Excerpt courtesy Josh Aldrich, Camrose Canadian
For the first time since Kelly Lyons took over as head coach of the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings women's basketball team, she will be coaching a club made up mostly of her recruits.
It's a point that is not lost on her.
This team should be the embodiment of her vision as they try to claw their way back into the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference playoffs, after missing the post season for the first time since 2009-10.
"The fact that I'm now recruiting players that I coached when they were 11 is a little surreal for me," said Lyons. "But it's exciting because I know these players, I know what they can do and I am excited to continue to work with growing their basketball IQ and helping them to grow in their knowledge of what's necessary in this next level of academics and basketball."
The team lost just two main players from this past season with Shea Jones and Hayley Story graduated.
They will be tough players to replace, but Lyons has decided to move in a completely different direction. Instead of living and dying by playing small ball, she has managed to add some size to her roster through recruiting.