By Raphael Chahinian
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold Women’s basketball team will close out the pre-season with one final test when they host the 35th Darcel Wright Memorial Classic tournament, set to begin Oct. 20.
The annual women’s basketball tournament will have eight teams from across the country gathering at the Mattamy Athletic Centre for exhibition play. This is the 35th edition of the tournament, which was renamed shortly after Darcel Wright—a former TMU women’s basketball player—passed away from cancer in 2008.
The Bold will square off in their first match of the tournament against the University of Victoria Vikes at 12 p.m. on the opening day. Rounding out the competitive group are the McMaster Marauders, the Western Mustangs, the Memorial Sea-Hawks, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, the Saskatchewan Huskies and the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
“Going into this tournament, I’m excited to see us continue to learn and grow as a team,” said Bold first-year forward Hailey Franco-DeRyck.
The Bold have struggled throughout the pre-season so far and currently hold a 1-5 record going into this tournament with their only win being against the Laurentian Voyageurs, who have an 0-6 record.
“Going into this tournament, I’m excited to see us continue to learn and grow as a team”
In comparison, the Vikes are entering with a 1-2 pre-season record after their two leading scorers, Ashlyn Day and Kate Johnson who combined for an average of over 33 points per game, left the squad. This could prove to be helpful to the Bold after losing to the Vikes in last year’s tournament.
Last season, TMU went without a win in the Classic—falling to the Vikes, Cape Breton University Capers and Thunderbirds in successive order. This year, however, the overhauled Bold are beyond excited to be back for revenge. The team has no doubt that they’ll be able to turn things around, especially with the addition of new players such as Franco-DeRyck.
“In all honesty, I feel that our team connected the easiest of any that I have ever been a part of,” said Franco-DeRyck. “I’m confident that as we play more together, our team’s chemistry will only improve, which will benefit us on and off the court and take us to the next level.”
The Bold are also in a rebuilding phase, meaning the new players will need to adjust quickly. Despite that, head coach Carly Clarke’s motto of “getting better every day” is still deeply ingrained in the minds and hearts of her returning players.
“I think our pre-season has been a huge learning opportunity for us,” said fourth-year guard Kaillie Hall. “The outcomes haven’t always gone our way but our main focus has been getting better every day and I think that’s something we’ve really locked into the last week. Owning mistakes and trying to work through our systems will help to establish our identity.”
The added youth includes five additional first-year players Corrynn Parker, Alex Pino, Catrina Garvey, Hannah Watson and Ailani Curvan. After losing their leading scorer in Rachel Farwell along with key leaders in Eve Uwayesu and Tiya Misir, the team is in need of a strong and experienced leader. With the loss of Farwell, no regular starter remains from the 2022 national championship winning squad.
“I think our pre-season has been a huge learning opportunity for us”
“Obviously being an older player on a younger team invites more leadership opportunities,” said Hall. “It excites me to have such a young energized team that is eager to learn and I’m thankful I have the opportunity to provide some leadership.”
With youth and the lack of experience comes the potential for mistakes. However, the team is ready to make those mistakes so they can learn and ultimately grow from them.
“Although mistakes will be made, how we react will really test our discipline and support for each other,” said Franco-DeRyck. “I believe that as a team, we have a ton of talent and potential and we are all eager to go to that next level to showcase just how strong a unit we can be.”
This is only the beginning for the new-look Bold. Yet, as always, the mindset of both the players and head coach Clarke remains the same: to get better every day and play with the intent to win it all.
“With a new roster comes more opportunities to teach how we operate,” said Hall. “Having a championship mindset has been and continues to be a huge part of her and our identity.”
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