Fresh off a provincial championship win at home in convincing fashion, four members of the O'Gorman High School Knights girls basketball team have been named Ontario all-stars.
Arianna Gagnon, Brianna Dodd, Ally Burke, and Jadyn Weltz, along with Coach Marcy McCarty will be taking part in the 'Canletes Provincial High School All-Star Showcase' at Humber College in Toronto this Saturday.
It is the second year of the event, which features the top 24 high school players in Ontario, who as McCarty points out, are primarily from southern Ontario.
"So to have four girls from the north invited, from the single 'A' realm, is a pretty big deal. It's a proud day for O'Gorman basketball," she said.
Most of the players invited come from much larger schools than the modest student population of O'Gorman, as they are the only single 'A' school represented. They are also the only players hailing from north of Huntsville.
"Because of how well we did in tournament play throughout the province this year, and the Gold Medal at OFSAA, four of our girls are being recognized at the provincial level. It's nice. It's definitely a credit to our program here in Timmins. They don't just start in high school. The Timmins Selects program creates these players, and then hands them to the various schools throughout the city. These girls are well-groomed by the time they get here, and they've worked hard and they deserve to be afforded the opportunity to go to an event like this," said McCarty.
Interestingly enough, the four Knights invited each represent a different grade - Gagnon (Grade 12), Dodd (Grade 11), Burke (Grade 10), and Weltz (Grade 9).
"It's going to be a really great experience, and I'm excited to go down, I'm looking forward to seeing all the other players and seeing what's out there," said Burke.
"I've played in Sudbury and different places, and played with different girls, but not really in the Toronto area yet."
McCarty said at last year's event, which she was invited to along with Dodd and former Knights point guard Emma Weltz, there was representation from every college and university in the province watching.
"They're on break right now, which is why the timing of this event is what it is. So a lot of our girls have already been contacted by some college and university coaches in the province, and the girls that will be playing there will also have been contacted. So to have them all under one roof, playing and showcasing their talents is definitely a benefit."
The elder Weltz sister is currently playing for Southwest Academy in London, and has signed with Queen's University, thanks in part to a strong showing at last year's game, and has given her sister Jadyn an idea of what to expect.
"She says it's intimidating, but she ended up playing pretty good last year, so I'll just have to try and do that too."
This weekend will mark quite possibly the final high school level basketball game for Gagnon, which she said is bittersweet.
"Yeah, it's sad. But I'll be playing in college."
She has offers from several schools but has yet to decide. McCarty feels whichever program she joins will be getting a tremendous weapon, particularly from 3-point range.
"She's a very dynamic player. Obviously she has great range with her shot, she can shoot well under pressure, and she enjoys shooting. That's kind of the highlight of her game. She moves the ball well, and she can see the floor, so to see her play in that type of situation I think will be fun for her."
Gagnon is looking forward to the opportunity, but realizes there will be some adjustments to make.
"It's really exciting. It's going to be different because we're not going to be playing with our team. It's going to be different girls from around the province, so it's going to be difficult I guess, because we won't have that chemistry."
For young players Burke and Weltz, the showcase will have a slightly different dynamic.
"To have that opportunity to play with those girls that are of a higher calibre, and older, is tremendous but it's not uncommon to them. They've been playing at higher levels for many years," said McCarty.
"I think it's going to be hard because we haven't played with these girls, and we don't know who they are, what their weaknesses are, what their strengths are, so it will be good to get a view of players from around the province," said Weltz.
Dodd will have another crack at the showcase, as she moves ahead into her senior year of high school.
"Last year Brianna was very nervous, she'd probably tell you that, she was very nervous, very intimidated. I know she has spoken to the three girls about that, and about how to handle that. It's not so much to show off your talents, but to have fun and feel pride in the fact you've been invited there, and just enjoy ball for what it is," added McCarty.
