Marauder to try for national play

One of the newest Marauders has making already made her way on to the national radar.

Linnaea Harper, a 6-0 forward who committed to play for McMaster under head coach Theresa Burns, has been invited to Canada Basketball’s Junior Women’s National Team try-outs, held at Durham College in Oshawa, Ont.

Burns was happy to hear about Harper’s invitation. “An opportunity to try out for a national team is a great honour. It will be a great learning experience and wonderful confidence boost for Linnaea,” Burns said.

Harper will be coming to McMaster in the fall, where she hopes to follow in the footsteps of two forwards that have come before her – Taylor Chiarot and Hailey Milligan. Both were able to play professional basketball overseas, with Milligan recently signing a contract to play in the Czech Republic.

The invite also points to the ability for McMaster to continue to bring in top-level recruits. Other players on the tryout roster have already committed to NCAA programs, as well as other elite CIS schools.

“Its great for our McMaster team to bring that level of talent into our program and continue to be a post secondary choice for some of the top student athletes in the country,” said Burns.

From Newmarket, Ont., Harper should have an immediate impact on the program that’s looking to retool after graduating five players. Burns is optimistic about what the rookie can bring.

“She's a very talented athlete who can impact a game at either the offensive or defensive end plus be a threat in transition.”

Canada Basketball will select the final roster by the end of July, and the team will compete in the FIBA Americas Championship tournament, where they will also look to qualify for next year’s FIBA World Championships.