Graduating student Bridget Frazee from the Sussex Regional High School Sonics women’s basketball team has been recruited to the St. Thomas University Tommies.
Frazee, 17, is a shooting guard for the Sonics, the same position she will play at STU.
Tommies head coach Fred Connors coached Frazee at the Dairy Town Classic Basketball Camp, and he has followed her progress over the last couple years. Connors has spoken with Frazee several times about her future plans for university and basketball.
“We are very excited to have Bridget come to St. Thomas. She’s a close friend of alumnus Hayley Doney, who played a pivotal role in our 2008-09 championship team, so we know she understands the work ethic that’s required to meet our goals,” said Connors.
“She’s had great success with the provincial programs and will add another offensive threat to our team.”
Doney has told Frazee about her experiences at STU and what to expect.
Frazee has also been watching the STU women’s basketball team play over the past few years.
“It’s up-tempo, fast, it’s a style I like to play. The STU women’s basketball team plays the similar fast pace, transition style of basketball that I played at my high school,” said Frazee.
Connors said Frazee will add some much-needed offensive and shooting power while fitting in with the Tommies’ aggressive defensive style.
As for her academic plans, Frazee plans to study psychology at STU.
“I feel that STU is the right choice for me because (they) have a strong basketball program, they offer the right courses that I want to pursue my education in, and it is not too far from home,” she said.
Frazee also said she is working hard so she can compete and be successful in basketball at the university level. Her goal is to consistently be the best player and teammate she can be.
“I am always up for a challenge. I will bring to the STU basketball program the ability to run the floor and bring some aggressive defence and outside shooting,” she said.
Frazee plans to continue her career after university by playing recreational basketball or coaching a team.
Frazee said she will miss high school basketball and her teammates after she graduates.
“Over the past few years playing for the Sussex Sonics, I made many close friendships and bonds with players and coaches (who) I will miss deeply. Also, I have made many memories with teammates that I will never forget.”
For Frazee, the greatest moment of her basketball career – the one she will never forget – was when she won the Bantam New Brunswick Mini AAA provincial title.
“It was the first provincial title that I have ever won and it felt good to be successful at a young age, and in front of our hometown crowd.”
Along with the mini provincial title, Frazee has an impressive record of wins, such as the Under-13 Bantam Tier 1 Provincial Championship, a bronze medal at the Eastern Canadian Championships in Halifax and consecutive U-14 Bantam Tier 1 Provincial Championship wins.
She has also been a Middle School Large Tier 1 Provincial Champion, gold medalist and Most Valuable Player at the Eastern Canadian Championships in Charlottetown, SRHS Junior Varsity Girls Basketball MVP 2012-13, Rookie of the Year at SRHS in 2013, Dairy Town Classic All-Star for 2014 and 2016 and KV Riverboat All Star.
With a long record of past awards and championship wins, Frazee was still challenged with the game.
“My greatest hurdle getting into the game was the amount of competition there was in a small town,” she said. “To overcome it, I had to attend all open gyms, summer camps, and work hard on getting better at my game to be successful in making teams.”
Frazee’s advice for fellow high school teammates who plan to attend university and play basketball is to believe in the game.
“Use every minute you have to work hard at getting to be a better player because there is always something you can be working on,” she said. “Also, talk to people you know that have played on sports teams in university for advice.”
Through all the years Frazee has played basketball, she said she has become more of a well-rounded person.
“I have learned valuable team-player skills, determination, commitment, punctuality, successes, failures, and hard work ethics. I have met a lot of players, coaches, and made a lot of new friendships,” she said. “I have had the opportunity to travel to the other three Atlantic provinces and the state of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
“The memories I have being part of a basketball team will always be important to me.”
