During an evening basketball practice at the Fredericton High School, graduating student Madison Owens dribbles a ball down the court while smiling—she knows big things are yet to come in her basketball career.
“Go, go, go,” yells FHS Black Kats head coach Kevin Daley as the women’s team runs drills.
Owens, who is in her senior year at FHS is attending St. Thomas University this fall and has been recruited to the Tommies women’s basketball team.
“It feels good, I’m really excited,” said Owens.
STU’s Head Coach Fred Connors contacted Owens with the prospect of playing for the Tommies. He believes she will bring a lot to women’s basketball this fall.
Connors said Owens is an unselfish player who will bring toughness and versatility to the team. “We love her work ethic and team-first attitude. She has a nice midrange face-up game and her ball handling is solid,” he said.
Connors worked with Owens prior to recruitment to be sure athletics and her academic needs ran parallel. “I met with her and her parents several times and once we knew we could match what she wanted academically, we knew the basketball fit was going to work.”
Connors expects Madison to maintain a high level of compete at STU, similar to that seen at FHS. “I am expecting she will come in with the same great attitude and work ethic she has shown all along. Her growth as a player will be determined by those intangibles, and the rest will fall into place,” he said.
Owens is attracted to STU for its small size and its closeness to home. She has watched a couple of the Tommies women’s basketball practices and said she is intrigued by their coaching techniques.
Owens already has plans for STU’s team. “I’m going to work hard and try to get my team to (the) nationals,” she said.
Owens started playing basketball when she was ten-years-old. “My friend was playing basketball and I decided to get involved as well,” she said.
She remembers her first time stepping on a court to play. “It felt kind of awkward, it was definitely different,” she said. “I messed up my first basket by scoring in the wrong net.”
Owen’s hurdles never stopped there. “I was cut from my first competitive team. I worked extremely hard and played for the Oromocto team,” she said.
The following year she made it on the top Fredericton team. Since then she has maintained a high compete level.
In 2012 she helped her undefeated team win the provincial championships. Owens was named the most improved player that season. The following year she was named the top offensive player.
Her fondest memory playing basketball was when she scored the winning points during the final seconds of a tournament game. “When I was in Youth-13 Eastern (Basketball) we were down by two points. I scored a left-handed layup to win the game,” said Owens.
Coach Daley says it’s rewarding to see his players move-on to university after high school and continuing their education while playing sports. “I’m really happy for Matty, academically she is really strong. The most important thing is education and getting a degree, and then see where basketball fits,” he said.
Daley sees a lot of potential in Owens game-play that will be beneficial for the Tommies.
“Matty has improved her game over the last four years. She learned how to play at pace, and has good penetration and defence,” said Daley. “She’s (also) able to tuck off dribbles.”
Daley believes that whether a student is playing in the Canadian Interuniversity Sports or the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association, it’s going to take commitment.
“At university it’s a two-fold score with studies and sports. It’s about time management and a year-round commitment,” said Daley.
Connors said in the fall he plans to place Owens in the three or four spots.
Connors is also looking at a few other prospects for this coming academic year.
“We are working on a few others,” said Connors. “We found (last week) that Tailor Forsythe from Leo Hayes High School is coming, and we have two more we are hoping to announce in the coming weeks.”
Back at the gym in FHS the practice ended with a team huddle and cheer. Owens, who held a smile every time the ball touched her hands during practice walked with her team court-side, catching her breath, while still maintaining that smile.
