UNews - point guard

McAleenan enthused about opportunity

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:04:25 +0000

Erin McAleenan has no problem admitting she has a competitive side that sometimes gets the better of her. It's a feisty edge she's ready and willing to bring to the Pronghorns women's basketball program as its new voice and leader.

McAleenan was tabbed as the 10th coach in the program's history in April, taking over a team searching for some bite and subsequent success.

"I played the point and I was very competitive," says McAleenan, a point guard for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Acadia Axewomen from 1999 to 2003. She comes to the Horns off a three-year stint as assistant coach with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Pandas.

"I wasn't afraid to be physical to the point that the game allowed. I played in the women's league in Edmonton while I coached there . . . my competitive edge maybe takes over sometimes," she laughs.

New Horns women's basketball head coach Erin McAleenan is ready to get to work.

A Sussex, New Brunswick native, McAleenan is getting her first crack at being a head coach at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) level. Her pedigree is impressive, including a wealth of provincial and national team coaching experience. Currently, she is in her second year as head coach of Alberta's U17 provincial team, and later this month she'll spend two weeks as an apprentice coach/manager with the Canadian National Women's Team as it prepares for the London 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament.

Her penchant for coaching stems from her father, a high school teacher and coach, who she describes as turning Sussex into a basketball town when they moved to the area in the 1970s. McAleenan began coaching as a Grade 8 student when she would help out at summer basketball camps for kids.

"When I went to university, I wanted to be a physiotherapist, probably because I had suffered a lot of injuries and was really interested in that line of work," she says. "Over time I realized that I really preferred working with kids. I ran all the summer camps at Acadia while I played there and when I was graduating (with a BSc) I knew I wanted to get into education."

She worked at a private school as an associate faculty member while she pursued her education degree at Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, coaching high school boys and girls and earning provincial team experience within the Ontario Basketball Association. After working as the lead assistant coach for the Ontario U17 provincial team, she met Alberta coach Scott Edwards at 2008 Nationals tournament in Charlottetown, and he encouraged her to move out west for the assistant's position at ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta.

"While I loved teaching and working with high school kids, I think both my competitive side and my personal experience of playing CIS led me to want to try and make a difference with athletes at this age level," she says.

She comes to the Horns with her eyes wide open, understanding she's entering a basketball hotbed with deep community roots. Gaining the trust of that community will be central to her success.

"I don't think it's going to be easy but I think I'm the right person for the job," she says. "I'm definitely a people person, I want to go out into the community and develop those relationships. It's not going to happen overnight and like any relationship it'll take time for people to get to know me and to trust me and support the program I'm leading."

Her approach is grassroots.

"I want to connect with people, get involved with the high school and junior programs and expand our summer camp options," says McAleenan. "The more I can get out in the community and give back, the more people will get to know me so that we can create those relationships."

The Pronghorn program has the capability to lead basketball development in southern Alberta and McAleenan says her players can benefit from taking on that responsibility.

"I want to be able to give my student athletes opportunities to develop their leadership skills in the community and to do their part in being better role models, especially for younger females, whether that is through basketball specifically or other things I think we could get involved in," she says.

It all lends to creating an environment for success, both as students and as student-athletes.

"I'm thrilled to be given the opportunity to work with these young student-athletes and I value the role we have in their development," says McAleenan.

GET THE FACTS

· McAleenan considers herself a defense-first coach whose teams score off transition opportunities and good shot selection

· She was an assistant coach with the Canadian Developmental National Team at the 2011 Pan Am Games

· Adopted, McAleenan has a brother who played basketball at Bishop's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and is currently living in Ottawa, as well as three half-brothers and two half-sisters, all living in New Brunswick

· McAleenan had never met U of L President Mike Mahon while they were both at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, but she did teach his son Seann a physical activity course at U of A and his other son, Brennan, was a physical therapist for the men's basketball program in her first year with the women's team

This story first appeared in the May issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Van Buskirk, Cooper grab awards

trevor.kenney — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:27:54 +0000

Amy Van Buskirk and Daryl Cooper are the Subway Athletes of the Week, as announced by Pronghorn Athletics.

Van Buskirk, a fourth-year defenceman with the Horns women's hockey team, was a standout in the Horns' unprecedented sweep of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Pandas over the weekend.

Friday night, Van Buskirk notched a goal and an assist to give the Pronghorns their first win against the Pandas in 15 years. The Brandon, MB native also netted the shootout winner to end the decade-and-a-half losing streak.

Saturday night, Van Buskirk was at it again, scoring the overtime winner to vault the Horns into sole possession of first place in the Canada West conference. Van Buskirk is currently tied for second in the conference for points by a defenceman.

On the men's side, third-year point guard Daryl Cooper impressed in his first weekend of action with the Horns. Cooper, who hails from San Francisco, Cal. , finished the weekend series against the Winnipeg Wesmen as the Horns' leader in points and assists.

In Friday night's season opener, Cooper scored 11 points and added four assists and four steals in a 74-71 loss to the Wesmen.

The following night, Cooper was a key component to the Horns earning a weekend split with the Wesmen. He dropped 16 points, picked up four rebounds and four assists in the Horns' 69-68 triumph.

California recruits join Horns

trevor.kenney — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:47:46 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's basketball team has solidified its back court with the signing of two American guards out of the California junior college circuit. Head coach Dave Adams recently introduced Daryl Cooper and Alex Fletcher as the newest Horns for this coming season.

The additions of Fletcher and Cooper continues the Horns overhaul this off-season, where the squad has added seven players, all with ties to winning programs. Earlier this off-season Adams secured four players from the national silver medalists Lethbridge College Kodiaks, as well as Tyson McIntyre from the Alberta 4A champion Raymond Comets.

Basketball Operations Manager Brad Karren was the first to identify Cooper and Fletcher during the California JUCO Final Four and did the majority of the leg work leading up to their visits.

"Brad did a great job identifying Daryl and Alex as two guys that would fit in to what we are trying to build here," says Adams. "We were able to work both of them out and really liked what we saw."

Cooper, a 6'1" point guard, spent the last two seasons at City College of San Francisco, where the team finished the season with a 32-1 record and won the California JUCO Championship. Cooper averaged just over 7 points per game and accumulated an impressive 2.95 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.

"Daryl is a pass first, score second point guard with incredible basketball IQ, work ethic, skill and leadership qualities," says Adams. "He will immediately address our deficiencies at the point guard position."

A 6'2" shooting guard, Fletcher is no stranger to his fellow California recruit, as Fresno City College was the lone team to beat Cooper's team last season. In both seasons in Fresno, Fletcher was a member of the Central Valley Conference champions and had trips to the California JuCo Final Four, where Fresno lost in the semifinals.

As a sophomore starter, Fletcher was a Central Valley first team all-star, averaging 11.06 points per game while hitting a remarkable 47.5 per cent of his shots from behind the arc. He also set a school record last season, hitting 12 three-pointers in a single game. An exceptional student, Fletcher had a 3.68 GPA in his two years at Fresno City College.

"Alex is an unselfish hard working blue collar basketball player," says Adams. "He shot a high percentage from three-point land and will immediately address our weakness there from last season. He will also immediately infuse an uncompromising work ethic into our locker room."

The Horns open training camp Aug. 29 and will kick off the 2011-12 Canada West Schedule Nov. 4-5, traveling to Winnipeg to face the Wesmen. The Horns home opener is Nov. 11 versus UBC – Okanagan Heat.

Horns men's basketball adds point guard

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 May 2011 21:21:51 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's basketball team continues to add talent to its roster for the 2010-11 Canada West basketball season. On Friday, the club announced it will welcome six-foot-one point guard Daryl Cooper to the program.

Cooper comes to the Horns from City College of San Francisco, where he held a prominent role for the CCSF Rams as they won the California Junior College Championship last season.

"He is a great leader and his eye popping 2.95 to 1 assist to turnover ratio will immediately address our deficiencies last season in this area," says Horns head coach Dave Adams. "We are absolutely thrilled to have a quality person and player in Daryl don the blue and gold next season."

Cooper is a San Francisco native and has led championship teams at both the high school and junior college level. Before joining CCSF, he started at point guard during his senior season at Sacred Heart Cathedral High School, leading them to a California State Championship.

Cooper will be joining the already announced signed recruiting class of Logan Reiter, Dallon Martin, Morgan Duce and Dom Coward. The Horns are also expected to announce another signing later next week.

Campus Kudos

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:21:49 +0000

Congratulations to Drs. Paul Vasey and Martin Lalumiere (Psychology) on their successful Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Aid to Research Workshops and Conferences in Canada application. The workshop will be held May 31 to June 2.

Dafne Carrasco (New Media student) and friends organized the Help Rebuild Haiti T-shirt Fundraiser that featured original T-shirt designs by fellow students, faculty and alumni.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) recently posted the successful Community-��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Research Alliances (CURA) program applications. U of L professor Dr. Claudia Malacrida (Sociology) is a co-applicant on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta's, six-year, $1 million grant, titled Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada.

Dr. Janet Youngdahl (Music) was a soprano soloist in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in Calgary at the Jack Singer Concert Hall on Mar. 27. The concert celebrated the 20th anniversary of Mount Royal's Kantori and also premiers a new work by Imant Raminsh, with the composer in attendance.

Adam Chorneyko of the Pronghorns men's hockey team was named Canada West rookie of the year after a season in which he led all freshmen with 16 goals and 35 points. Defenceman Ryan Pottruff and centre Dustin Moore were named to the Canada West First All-Star Team while goaltender Scott Bowles was named to the second team.

Dr. David Renter (Music) has been invited to be the composer-in-residence at this year's prestigious Stella Royce Music Camp, July 26-30 in Grand Rapids, Mich. He will be debuting a series of original solo piano compositions of varying difficulty for students aged 8-15.

Fourth-year point guard Jeff Price was named to the Canada West men's basketball Second All-Star Team after a stellar first season with the Pronghorns men's basketball program.

Nursing student Alexandra Tritten-Champoux recently received one of seven United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) scholarships awarded to students in their first year of nursing study. The winners needed to be related to a UNA member in good standing and complete an essay on How does the UNA impact nursing worklife?

Music faculty Dr. Janet Youngdahl, Dr. Sandra Stringer, Dr. Blaine Hendsbee and retired music professor Dr. George Evelyn were soloists with the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra's presentation of Haydn's The Creation on Mar. 29.

Dr. Ed Jurkowski (Music) presented, Random Sounds or Organized Structure? What the Compositional Sketches tell us about Morton Feldman's Late Music, last month at the annual meeting of the Pacific-Northwest Chapter of the American Musicological Society.

Price, Moore earn Pronghorn awards

trevor.kenney — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:45:59 +0000

Key games brought out big efforts from Stephanie Price and Dustin Moore this past weekend, earning the duo recognition as Subway Pronghorn Athletes of the Week.

Price and the women's basketball Horns faced a must-win scenario against ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos this past weekend and she responded with a stellar effort in the Horns' 93-84 victory.

A third-year point guard, Price had a career night with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting as the Horns clinched a spot in the Canada West playoffs. Price also collected eight assists, five rebounds and five steals as the Horns survived a complicated wildcard system to reach the post-season tournament.

Price finished fourth in conference scoring over the regular season, averaging 15.5 points per game. She also led the Canada West conference in assists with 4.9 per contest.

The Horns will now travel to face ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina Cougars, Feb. 25-27, in the first round of playoffs.

The Horns men's hockey team also needed to win to maintain momentum as it charges toward a Canada West playoff berth. Team captain Moore led the way with four goals as the club swept the visiting Regina Cougars and kept pressure on both ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan for the final playoff position in Canada West.

On Friday night, Moore scored the first and third goals of the game, in a nine-minute span, to open the first period and propel the Horns to a 4-1 win. He was also a plus-2 and recorded an astonishing14 shots on goal.

The next night he opened the scoring again with a power play goal and picked up his fourth of the weekend in the second period in the 4-3 sweep clinching win.

Through 26 games this season, Moore sits third in Canada West scoring with 12 goals and 23 assists.

The Horns have a bye this weekend before returning to action Feb. 26-27 when they close out the regular season at home against ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Holt still manning the point

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:57:18 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus Spencer Holt (BMgt '00) has an undergraduate degree, a master's degree, is currently pursuing a PhD and his career is flipping burgers. You might think all that education has gone to waste – hardly.

It's just the latest avenue that Holt is pursuing, as the point man for a team franchising Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a wildly successful restaurant chain that boasts 550 American locations and now one Canadian store in Medicine Hat.

"The group I'm with bought the rights to Alberta, B.C. and parts of Ontario," says Holt. "We just opened in Medicine Hat, and it's gone very well. Our goal is to do about 130 stores across the country, so for me it's a great opportunity because I'm in charge of the infrastructure of hiring people, training and so on. It blends very well into my educational background."

Holt is best known in these parts for his years manning the point guard spot on the Horns men's basketball team. A wizard with the ball, he was a high school star at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute before playing a season at Lethbridge College and then moving on to the U of L. Along with Magrath product Danny Balderson, the duo formed a local nucleus around which the program was constructed.

"A big part of that was the fact that Danny and I had been friends for many years," says Holt. "When we were both on our missions for the church, we talked quite a bit about playing together and at the U of L. We both had opportunities to go other places, but I think we had a vision of playing together in Lethbridge and winning a lot of games."

They did just that, culminating with the 1999-2000 season when the Horns spent much of the campaign as the top-rated team in the country, won the Canada West regular season title and advanced to the national semifinal game.

"That was such a fun season," says Holt. "I think we went 18-2, we won every tournament we entered, and more importantly, the guys on that team had been together for three or four years so, as a group, we all got along and really had a passion to work hard and win together."

He cherishes the fact that the team had such a strong southern Alberta flavour and remembers a unique bond the program had with the community.

"When you look back at old pictures of the stands, you see everyone you grew up with, and that's what was so cool about it, you knew who was in the crowd and that was part of the fun," says Holt. "That old gym only held a couple thousand people but it seemed like every night it was full and that really helps as a player, you feed off that energy and it gives you a lot of confidence."

The 1999-2000 team will be honoured at the Feb. 13 regular season finale at the 1st Choice Savings Centre gym. Holt likes the fact that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is reaching out to its alumni.

"It's a great honour that they're choosing to recognize this team," he says. "For me, moving back to Canada now, it's perfect timing. I've talked to some former players about how we need to be more involved with U of L basketball and whatever we can do to help bring it back to its southern Alberta roots."

Now living in Calgary, Holt has made the most of his U of L education. A finance major, he has worked in the banking industry (Bank of Montreal), the oil and gas sector and for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (sales representative and then district manager for the State of Nevada). Now he is embarking on a massive project with Five Guys but using the personal approach he learned in Lethbridge.

"What I'm passionate about is training people, developing a culture and helping people get better, and this is a great opportunity," says Holt. "How do you do this on a large scale? You start with one store and replicate it 130 times. In the end, we'll have a company where people love to work and love who they work for."

GET THE FACTS

• Holt and his wife Brittany have four children, including Isaac (8), Anne (6), Ty (3) and 18-month old Josh.

• Holt was named an All-Canadian in his final season at the U of L.

• Plans call for Holt and his group to open a Five Guys restaurant in Lethbridge in April.

• He lauds the U of L for bringing in Dave Adams as head coach and Ryan Hall as athletics manager. Adams was an assistant with the 1999-2000 team and Hall a senior guard and shutdown defender. "The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ reaching out to former players is great, and this is a great example of starting this tradition of involving people from the past to make the future better."

Adams Rounds out Pronghorn Basketball Recruiting Class

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:02:58 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge men's basketball coach Dave Adams completed his revamping of the Horns squad today with the announcement of four more commitments for the upcoming season.

After three seasons with the Red Deer Kings in the ACAC, first team ACAC All-Star Randy Davis transfers to the Horns. The 6'4" wing averaged 17.3 points in 20 conference games last season, while helping the Kings finish second in the ACAC South Division with a 15-5 record.

"We are thrilled to have Randy join the Horns, as he brings scoring, coach ability and maturity," said Coach Adams.

A pair of versatile players will also join the Horns next season, as combo wing/posts Taylor Norum and Wes Chapman will don the blue and gold next season.

Norum, a 6'7" High River product, was a member of two medal winning Alberta Provincial teams and a member of Basketball Canada Centre for Performance. Taylor comes to the Horns after spending last year in Sweden.

"Taylor is a valuable addition to Horns Nation with his tremendous skill set for a big man," stated Adams.

Chapman, after impressing Coach Adams at the Horns spring ID camp joins the Horns after taking last season off from basketball. The Calgary native is a graduate of Lord Beaverbrook High School.

"We are excited to have Wes in our program next season," said Coach Adams. "He brings much needed size to the front end." Rounding out the Horns 2009/10 recruiting class is wing Jeremy Stanley. The 6'6" William Aberheart graduate will add much need size and depth to the Horns.

"Stanley will add athletic depth and bring an exceptional work ethic to our squad next season," said Adams.

The men's basketball with have seven new faces this fall, including the four announced today. Former Calgary Dino point guard Jeff Price and recent Chestemere graduates Sean McCormick and Kyle Wilson were announced earlier this off season.

The Horns will open their conference schedule October 31 in Edmonton versus the Golden Bears. The Horns home opener will be the following weekend, November 6^th and 7^th, when they host the Regina Cougars.FOR

Contact: Eoin Colquhoun, Sports Information & Events Coordinator, Pronghorn Athletics

eoin.colquhoun@uleth.ca / (403) 380-1851

Horns land husband/wife team

trevor.kenney — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:47:01 +0000

Should Dave Adams and Donna Branch need to document the recruiting costs for their latest point guard acquisitions, the ledger could read, "Two for the Price of one".

Pronghorns basketball, both men's and women's, got a big boost this week when the husband/wife duo of Jeff Price and Stephanie Price (Elford) decided to suit up in blue and gold this fall. For Stephanie, it's a return to the U of L, where she played point guard for two seasons before taking a year off of school last season. For Jeff, it's back to the hardwood but in a new locale after he too took a year off following seasons with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos and Mount Royal College Cougars.

Stephanie, a five-foot, six-inch, Calgary native led the Horns in scoring during the 2007-08 season averaging 13.4 points per game, while also contributing 3.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. In 44 career games, 32 times as a starter, Stephanie compiled 429 points.

Jeff enters his fourth year of eligibility after playing with the Dinos and in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference with the Mount Royal Cougars.

During his only season with the Dinos, Price averaged 12.3 points and 5.2 assists in over 33 minutes per game and was a member of a Dino team that finished with the best record in the Central Division and hosted the Canada West Final Four in 2007-08.

As a Cougar, Price was named a CCAA All-Canadian and the Mount Royal Male Athlete of the Year for 2006-07.

"We are delighted to announce that Jeff Price will be joining the team next season. Jeff is a proven winner at every level he has played," said Horns Head Coach Dave Adams. "Jeff is an invaluable addition to the team as he allows people to play at their natural positions, and will empower the Horns to play at the pace we need to succeed."

Both programs will add to their respective recruiting classes in the coming weeks, leading up to the start of the Canada West schedule Oct. 30, on the road in Edmonton. The Horns' home opener is Nov. 7 versus the Regina Cougars.

Sports Hall welcomes Pronghorns

trevor.kenney — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:21:13 +0000

It was a Blue and Gold night recently at the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fames' annual induction ceremony and banquet.

A pair of former Pronghorn basketball players were inducted into the hall as athletes, while another alumnus earned induction for his contributions to the sport of curling.

Inducted into the hall were Dori (Rodzinyak) Johnson (BA '87), Danny Balderson (BA/BEd '01) and Don Chandler (BASC '73).

Johnson was a star point guard with the Pronghorns women's basketball team from 1982 through 1987. In five Canada West seasons she garnered four all-star nods and was named team most valuable player from 1982 through 1985.

Johnson would return to the U of L in 1991-92 and take over the head-coaching role of the Pronghorns. A year later, she would guide the Horns to their first Canada West title and a fourth place finish at the national championship tournament.

Balderson is the most decorated player in the history of the men's basketball program. Over a five-year career that began in 1993-94, Balderson won a national rookie of the year honour, was a two-time Canada West player of the year, two-time, first-team All-Canadian and CIS player of the year. Balderson would conclude his career as the U of L's all-time leading scorer with 2,000 points and have his No. 31 jersey retired.

Chandler was elected into the builders' category for his long association with curling in southern Alberta. Over a 30-year span, Chandler has contributed to the growth and development of the Lethbridge Curling Club, serving in various capacities.

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