Nipissing has had something building for the last three years, and this year feels like the prime opportunity to see it come to life. They are pushing towards playoffs for the program and this year they've surrounded a returning group of veterans with a strong young class of players to hopefully have the depth to get it done.
There are four players i'm looking at this year to be at the forefront of the Lakers play. They've been in charge of setting the system under head coach Rachel Van Woezik having three of them there since before her tenure and the last arriving shortly after coach started.
Sophie Milner, Katelyn DeCook and Nicole Budd are three of a group of four last season that were the veteran core for the Lakers. Now they return for their fifth season but without Megan McCarter. That trio has been the heartbeat for the Lakers and now alongside their point guard in Taryn Gauthier who's continued to take steps forward, they'll look to finish their careers with a historic season for the Lakers program.
To add veteran depth, they've brought in fourth year guard Avery Walker who previously spent 3 seasons playing with StFX. In three seasons she came off the bench for the X-Women, her latest the 2023 season averaging 12.2 minutes per game before taking a redshirt year in 2024. Now she's ready to enter the Lakers rotation playing 22 minutes per game in five preseason games, and how she fits into the teams play will be interesting to look at early in the season.
Based on the last three years you'd say Nipissing has a bright and ascending future. Now as their leaders enter their final year they'll look to capitalize on this generation of Lakers basketball with their first playoff appearance for the program, something they came so close to tasting last season.