Q&A: Canadian assistant coach on women in the NCAA tournament

Connecticut's Kia Nurse reacts after hitting one of nine three-point baskets. (Jessica Hill/AP)

With March Madness now underway it’s not just young Canadian men looking to make an imprint on the NCAA tournament. The women’s tournament consists of Canadians who are arguably playing bigger roles for their respective teams than their Canadian male counterparts. I caught up with Steve Baur, performance analyst and assistant coach of the senior women’s national team to get his appraisal of the amateur women in the tournament.

SN: What do you like about the progression of Kia Nurse from the University of Connecticut?

Baur: I think the real plus for us to see is how much Kia has evolved from a year-to-year basis. She went down last year and set the tournament record for three-pointers. But then she added a pull-up game in the mid-range so she’s not just a stand-still shooter. She arrived on campus as a great defender but she clearly evolved and now she’s winning Defensive Player of the Year. It’s just great to see her continued growth which at some times can be a challenge as a high prospect to continue to push yourself but clearly, she’s done that.

SN: What differentiates her career from the other women in the program?

Baur: She’s bit of a trailblazer. She showed up on our senior team at a very young age but also at a time where we were trending up as a team. We were going to the FIBA Americas tournament and having success with Kia playing a pivotal role. We’ve had some young women arrive at the senior level at an age like Kia but never when we’ve been this competitive and had a winning team. It’s pretty unique.

SN: How does she project as a WNBA player?

Baur: She has a great profile because Kia can defend the position at the highest level. She’s proven that both with U Conn and with us at the senior level. Anyone who can hit threes and defend the position has a home and if she can continue to play multiple positions and play the two and one she can help a very good team.

SN: What do you make of the early success of Shaina Pellington from the University of Oklahoma?

Baur: I was fortunate enough to see Shaina twice this year. I went down to Oklahoma to see her in her training environment and then again in the Big 12 tournament. I think when we can have a Canadian winning Big 12 freshman of the year that’s quite an honour and Shaina did it at a position that’s tough to play as a freshman. A point guard playing at a top-25 program is a lot of responsibility to bare. I think she made part of her decision following the footsteps of Stacey Dales. In her freshman year she’s off to a good start in following in those footsteps.

SN: That’s one of the most competitive positions at the national team level. Is she in play at the senior level?

Baur: Definitely. Shaina is someone who we are following right now and she was high on our radar last year with the junior team but she also had a training camp with us which was her first senior team exposure. We’ve witnessed her growth at Oklahoma this season and we expect her to be in the mix this summer coming up.

SN: How would you describe the game of Hailey Brown from the University of Michigan?

Baur: One of the great things about Hailey that we’ve seen on our age teams at every level that she goes to is her ability to score. Going in as a freshman on a good Michigan team she’s really been efficient. She’d found her spots where she can contribute but also found spots where she can play other roles. We could definitely use some scoring from the forward spot. Hailey’s nose for getting to the rim is something we can use too.

SN: Did you know her transition to the NCAA would be this seamless?

Baur: It has been a surprise. She’s had some success with us. We knew she would be an option for them in Michigan. I don’t know if we knew it would come so quickly. On Day 1 her starting and contributing was nice to see and a tribute to her.

SN: Two players who will feature for the national team but are playing in the NIT after missing the tournament are Shay Colley and Emily Potter. How would you describe their games?

Baur: Shay has been one of our more dynamic guards. Nirra Fields popped on the scene for us a couple years ago with her offensive attributes and Shay has been the same way. She can create offence for herself, she can create offence for others. She can play the one, she can play the two. Scoring punch is something that Canada, a proud defensive country for a long time, really needs that offensive kick. Potter fits the old moniker for Canadians. She defends the rim. She’s the block leader in PAC 12 history. She’s been a double-double machine her entire time down there.

SN: Who do you want to evaluate throughout the tournament?

Baur: Early on we want to go watch Aislinn Konig at NC State and get some visuals of her. She set the three-point record at the FIBA worlds last year with the junior team. We’d like to get a look at her at this stage. We’d also like to get a look at Alyssa Jerome at Stanford who has been a big player on our age-group teams and now is on our senior radar.

SN: What did you make of the show the women put on at the U Sports championships?

Baur: We’ve been so impressed and blessed and fortunate to have the development like it is at home. We have a high number of athletes chase down dreams in the NCAA. We’ve also seen a bunch stay in Canada and one of the reasons is the development they are getting. I thought the Final 8 was a great showing for U Sports. The games were exciting and the crowds in Regina were awesome as well.

SN: Any players at the U Sports level who could be in contention for a national team spot?

Baur: Our highest prospect out of U Sports right now is Alex Kiss-Rusk out of McGill. She spent some time with the senior team last year, we played some exhibition games with her and I anticipate her getting more looks this summer.

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