For Ted Braden, his journey to STU has not been in a straight line. Doing his undergrad at the University of Toronto, Braden didn’t even play varsity basketball until he started his Masters in physics at UNB.
He kept fit by playing for a tri-campus team, where the three different campuses (Scarborough, Mississauga and St. George) face off against one another.
“That’s decently competitive, it’s obviously not as competitive as the ACAA, but it’s pretty competitive,” he said.
Partway through his first season with UNB, Braden left the team in hopes of some more playing time at STU. Braden was a full-time student at both UNB and STU while he finished up his masters and began playing for the Tommies. His first year at STU ran smoothly but his second year took place in 2020 and was canceled due to the pandemic.
After his ‘second’ season at STU, Braden went back home to Ottawa, Ont., to supply teach, where he was able to play for the Algonquin College Wolves. Now, in his fourth year of eligibility, Braden is back with the Tommies to strive for the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) title.
In talking about studying at four different schools, it can be unsettling not having a permanent spot, said Braden.
“But I don’t know, it’s just kind of a transitionary period in my life,” he said. “I pay rent in Ottawa, I pay rent here, it doesn’t make a difference.”
Much like his unique university career, Braden started playing basketball later than his peers, not playing club like many others in high school. He got into basketball through playing pickup with friends and got more competitive when playing for his high school team. Growing up, he also played football and hockey.
“I probably would have been better, honestly, if I had started at a younger age,” said Braden.
One coach who helped him take his basketball to the next level was John Lindsay, who coached him during his highschool playing years.
Braden sees Lindsay as not just a basketball coach, but someone who supported his players in life as well.
“Just good life guidance and advice … and has given me an opportunity to play for him and then I realized, maybe I could play at the next level,” he said.
Now, Braden is currently working towards his Bachelor of Education at STU and will most likely move home to Ottawa once this degree is done. He’s also toying with the idea of teaching abroad and playing while he is there.
“Maybe if I go teach abroad, yeah, I’ll go play,” he said. “Obviously it’s not a lot of money or anything … I’d do one of the lower leagues, but it’s just really about the experience.”
The center is focused on this current season though, which has the Tommies sitting atop the ACAA standings heading into playoffs. They’re looking to make it back to the finals after two losses in the finals in back to back years.
Braden is currently fifth in the league for rebounds per game, averaging 7.2. He hopes to bring that along with his defensive mindset and leadership to playoffs from Feb. 23 to 25.
“We think we have the best team so we want to win at least the ACAA to start and then once we do that we think we have a team that can compete at Nationals,” said Braden.
“But one step at a time.”
Alessandra Hernández
Alessandra Hernández always knew she wanted to leave Honduras for her education and to play volleyball elsewhere. With her sister attending STU before her, it was an easy choice to reach out to head coach Don McKay to inquire about playing on the women’s volleyball team.
The first-year criminology student suited up for her first game as a Tommie this January and is soaking it all in.
“I started to learn to play in Grade 5 and I haven’t stopped since then,” said Hernández.
Before moving to Canada, Hernández’ goal was to play for the national team, which she achieved.
“After that, I knew I had to achieve more and look for more,” she said. “That’s when I decided I wanted to study outside of Honduras and play outside of Honduras.”
Getting the call to play for the national team is one of her fondest memories of the sport, she said.
“It’s a small country, but it’s a big thing.”
The style of play in Canada is quite different, said Hernández, but one of the most difficult adaptations has been the language barrier. She speaks Spanish in Honduras and often will repeat plays in her native language on the court, to help herself out. She also credited one of her old coaches who would teach them different terminology and plays in English as well as Spanish.
She found inspiration from going to her older sister’s practice and in her first volleyball coach, who has been there for her entire career.
“She was the one who taught me everything I know about volleyball,” said Hernández. “She was the kind of coach that you could tell anything … she would just help us in every aspect.”
Growing up, she played multiple sports, including soccer and basketball, but volleyball was the one that stuck. Even when she was playing other sports, she had volleyball on the mind.
“My mind was so connected to volleyball that I used to do the volleyball approach instead of the basketball one so they were like ‘no!’, so I just said ‘no, I like volleyball.’”
After being unable to dress in the first half of the season due to an ongoing sanction from her time playing in Honduras, Hernández was ecstatic to finally show her skills in ACAA play in second semester.
Sitting out the first half of the season was difficult, said Hernández, mostly because she had so much free time she “didn’t know what to do with it.”
When the time came around for the libero to take the court for the Tommies, she gave her all in practice to make sure she wasn’t behind her teammates in skill and conditioning. It was special that the team won her first game, said Hernández.
She hopes to bring discipline and commitment to the team this year and a grind for every ball.
“Some people tell me I’m too crazy,” said Hernández. “I just don’t want the ball to fall.”
