This season the Mount Mercy Academy Varsity Basketball team returns eight players from last year’s squad.  The experience gained by these players will help to lead the team as it works to attain its goals of winning two tournaments and the MMA League title.

                Coach John Glose begins his sixth season at the Magic’s helm.  He is being assisted by Paul Crowley who is in his fourth season as an assistant and new to the bench is Mount Mercy graduate Courtney Kaczor.

                Glose expects his senior co-captains Alesia Hamm (Buffalo) and Josslynn Strang (Westfield) to lead the team this season.  Hamm returns to the varsity for her fourth season of action and Strang is back for her third year of varsity action.  “These two players are our top returners,” Glose commented.  “They are team captains and excellent role models for the younger players.” 

                Senior Angel Pacholczak (Orchard Park), juniors Tierney Ashe (Buffalo), Xoie Ferrentino (West Seneca), Katie Hughes (Orchard Park) and sophomores Hannah Fredo (Buffalo) and CeCe Strang (Westfield) also return from last year’s team.  New to the varsity this year are juniors Britney Meredith (Cheektowaga) and Taliyah Shabazz (Buffalo) and sophomores Emily Kessler (West Seneca) and Catherine Zak (Hamburg). 

                Glose expects key contributions from the eight returning players and believes that the new sophomores Kessler and Zak have both shown great attitudes and work ethics.  “We are a team of 12 and we need each and every one of the players to reach our goals.  The team knows that they cannot do it without each other,” Glose stated.

                The Magic plays a 24 game schedule, including the Kenmore West and Wilson tournaments.  The team opens its season this week with non-league contests against Maryvale and East Aurora.

“Our toughest games are against our league opponents (O’Hara, Sacred Heart, Nardin, Nichols, Saint Mary’s Lancaster and Mount Saint Mary).  I believe the Monsignor Martin League is the best for girls’ basketball in WNY.  We will also see great competition in our tournaments,” Glose remarked.

                One of the trademarks of a Glose-coached Mount Mercy basketball team is its tremendous effort on the court, particularly on defense.  The team works hard in order to be successful. Glose said “The strength of this team is we are unselfish and have a team first mentality.  We have a strong work ethic and exceptional hustle, as well as our great team defense.”

                The team spent much of the summer enhancing its basketball skills.  The team placed second in the summer league with a 16-5 record, won the NCCC tournament and participated in the Saint Bonaventure University team camp.  This camp consisted of playing in 3 on 3 games with teams from all over New York, as well as Pennsylvania and Ohio.

                Glose believes that “the keys to a successful season will be our ability to have a growth mind set every day, to be mentally tough, and our ability to stay positive and stick together through the ups and downs of the season.”