RDP Queens Basketball team. (RDP Athletics)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

reigning ACAC Champions

RDP Queens Basketball looks to transition last year’s successes into the new season

Oct 13, 2023 | 4:16 PM

The Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) Queens Basketball program will look to continue its successes from the second half of last year with the opportunity to defend their Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women’s Basketball Championship title.

It was a rough start for the Queens Basketball program as they went 4-6 in the first half of the 2022/2023 season. But their final win of 2022 happened to be the biggest turning point of the season. They defeated a tough Lethbridge College Kodiaks 70-50 in November which started a 12-game winning streak. The Queens would win three more in a row to extend it to 15 games which led to their first championship title since the 1991/1992 team.

The women’s team would move on to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s National Championships in Hamilton, ON. They would finish in fourth place with a 2-2 record.

But after losing their two veterans and their high-volume scorers, Amy Szymanek and Sophie Melin, Head Coach Avery Harrison explained someone will need to step up and pick up the slack.

“We added five first-year student-athletes in the off-season. Our veterans have to pick it up. We struggled in the pre-season. It has been a frustrating process so far. Right now, we are lacking a scorer. We do not have someone who can be counted on for points every game and every time they are on the court,” he said.

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Out of those five recruits, guard Tricia Madourie (Open Studies), forward Salome Nuako (Open Studies) and guard Orianna Patterson (Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences) all have impressed Harrison so far during the pre-season, he says.

But Harrison, a five-time ACAC Coach of the Year, has said these recruits still have some adjusting to do to college-level basketball.

“Tricia is so athletic and so quick. Salome is going to be a huge factor for us as she is 6’2. In the past, we like to play on the outside but we will have to start inputting plays in the paint to take advantage of her size. She has played some good games for us but will need to adjust to the faster level of play of post-secondary basketball. Orianna is coming along but she will need to get used to the physicality of the game,” he said.

RDP Athletics says the Queens veterans will be relied on to help these new recruits transition from secondary to college-level basketball as they now know what it takes to win a championship after hoisting the trophy in Lethbridge just a few months ago.

The coaching staff was able to return six players from last year’s championship team which includes guard Sandra Garcia-Bernal (Educational) and guard Heena Sidhu (Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies), who are both in their fifth and final year of eligibility.

But there are some younger yet still mature student-athletes who are returning this year and will take on some of the leadership duties. These include forward Janai Hubert (Bachelor of Kinesiology), guard Sadie Jeffries (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) and forward Peighton Melton (Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies).

All these players will play an important role in the upcoming season but Harrison and Assistant Coach Nadine Cunningham say they will need more from them if they want any chance at repeating what they did last season.

The Queens season will start on October 20 as they welcome the SAIT Trojans to the On The Run Gymnasium in Red Deer for a 6 p.m. start.

Harrison believes it will be a tough test on opening night but is confident his team, who is not afraid of hard work, will be ready come game day.

“Our first weekend against SAIT is going to be tough. I have heard the Trojans have the best team they have had in 10 years. We are going to be in for a test. I think at the end of the day, our defense will make or break us. But I am very excited about how much potential the Queens have and I surely believe this team, come February, will be ready to defend their title,” he said.

For more information on the Queens upcoming basketball season, including the roster and schedule, visit rdpolytechathletics.ca.