The Quest Kermodes women's basketball team took to the hardwood this weekend, taking part in the Blues Classic pre-season tournament at Capilano University.
The team participated in three scrimmages over the weekend, playing Camosun College on Friday (Oct. 8), Columbia Bible College (CBC) on Saturday (Oct. 9) and Capilano University on Sunday (Oct. 10).
Head coach Mike Woollard was impressed with the way his team looked at the tournament and expects a big year out of the girls.
"We beat CBC and lost to Camosun and Capilano," he said, noting that scores were not kept for the games.
"We responded really well to a tough Camosun team and I thought we battled hard against Capilano, who is expected to be one of the top teams in our league. Overall, I'm pleased with how the team looked. We played very physical and didn't back down."
The Kermodes were playing without injured all-league forward Krystal Schouten, who Woollard feels is going to have a big year.
"She's a big strong player and will play an important role for us," he said. "I also expect Allie Chalke, Delainee Behrns and rookie point guard Maja Smiljic to have big years."
Woollard added that his starting lineup is still to be determined but he pointed out that he likes to play a seven or eight player rotation to keep bodies fresh.
It's the first year for Woollard as the head coach of the team and he has lofty goals for his squad, who finished with six wins and 12 losses last season.
"We feel very strongly that we're a playoff team," he said. "We're looking to crack the top four in our league and, based on what we saw this weekend, I think we're pretty good and only going to get better."
Woollard was involved in the hiring of new assistant coach Dany Charlery and thinks he should be a nice fit for the team.
"I coached him at Brandon University and he's an absolutely great guy," Woollard said.
"He's a very cerebral guy and he was playing high level basketball just last year so he brings a lot of experience to this team. I think he's going to be a great fit and I'm glad to have him on my staff."
Woollard also praised the cohesive nature of his team.
"It's a very close knit team," he said. "We've got a great group of young women, everyone gets along and I've got a good feeling about the season."
Next up for the team is a trip to Nanaimo where they will take on the Vancouver Island University Mariners on Friday (Oct. 15) and then the University of British Columbia Okanagan on Saturday (Oct. 16) in a pair of exhibition games.
Following those games will be two weeks of practice and then a final exhibition game against Langara College on Oct. 29. The regular season begins on Nov. 5 when the team takes on the Mariners again and this time it will count.
For more information on the team, visit www.questkermodes.ca.
