparing all week at practice running through new press breaks and reviewing plays.

Cori Fotopolous, a returning player thinks that the team is well prepared for the game this upcoming weekend. “Not only are we well prepared, but we know we can win. We just have to bring high energy into the game and play hard.”

St. Clair has a tougher game ahead of them as they still have to play the second-ranked team, Humber Hawks. Humber has been one of the most talented teams in the league for the last couple of years and continues to be on a winning streak this season. If the Bruins can win their next two games against St. Clair and Mohawk, they could secure that 3rd place sport in their division.

Here is a sneak peek into what has been happening in this week’s practices leading up to the big game this weekend.

Going into it with a positive attitude and playing our game and no one else’s.

– Cori Fotopoulos

Support Your Bruins!

You can keep up with the Sheridan Bruins and their journey to the OCAA Championships on Twitter.

GOOD LUCK BRUINS!

About the author:

Devyn Mackenzie is a post-graduate student at Sheridan College studying New Media Journalism. One of her main hobbies is playing sports like basketball, volleyball and track and field. She loves supporting sports teams on campus, especially women’s teams because they tend to fly under the radar. She hopes becoming a sports writer can help female athletes support other female athletes.