±«ÓãÖ±²¥ hoops coach to guide Quebec at Canada Games in PEI
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MONTREAL -- Ryan Thorne, head coach of the ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Martlets, has been named bench boss of the Quebec provincial under-17 women's basketball team for the Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island, Aug. 15-29.
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The 36-year-old resident of Chateauguay, Que., will be assisted by Vicky Tessier, a former ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ all-Canadian from Chateauguay, plus Catherine Thibodeau of Victoriaville, Que., and Mai-Anh Nguyen out of Vanier College.
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The Quebec women, which finished ninth at the 2005 Games in Regina, are seeded fourth in the 11-team tourney. Ontario is the top seed after winning gold at the U-17 national championships in PEI last summer.
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Quebec, which will be seeking to win gold for the first time since 1993 in Kamloops, B.C., will have a tough schedule with four preliminary-round games in as many nights. They are slated to open against a team from Newfoundland-Labrador on Aug. 16, followed by contests against PEI, Nova Scotia and Ontario, respectively.
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Among the key players to watch for on the Quebec squad is 6-foot-4 ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Alexandra Rusk, a 15-year old from Beaconsfield who is the daughter of Rick Rusk and Annette Kiss, both former ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ stars during the 1980s.
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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Athletics
earl.zukerman [at] mcgill.ca
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