The UNBC Northern Timberwolves have two more dashes of local flavour.
Loralyn Murdoch, head coach of the UNBC women's basketball team, offered roster spots to post player Nicole Schlick and point guard Danielle Steel and both accepted. The six-foot-two Schlick will provide height and scoring in the paint, while Steel will help improve the team's depth and skill level in the backcourt.
"I'm really excited to add Nicole to the program," said Murdoch, who led a weekend identification camp at the Northern Sport Centre. "She's a player I've known for a long, long time. I watched her develop through the minor ball and with her time at Duchess Park. She's always been someone that we've had our eye on and it's nice to know that academically and basketball-wise we're a good fit for her.
"Dani is a great kid again, another one that we've seen come through the ranks," Murdoch added. "She has always been a huge supporter of UNBC athletics and has been playing with us in scrimmages since she was in probably Grade 9. It's nice to see that she wants to stay home and play in front of some friends and family and, as a little point guard, I'm looking forward to developing her into a role that will be suitable."
This past season, a year in which UNBC went 13-5 in the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association regular season and won a bronze medal in playoffs, the Timberwolves had six local players on their roster. Next season, they won't have local point guard Christine Kennedy, who has used all of her five years of playing eligibility.
Schlick had also drawn interest from Langara College, Augustana University and Grande Prairie Regional College but always had UNBC at the top of her wish list.
"Ever since I was younger I always came and watched the UNBC games and I was always thinking that I'd want to come play here," she said. "It's a great school and I've always wanted to be wearing the green and gold."
In her Grade 12 season at Duchess Park, Schlick averaged between 20 and 25 points per game. Rebounding is another one of her strengths but she knows she has to get stronger defensively. That was made clear to her when she was trying to check veteran UNBC post Erin Beckett during a Saturday scrimmage at the NSC.
"It's a big step up," Schlick said in reference to competing at the college level. "I'm looking to improve and then, height-wise, help the team out."
Beckett and fellow post Maria Neumann will both be fifth-year players next season, so Schlick's arrival on the scene comes at a good time for the program.
Steel, who will soon graduate from D.P. Todd secondary, brings Team B.C. experience to the Timberwolves. She played provincially at the Under-16 level and will help fill the spot left open by Kennedy's departure. Steel will play alongside point guard Jenn Knibbs, the T-wolves' rookie of the year in 2010-11. Murdoch, meanwhile, is also trying to bring Kelowna point guard Jade Montgomery-Waardenburg into the fold.
Murdoch has always been impressed by Steel's abilities.
"She's got very good fundamental skills," Murdoch said. "It's something she's done a lot of work on over the years and what we're going to have to do is get her to play a little quicker, take care of the ball a little better. With the pace of the game changing, and playing against better, bigger players with some more experience, she's going to probably have a few downs before she has her ups and that's the way it goes with being a rookie coming into a veteran team. But I think she's mentally tough enough to overcome any obstacles we're going to throw in her way."
