The UNBC Timberwolves knew they'd have to cross this bridge when Vasiliki Louka reached the end of her university basketball eligibility last spring.
How do you replace your six-foot-three captain and one of your most consistent scorers, who led the Canada West Conference in rebounds and ranks second in that department all-time and just wrapped up a five-year career as the most dominant player in the history of UNBC's basketball program?
You don't. And that's one headache that's lingered all summer for T-wolves head coach Sergey Shchepotkin and he prepares for the season-opening game Friday at the Northern Sport Centre against the Victoria Vikes.
The T-wolves thought they found their answer in a pair of European forwards who appeared ready to step in as U Sports regulars when they recruited six-foot-two Laura Garmendia Garcia of Castelldefels, Spain and six-foot-one Svetlana Boykova of Moscow, Russia, who played for Russia at the Summer Universiade in Napoli, Italy.
A couple of knee injuries derailed that plan. Garcia torn her ACL in May at the end of her season playing in a Spanish women's league and Boykova suffered the same injury playing a friendly game at the end of September against the UNBC alumni.
"I don't know how it's going to look without Vasiliki," said Shchepotkin. "My hope was that we had the players but they're injured, so we'll play without a post and I don't know how it will look. It's difficult to replace her. We need to get 20 points (a game) and all the rebounds and plus her leadership.
"But the girls are doing pretty well in practices and they're excited. We have some pretty experienced players. It is difficult for UNBC to compete on that level and to be on that level we still need all our players to show 100 per cent (effort) all the time. We can't do anything 90 per cent. If all the players show 100 per cent we could be pretty successful."
The only other player the T-wolves lost to graduation was guard Abby Gibb, so that leaves eight returning players from the team that made UNBC history last season with its first playoff win. The T-wolves went 11-9 in the season, their best-ever regular-season showing, then beat Trinity Western in a one-game playoff before losing a two-game quarterfinal series to Calgary.
Maria Mongomo returns for her fifth season having led the T-wolves in scoring last year, averaging 19.9 points. Her exceptional speed and accurate shooting have been constant throughout her U Sports career and she will have to be even more dominant as a gamebreaker for the T-wolves to duplicate last year's success in the absence Louka.
Emily Holmes takes over the captaincy and she and second-year Lucy Guan will take turns filling the point guard position. Now in her fifth season, Holmes is one of four Duchess Park Secondary School alumni on the T-wolves. That list includes fourth-year forward Madison Landry, third-year guard Alina Shakirova and rookie forward Rebecca Landry, Madison's 18-year-old sister.
Julia Gallant of Victoria is in her fourth year at guard and freshman Anastasia Soltes of Calgary adds to the depth at guard.
With Garcia and Boykova red-shirting, that door of opportunity at forward is open for third-year Prince George Polar alumni Issy Bourque, second-year Cevanna Carlson of Turner Valley, Alta., and fourth-year newcomer Emma vanBruinessen, a Leduc, Alta., product who played three seasons in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. VanBruinessen was a top-five rebounder last year for the University of Alberta-Augustana. Forward Jessica Nycholat is making the jump to the university ranks from her high school team at College Heights.
"We still have some talent on the team and all the girls are working hard in practices and they're bringing their best," said Shchepotkin. "I'm excited and I have some expectations and I hope they can fill that gap that happened after Vasiliki left."
The Timberwolves had an extended preseason which included a trip to Barcelona, Spain. They spent a week there in late August and played two games against women's teams while practicing and enjoying the sights. They also won a couple preseason tests against Vancouver Island University, the defending B.C. college champions, then went to Montreal, where they beat Concordia and lost to McGill and Quebec.
The women's game Friday against Victoria starts at 6 p.m. at the NSC, followed at 8 by the men's game. All UNBC students will be admitted free. The Vikes will be the T-wolves' opponents on Saturday as well.
