Rees Hasson – from ‘he’s not gonna make it’ to varsity basketball
When Rees Hasson was a young basketball player, he always wanted to be a University of New Brunswick RED.
After lots of hard work, those dreams came true for Hasson and he played three years for the REDS, plus a redshirt year in his first season.
“I didn’t even know if I was gonna end up playing basketball because I didn’t have any recruiting offers in Grade 11,” said Hasson.
Now, for his final university years, he is suiting up for the St. Thomas University Tommies, hoping to help them back to the Atlantic Collegiate Athletics Association (ACAA) championship.
Some of his favourite varsity basketball memories are from the year he redshirted for UNB.
“The people that say that redshirting might be a rough opportunity, I would always tell them you will still feel connected with the team if you keep putting in your time, because people just have respect for you,” he said.
Hasson played on the provincial U17 team that traveled to Kamloops, B.C. for nationals in 2018, where he was first coached by current Tommies head coach John Hickey.
“Such a good experience for me,” he said. “That three month period of playing with them all summer I ended up hitting a growth spurt and just really working on my game.”
The experience jump-started his senior basketball season at Leo Hayes, where he won Most Valuable Player in his school’s division.
Though he made the switch to STU, there are no hard feelings on the guard’s part, who is leaving behind a positive four years with UNB.
“I really appreciated everything UNB gave to me, I just felt like I had a better opportunity to just enjoy basketball a bit more and get to play.”
After watching the Tommies’ close matchups in finals last year, Hasson thought to himself: “Wow, they’re so close. That if I could be there then it would be super fun.”
He is now taking a full course load at both institutions (six courses total) as he finishes his Bachelor in Business Administration at UNB, with a concentration in accounting.
Some of his hardest obstacles have been overcoming the mental repercussions of being cut and told he “wasn’t good enough.”
“So many times, people were like, ‘he’s just not gonna make it,’” said Hasson. “I was always someone that would overthink it.”
In his spare time, Hasson may be playing other sports or watching the NBA, but for now, you can find him preparing for the ACAA finals with the Tommies.
Maddie MacGregor – ‘Can’t imagine not playing STU volleyball’
Maddie MacGregor is a seasoned vet on the STU women’s volleyball team, now in her fifth year and second season of captaining the team.
Growing up in Port Perry, Ont., she started playing volleyball in Grade 3, though she originally started with basketball.
“Looking back, it was just so cute … all of us in third grade wearing our big clunky knee pads,” she said.
In 2012, her family moved to Truro, N.S. and MacGregor had difficulty finding volleyball teams to play for. In middle school, she began playing club volleyball for the Truro Cougars, which is where she began to consider playing outside of high school.
Though she considered many schools, MacGregor settled on STU due to its small class sizes and campus. She noted head coach Don McKay’s efforts in the recruitment process, driving to watch her games or watching live on YouTube when he could.
She describes STU’s assistant coaches in more than flattering terms.
“Paul … he’s just so smart … he just gives so much input and helps you see the game in a different way.”
She describes Carys Storey as “a mother to all of us.”
“He’s a human first,” says MacGregor of head coach Don McKay, “which I found has made a big difference between my experience compared to a lot of my friends who went to play post-secondary.”
Having those supports is crucial for MacGregor, who says her biggest obstacle with playing for STU is being away from her family.
“It’s really hard not getting to walk off the court to your parents,” she said.
The middle from Truro also coaches in her limited free time. Most recently coaching with Fredericton High School, MacGregor feels that coaching helps her see the game differently and “practice what she preaches.”
Her most valuable memories off the court have been spending time with her teammates away from volleyball.
“Getting to hang out with people outside of volleyball and over meals … It just creates a whole new perspective,” said MacGregor. “I found that we’ve been able to bond more as a team and get to know each other better.”
Last year, the Tommies had an 11-game winning streak, which MacGregor said is also a favourite memory.
“The energy and the focus that was put into all the practice … even when we lost that game against UNBSJ and broke our winning streak, it kind of created more drive.”
She will finish her undergraduate degree this year and hopes to continue her education by taking a Bachelor of Education degree, making this potentially her last year as a Tommie.
“It’s gonna be so hard to give it up,” she said. “I just can’t imagine not playing STU volleyball.”
