The McMaster men’s volleyball team is heading to the Ontario University Athletics volleyball semifinals for the 15th-straight season. After defeating the York University Lions 3-1 in the OUA quarter-finals, the Marauders are heading into the Final Four ranked fifth in the nation.
Several Marauders were also honoured with OUA recognition, with outside hitter Matt Passalent taking home the highest honour, OUA West Player of the Year. Fifth-year Andrew Richards took home the Dale Iwanoczko Award for his work off the court. Passalent and Richards were both named First Team All-Stars, while Craig Ireland was named to the Second Team. First-year middle Tyler Pavelic’s season was recognized with a spot on the All-Rookie team.
With six straight OUA titles, the journey to their seventh begins this weekend when the Marauders face the University of Windsor Lancers in a semi-final match-up. If they win, they will go on to play in the final game for the OUA Forsyth Cup. The game will be on Saturday, March 9 at 1 p.m. at Queen’s University.
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After defeating the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA finals to capture the Critelli Cup, the Marauders are heading to Ryerson University to play in the U Sports National Championships for the second-straight season. With the No. 2 seed in the tournament, the Marauders will face the No. 7 Concordia University Stingers.
Led by Critelli Cup game MVP Hilary Hanaka, the Marauders hope to see a different result in this year's National Championships compared to last year. The ladies headed out to Regina last year where they unfortunately did not finish where they wanted to. Losing in the first round to McGill University, the Marauders were not prepared for the level of play, but are hoping to see different results this time around.
Already defeating the Carleton University Ravens during the 2019 OUA semi-finals, who were also the 2018 U Sports Champions, the idea of going straight to the top does not seem so far off. Tip-off time is at 12 p.m. Thursday, March 7.
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Things have been going very well for the McMaster women’s basketball team and they have no plans to slow down. Currently in first place in the Ontario University Athletics West with a 12-2 record, and the worst arguably behind them, another trip to the University Sports national finals looks on the horizon. But this time, senior guard Hilary Hanaka and the Marauders aim to leave with a medal.
“Once you get that taste on court playing against the best teams in Canada, it only makes you hungrier for more,” said Hanaka. “You know that you're there and you can compete, but I think just being on that playing field for the first time there was a lot of nerves going into it. I think we didn't play quite to our full potential.”
Although the Marauders faced teams like the McGill University Martlets, who they have seen before in exhibition play, the games against teams like the University of Calgary Dinos, who play a much grittier style than Hanaka and the Marauders were used to, caught them off guard. But Hanaka believes that having been there before, in addition to having such a tough OUA season this year and playing against highly skilled Ontario teams, will help the Mac women get to that top level to compete at Nationals.
“Knowing that we got there is a huge step in our team success,” Hanaka said. “Of course, our ultimate goal was getting to Nationals and getting a medal would have been a bonus, but I think for a young team with lots of changes, that was a huge stepping stone for us. So right now we are just making sure we have an opportunity to get back there to prove that we deserve to be there and that we can do better than we did last year.”
So far ensuring that OUA playoff spot has been going well for the Marauders. Even with the loss of key veterans like Lexie Spadafora, Jelena Mamic and Adrienne Peters, Mac does not appear to have missed a beat. One of the reasons is the addition of Christina Buttenham, a Hamilton native and transfer from the University of Iowa, where she played from 2014 to 2017.
“It's always tough to lose senior players. With their experience on and off the court, it’s obviously a huge loss for us,” said Hanaka. “But I think gaining players like Christina, who's been in high-level basketball for years, is something that is huge. She stepped right in and already fills a leadership role on the team.”
Not only does Buttenham have National Collegiate Athletic Association experience, but she also played for the Canadian Junior National team in 2014, and was named an Academic All-Big Ten selection as a junior and as a sophomore while at Iowa.
Buttenham has already been such a great addition for the team helping defensively, averaging 5.4 rebounds a game and having the fourth highest points per game average on the team, with 9.9. The help has been able to give Hanaka the opportunity to have big games like she did this past weekend against the University of Guelph Gryphons.
With a game-high of 28 points, shooting an astounding 62.5 per cent from the field and 72.7 per cent from the three-point line, Hanaka led the team to defeat the Gryphons 109-80 on the road.
🏀 FINAL: Hilary Hanaka drops 28 on the road, as @MacWbball blows past the Gryphons 109-80 to improve to 11-2 on the season.@mcmasteru returns home to Burridge Gym tomorrow! #GoMacGo pic.twitter.com/pEXrId3YnT
— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) January 12, 2019
“Getting back into things after the holiday break is never easy, so just going back into these last two games I've been on myself to make sure I've been coming out with that fire,” said Hanaka. “Of course, once you start hitting those first couples of shots and my teammates are cheering for me on the bench and making great passes, it just makes it so much fun to play with them and to do well.”
Guelph was one of two wins this past weekend, the second came against the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks, who they defeated 59-43 to earn their sixth straight win. Having already played their most personal game this season against the reigning OUA champs the Carleton University Ravens, defeating them 64-52 in November, the worst is over and focusing on staying on top is the Marauders’ top priority.
“Just knowing that our end goal is to get that national championship helps us take every game as it comes and to not overthink them,” said Hanaka. “Another focus has been trying to remembering to take no game for granted, because there has been a lot of upsets in the OUA this year and we don't want one of those to be us.”
With the Marauders’ next two games coming against the Lakehead University Thunderwolves this weekend, they will be making sure they go into every practice seriously so that they are focused come game time, regardless of who is wearing the opposite jersey. This is the mindset the Marauders plan to have until the last buzzer goes off for the season.
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Both the men's volleyball team and women's basketball team took the weekend by storm with two victories each, while the men's basketball and women's volleyball teams won one out of their two games. Here are the stars of the weekend.
The second-year is no stranger to the Pita Pit Athlete of the Week award, most recently winning the weekend honour on Nov. 15, 2018, when she scored a career-high of 24 points. This weekend, she poured in 19 points for the Marauders in both of the team’s wins. Gates who was called to the 2018 Ontario University Athletics All-Rookie team, shot 50 per cent from the field and 40 per cent from the three, as well as collecting four rebounds in the win over Wilfrid Laurier University. Against the University of Guelph, she hit three of eight shots from three, and gave the team four steals and four rebounds.
Right side @MattColeP from @MACMVB and @macwbball guard Sarah Gates are the @PitaPitCanada Athletes of the Week. @mcmasteru #GoMacGo
READ ⬇️https://t.co/u7nAO5cvSh
— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) January 14, 2019
After sitting out due to injury, Passalent hit the court for the first time of the regular season and did not miss a beat, being recognized as the Pita Pit Athlete of the Week for his efforts. Facing two U Sports top-10 opponents this weekend, the Marauders took home two victories and Passalent was a big part of both. The fourth-year had 10 kills, two aces and a block assist for 12.5 points Saturday against University of Windsor, and 15 kills and 18.5 points against Western University, which bumped them up to #4 in the national rankings.
There are 4️⃣ @mcmasteru teams ranked in this week's @usportsca Top 10s, with @MACMVB and men's wrestling both moving up two spots!
♂️🏐⬆️4️⃣
♀️🏀↔️4️⃣
🤼♂️⬆️6️⃣
🤼♀️↔️9️⃣#GoMacGo pic.twitter.com/qqPgOWV8jK— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) January 15, 2019
In the Marauders’ second victory of the New Year, coming against the Guelph Gryphons, McCulloch contributed 23 points shooting 64 per cent from the field. The 97-80 road win seemed like just the fire the Marauders needed to bring it home and win again. Unfortunately, the Laurier Golden Hawks had other plans. Despite the fifth-year guard being the second highest leading scorer of the game with 15 points, the Golden Hawks came for revenge and defeated the Marauders 87-73 at home.
Narin led the Marauders offensively in both games against Windsor and Western this weekend. With 17 kills and 23 points, including five aces and a solo block, she helped Mac defeat Western on Saturday night in the fifth set. Narin, a right side, also led offensively the night before in the loss to Windsor, with 14 kills, three aces and a block assist for a team- and match-high 17.5 points.
This weekend McMaster basketball will face the Lakehead University Timberwolves in back-to-back home games this weekend, with the women playing at 6:00 p.m. and the men at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Both volleyball teams will then take over Burridge on Sunday, as the women and men host the Brock University Badgers this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. respectively.
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The women’s basketball team is off to a red-hot start this season. Currently ranked fifth in the country, the Marauders have been spreading the ball effectively all season, averaging an Ontario University Athletics-leading 19.2 assists per game, allowing several players to contribute to the team’s 7-2 record.
Two of the team’s biggest contributors this season are second-year guard Sarah Gates and fifth-year forward Linnaea Harper, who sit first and second respectively in points and three pointers made per game for the Marauders.
“It's been a good start. We have a lot of good moving pieces coming into this season,” said Harper. “We're a very fast team and that really helps with our game…We're really excited this year.”
The stat sheet reinforces this good start. Harper started off the season with a bang with the venerated forward posting a her second double-double in three games, with 26 points on 11 of 19 shooting and 10 rebounds in their win over Brock University. Adding two more double-doubles to her total, Harper finds herself in the top 10 of the province in points per game (14.6), rebounds per game (8.0) and assists (3.8).
Not only leading on the stat sheet, Harper is one of the key veteran leaders on the Marauders this season in her fifth year with the team, which she credits to her experience and having strong teammates supporting her.
“I think I'm a calming presence on the floor,” Harper said. “Being in my fifth year, I'm kind of seen as more of a leader and that's the role that my coach wants me to play. In terms of offensive and defensive communication, and having a strong presence, I think that's that's how I really fit into that. I might no be the top scorer every game, but I'm definitely contributing in other ways and helping out others to contribute as well.”
Gates has been contributing consistently as well, having some hot games in her own right. Notably, Gates caught fire against Nipissing University, shooting six of eight from beyond the arc on her way to 24 points. That game was the first of three straight 24 point games for Gates, who shot 50% from three over that stretch.
Gates spends a lot of time working on her shot, practicing at least three times a week on her own in addition to team practices. Obviously that work has paid off, especially thanks to support from head coach Theresa Burns.
“My coach has never told me not to shoot, which I kind of need,” said Gates. “Sometimes I shoot when I probably shouldn't shoot it, but I think that positive encouragement has just led me to becoming more like a confident player on the court, and knowing I can shoot with a defender on me, or from far back or driving.”
This past weekend, the Mac women faced a tough test against the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, two of Canada’s top teams.
“They're very strong teams and have had a lot of success this year already, just like us,” Gates said before the games. “So I think that coming into this December break, we need to really dig in and just try to get a full 40 minute game together, and just keep playing because these teams won't give up.”
Harper and Gates faired well over the weekend, with Harper accounting for 24 points, six rebounds, six assists and three blocks, while Gates added 22 points and 17 rebounds herself. The team managed to leave the nation’s capital with a loss and an impressive win. Harper knows that there will still be many more challenges for the team ahead.
Women's Basketball -- Massive bounce back effort from @macwbball as they win the rematch of the @ouasport Critelli Cup 64-52 over the @curavens! #GoMacGo
— McMaster Athletics (@McMasterSports) November 25, 2018
“As a top-ranked team, you always have a target on your back,” Harper said. “I think just maintaining our poise, and knowing that we can control games is going to be our biggest thing, and hope that will help us out with getting those wins and moving forward.”
It is evident that the basketball team features an incredibly balanced roster, with every player adding to the box score, any one able to catch fire at any time. That is where their success derives from. With their sights set on returning to the national tournament this season, players like Harper and Gates will need to continue to produce to make that dream a reality.
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It was a big weekend up north for the second-year guard. In the first of the women’s team’s two weekend contests, Gates led the team in scoring with a career 24 points in their 91-44 beat down against the Nipissing University Lakers. The next night, she did it again, bringing in another 24 points to help the team win a much closer game against the Laurentian University Voyageurs. Her all-star performance awarded her the Pita Pit Athlete of the Week. Next up, Gates and the Marauders face the Ryerson University Rams and University of Toronto Varsity Blues,where they hope to keep up their undefeated overall record.
After starting 3-0 and upsetting the nationally ranked Brock University Badgers, the last thing the men’s team wanted was to lose to the Lakers. Unfortunately, they were not prepared for the cold battle, and fell short 71-80. Although they lost, senior Gilmore remained a team leader, bringing in 16 points and eight rebounds. The next night, winning was still not on the horizon as the team almost made a comeback, but fell 80-74 to the Voyageurs. Gilmore once again was a team leader and brought in 16 points 12 rebounds and three assists. Hopefully, Gilmore can help lead the Marauders to win against Mac head coach Patrick Tatham’s ex-team and nationally-ranked Ryerson, before a tilt with the Varsity Blues.
The senior led the men’s team with 23 kills and and overall 25 points in the 2-3 loss to the Queen's University Gaels. The next night, he did it again with 15 kills, five aces and a solo block for a match high of 21, his efforts leading the Marauders to defeat the Royal Military College of Canada Paladins. The Marauders improved to an overall 3-1 record, though they dropped on the national rankings, currently sitting at No. 4 as they head into their upcoming game against the Trent University Excalibur in Peterborough this weekend.
The women started off their weekend with a 3-1 win against the Gaels. Leading them in their victory was middle Kranics, who brought in 14.5 points that included eight kills, four aces and two and a half blocks. They did it again the next night against the Paladins in a 3-0 win where Kranics helped out, bringing in five kills. The team now sits at 2-2 and hope to change that this weekend against the Excalibur.
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By Graham West
Theresa Burns is the model of excellence when it comes to coaching at the university level. She has been the coach of the McMaster women's basketball team for 25 years, boasting a resume of 321 wins and 161 losses, an astonishing win-loss record. She has led the team to the playoffs 17 times. This year, the team kicked off their season with back-to-back wins against the University of Waterloo Warriors and the University of Windsor Lancers.
Coach Burns attributes multiple factors to their history of winning, with consistency and stability of coaching being a big factor. Most of their coaches have been on staff for more than five years, with the exception of Danielle Boiago, former Marauder player-turned coach, so there is still a lot of experience in the McMaster system.
The consistency in coaching is a large contributor to the team’s success as it establishes a good chemistry, making it easier to establish a great culture of winning, which gets passed on to the new players by the coaches and senior players.
[spacer height="20px"]A high level of professionalism is key to this culture, with coach Burns stressing establishing a good work ethic, taking responsibility and accountability for what you do. Even though a lot of work goes into establishing such a winning culture, it is also a lot of fun. Respect is a big theme for everyone within the program, making sure you approach everything you do from the culture of respect, whether it be towards each other on the team, officials or simply towards the game of basketball.
“I know you hear coaches at the professional level of the sport talking about ‘he or she is a great pro’ and when they say that, they mean they tick all the boxes,” said coach Burns. “They don’t shortcut, they take care of business, they’re very accountable. They're very responsible, and that’s what we try to push our players to be.”
Coach Burns also says that expertise and experience is something integral to her impact on the team’s wins, having honed over the years what does and does not work. This informs the daily habits that have to be set in place, along with watching how your team responds to certain things and how the league responds. These are all things that help form the team’s winning culture.
[spacer height="20px"]Coach Burns says the basketball team is more than just a team and is like another form of family, they all have a very close bond. She also says her role on the team is larger than just the technical aspects such as drawing up plays.
“In a coaching role, you wear a lot of hats,” said coach Burns. “You’re the technical director of what’s happening, but you're also the general manager that looks after a million and one other administrative things that make the program run. You are the recruiting coordinator, you are a mentor for the athletes and the other coaches and you’re a support service for them. My door’s always open to my athletes if they need anything.”
Over the years, coach Burns says that the biggest change in basketball is the talents of players. The game used to be far more traditional and one dimensional, with forwards playing in the post, point guards handling the ball, shooting guards scoring and so on. The venerated coach highlighted that now, players are becoming multifaceted and can do it all,. This increase of multi-talented players is something that has certainly translated to university basketball.
Having won their division the past two seasons in a row, the women's basketball team has been one of the most successful sports teams at McMaster in recent memory. Under the guidance of their head coach, and a strong roster taking the court, the team will continue to be a team to keep a close eye on in the upcoming season.
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Regular season basketball has returned to McMaster and as usual, things are looking good. After a successful campaign last season, the McMaster women’s team clinched their spot in the U Sports tournament, but unfortunately lost in the first round. Since then, the team has regrouped, added a few new faces and are ready to go all the way. The University of Waterloo Warriors stood no chance, falling 75-33 in the home opener. Led by fifth-year player Hilary Hanaka, who brought in 21 points, and fifth-year Linnaea Harper who had 12, the team looked poised and ready to rock.
New faces:
Arianne Soriano
Christina Buttenham
Koko Tsuzuki
Key Departures:
Lexie Spadafora
Melody Wyslobicky
Jelena Mamic
Adrienne Peters
Alex Verboom
Fun fact:
Back on the bench but in a new role, McMaster veteran Danielle Boiago has joined the team as an assistant coach. The Canadian University Player of the Year and finalist for the Golden Horseshoe Athlete of the Year is a great addition to the coaching staff and exactly who the girls need to take them back the ‘ship.
If the McMaster men’s team looks like a completely different team from the 2017 season to you, that's because they are. The Marauders beat the Warriors 93-75 thanks to the help of returnee Connor Gilmore, who brought in a whopping 28 points. While veteran David McCulloch and rookie Tristan Lindo also contributed to the win, bringing in 18 and 12 points each.
New faces:
Pretty much everyone. There are 10 new faces young and old added to the Marauders’ roster.
Key Departures:
11 players from the 2017-18 season are no longer playing this year, including Kareem Collins who was a key player in last year’s team.
Fun Fact:
Miles Seward, who averaged 19.1 points per game last season, was drafted number one in the National Basketball League of Canada. Though Seward and others have departed from the team, head coach Patrick Tatham has stacked the roster with fresh young talent, including under-19 World champion Jordan Henry.
Up next, both teams will face the University of Windsor Lancers at 1:00 p.m and 3:00 p.m this Saturday.
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With the regular season underway for the McMaster Women’s Basketball team, fans are reminded of the fast-paced style of play that has become synonymous with the team. They play fast, pass the ball well and an excitement is felt from the deep bench whenever a shot is made from a teammate.
These are the kind of things witnessed when watching a McMaster women’s basketball game. The hard work comes alive in practice and translates to success on the court.
The Women’s Basketball team has constantly been making progressive steps in the right direction. Interim head coach Anne Marie Thuss has been able to witness it all from the sidelines.
“The leadership of the women has been the driving force. They know what’s expected and what’s needed at the next level to be successful and to continue the high level of play. Their commitment in practice to work hard and execution has been phenomenal,” said Thuss.
For people who are familiar with the team, there are a few names and faces that stick out. Probably the most telling story of growth on the team comes from fourth-year guard Siobhan Manning. From a spot on the bench to a position in the starting line-up, Manning has been playing big minutes and has put many people on notice of the talent that we will continue to see from her.
“Siobhan is one of the most underrated guards. She carries this team and is very confident with the basketball. She can distribute it, but she has also become a threat in terms of her scoring, and passing out of situations has been phenomenal this year. That’s probably the best part of our game and it’s nice to see her grow like that,” said Thuss.
With a ranking of No. 1 spot in the country, the team will continue to do what has been working for them which is continue the style of play we see whenever they are on the hardwood.
“We are a transition team so we have to be able to be quick and everybody has to have that opportunity to score in transition. That’s one of our focuses,” said Thuss.
Though a loss in the quarterfinals crushed the team’s chance at playoffs last year, this new season will be a fresh start to the contest for an OUA banner.
“The expectation is that we challenge for the OUA banner. They have a lot of grit so they work harder than anyone. The expectation is to do that in every practice.”
Not only does this team win on the court, but they also bring that mentality to their day-to-day life as they are heavily involved with various community initiatives. The players take part in sport clinics and have become mentors to many youth in the Hamilton basketball community. Their ability to help others shows immensely on the court where no one person thinks they can do it all alone.
For this close-knit group, the opportunities of success are boundless.
It will be interesting to see how far this team goes this season, but one thing is for certain: they are hungry and are definitely making a case for themselves.
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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.
Take a look through basketball rosters at almost every level - house league, university, and international. They all feature someone titled “team manager” or some variety of the term.
There is no real information in those four syllables, though. Team managers are ubiquitous and necessary in basketball circles, but the job description varies from team to team. In a game where positions like centre and small forward are beginning to veer away from their traditional sense, the team manager is on the opposite end – there has never really been a tradition.
Ask Anne Marie Thuss, - team manager for Canada Basketball’s Senior Women’s National Team, starting with the national sport organization in 2000, and assistant coach with the McMaster women’s basketball program – what her job entails and she echoes the above sentiments.
“My role can best be defined by doing anything that’s required, quietly, so that the coaches and support staff can maximize their energy to do their job and athletes can minimize distractions,” said Thuss.
That is a humble description for a job that can be incredibly stressful. Thuss tells stories about taking back roads in China with a bellhop to a house in order to access the Internet and communicate with Canada Basketball officials that the team has arrived safely and everything is okay. She boasts that she can get water, ice and laundry done in five different languages. Thuss would give a kiss to a transportation officer in the Dominican Republic to ensure that her team would have priority in the organizational hell that was the D.R.’s bus terminal.
Really, as a team manager with Canada Basketball, she has to be the feet on the ground to make things happen and to solve a problem. You could not train someone to do this job in a classroom – they would have to go out and experience it.
Those hardly capture what she has done as the behind-the-scenes maestro. Colleagues at Canada Basketball always say the same things about her, unsolicited; “Anne Marie is so calm. I don’t know how she does.”
Bottom-line: Thuss gets shit done.
“As a manager, you have to be a calm in a storm. You’ve got to have enhanced emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills,” said Thuss.
She started out with Allison McNeill, who was coaching the junior women’s program. Canada Basketball wanted someone who could relate to that 16-17 year-old group, and Thuss worked in high schools. She had seven years of assistant coaching experience at York University with Bill Pangos and his women’s team, so Thuss fit the bill. Doing stats and acting as a “sounding board” as Thuss puts it, a role was carved out for her in the Canada Basketball sphere. Shortly after, McNeill was moved up to coach the senior women’s program and asked Thuss to join her on the bench for the premier Canadian women’s team.
And the experience was, in a word, awesome. Thuss speaks glowingly about working with McNeill and now McMaster alumnus Lisa Thomaidis, referring to both as world-class coaches and giving credit to them for her growth as a leader.
But Thuss goes beyond someone who is an expert problem-solver – during games she is tasked with analyzing offensive production and making recommendations in game. A Math major, Thuss says this is the biggest strength she brings to the bench, as she is able to quickly turn around a piece of work.
And do not underestimate the importance of a calming presence on the bench. With McMaster, Thuss is typically the first person a post player will come talk to after picking up a critical foul in a game. She can mellow a player out and help them make adjustments on either end through a quick chat on the bench, and this was key in Mac’s success this season.
In 2013, the Canadian Senior Women’s National Team held training camp in the Burridge Gym and Thuss brought in some of the younger Marauder players to watch the practices. She describes it as a positive experience for them, to see how Canada’s top athletes bring a certain extreme intensity to every single possession.
But you would not know any of this stuff about Anne-Marie Thuss unless you asked. Towards the end of the interview, she asked for this story to “not be a big deal.” She did not want the attention - a modest request from someone who is integral to success.
