Same court, new talent

By Ryan McCracken on October 6, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

The Medicine Hat Rattlers calmly collected a 69-39 exhibition victory over the SAIT Trojans on Friday at the Snake Pit with plenty of new faces getting in on the action.

Rattlers head coach Clayton Nielsen says this year’s squad features several local players, including a handful of newcomers like Eagle Butte Talons alumnus Amer Karamanos and former Hat High Kwahommies guard Rhiannon Ware — and they’ve all been making an early impact in pre-season play.

“They’ve all been great,” said Nielsen. “The last three years we’ve had really good local athletes that are good basketball players, but they’re ACAC-level, really good basketball players. Other teams should want them too because they’re that good. It makes our program stronger by having local kids who can train all summer.”

While the team parted ways with all-time Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference rebound leader Kennedy Werre and standout guard Courtney Henry in the off-season, the Rattlers boast a number of important returning faces like guards Kendall Kuntz and Morgan Muir and forward Kristen Skjonsby.

“The people have coming back as vets know the expectation of our group and the expectation of how we want to play this year and it’s been really helpful to have them help the rookies and new people kind of assimilate to what we do,”said Nielsen, adding Henry will serve as an assistant coach this season.”She sees the game really well and I’m hoping she sees what I see in regards to what we’ve been talking about for two or three years now — how we want to move the ball and play defence.”

The Rattlers open the ACAC regular season on their home court Friday against the St. Mary’s Lightning at 6 p.m., followed by Medicine Hat and St. Mary’s men’s squads at 8 p.m.

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