New look roster

The international flavour keeps coming to Mount Royal as the women’s basketball committed Australian post-player India Ashboth.

It’s the first time in Joe Enevoldson’s five years as head coach that the team has added an overseas recruit, a trend he sees developing more over time.

“Moving into Canada West we need to expand our recruiting horizons and I think that is a big step in this process,” said Enevoldson.

Ashboth comes to Mount Royal after having played with the Southwest Slammers of the State Basketball League (SBL), a semi-professional basketball association based in Western Australia.

Enevoldson said they were thoroughly impressed with India after a ten-day stint in Calgary.

“We threw a lot at her and she responded very well,” said Enevoldson. “Once she got over her jet lag, we were really able to test her and put her up against some pretty good players and stiff competition – she really impressed us.”

Enevoldson describes India as a great fit for the Cougars, noting she gets up and down the floor “incredibly well” and is “one of the best passers out of the post he’s seen in years.”

While Enevoldson anticipates a smooth transition to Canadian basketball next season for Ashboth, he says the two brands of basketball (Australian – North American) are very different.

“I think we play a lot more one-on-one basketball here in Canada,” noted Envoldson. “Though I think we do a great job with ball movement, the Australian game is more team-orientated, more screens and pick and rolls and really spreading the ball around the floor.”

“I’d like to see her catch the ball, square up and find her own shot a bit more. It’s going to take some time to get adjusted to our style of ball, but once she does, she’s got the skill-set, athleticism and strength to become a perennial all-star.”

Teaming up with Ashboth will be a trio of post-secondary veterans in University of Lethbridge (U of L) transfer Devon Kendall, Vancouver Island University (VIU) transfer Katie Pearson and former Cougar alumnus and University of Regina transfer Vanessa Wesolowski.

Kendall, spent her rookie season with the U of L Pronghorns, before appearing in only two games last season as a severe elbow injury forced her out-of-action.

Appearing in 18 games in her first-season, Kendall averaged just shy of 10 minutes per game for the Pronghorns.

A 5-foot-11 guard-forward out of Calgary, Kendall is a physically tough player, who adds depth and helps solidify the Cougars backcourt.

Similar to current Cougar Celeste Clarke, Enevoldson says Kendall can player a number of positions (two through five) and presents a matchup problem for opponents.

“We’re really looking forward to having her,” said Enevoldson. “She’s played at a high level her whole career (including four Alberta Provincial teams) and gives us another physically ready CIS player – she’s a great addition to the roster.”

Also making the jump to Mount Royal is former VIU Mariner Katie Pearson.

Pearson, spent the past four seasons on the island, and was named to the 2008 British Columbia Colleges’ Athletic Association (BCCAA) All-Rookie team and was the 2008 VIU Mariner Rookie of the Year.

A 5-foot-6 combo guard out of Ladysmith, BC, Katie is known for her well-rounded play, great defense and ability to fill the basket.

Enevoldson says he’s excited to be bringing in another recruit as talented as Katie.

“We’re happy to have her,” said an enthusiastic Enevoldson. “She’s a real gamer, she plays tenacious defense, has a great shot and can flat out score. We’re losing our leading scorer from last season [Jamie Morck] and we’re hoping Katie can add some scoring punch, she’s just a complete athlete and plays like an experienced veteran.”

Meanwhile, in Vanessa Wesolowski the Cougars are getting a former alum who played with MRU for one season (2008-09) before joining the University of Regina Cougars from 2009-11.

In the 2010-11 season, Vanessa averaged just over ten minutes per game coming off the bench and finished second on the team with a .464 field goal percentage.

During her stint with the Mount Royal, Wesolowski was often one of the best players on the floor, leading the team in scoring averaging 13.9 points per game, while finishing third in team rebounding averaging 5.3 per game.

Wesolowski will red-shirt for Mount Royal for the 2011-12 campaign before suiting back up for game action in the 2012-13 season, when the Cougars start competing in the Canada West conference.

Enevoldson is thrilled to have her back in the fold. “She’s a big recruit for us to get back. She’s extremely athletic and has experience at the next level and just adds another CIS ready player to the mix. I think the team will benefit a lot from having her at practice and really pushing players during the week and helping ramp up the level of competition.”

Rounding out the group of recruits will be red-shirt Mieke Seville, another Calgary product, who attended Western High School this past year.

Seville, was a member of the 2008 Midget U15 Alberta Girls Provincial Team, but spent her senior year of high-school rehabbing an ACL injury.

Once she’s fully healed, which is expected to be sometime in late October or early November, Seville will integrate into practices and team activities with the hopes of seeing action in 2012-13.

Enevoldson said he is excited for the prospects of seeing where she is once healthy and gives them another quality piece of the puzzle.

The team is looking to play an up-tempo style of ball and part of that is having bodies who can play without there being a drop off, something the coach feels he’s found thus far in his recruiting class.

“We definitely want to play faster,” said Enevoldson. “That’s why we brought in who we did, I think having a deep bench is going to keep people fresh and that ultimately benefits everyone, I’m really ecstatic about our recruits - I think we are deeper there than we’ve ever been.”

With the addition of six new student-athletes, including already committed point-guard Jessica Comfort, the Cougars are looking to get back to the ACAC final four and beyond, where they claimed an ACAC bronze medal last season.

Welcome to the new recruits!