Women's basketball: OUA champs get bigger

The Windsor Lancers, a top 5 team nationally, have added two tall recruits: Jessica Gordon (6-7) from down the 401 in London and Jessica Clemencon (6-2) out of...wait, where? Tell us, coach Chantal Vallee:

"She's an incredible basketball player. France is one of the best countries in Europe in terms of basketball so making any national team there is huge and playing in the first division, none of our players here could do that."
And here you thought Lakehead went for international recruits.

To be honest, not much is known of Clemencon besides vague statistical records: she appeared in five games at the European U20 this past week, averaging 4.2 points in 15 minutes. But she sounds like a player to watch, as long as you have a seat a few rows up. (Gordon appears a few years away; she is described as a project by Vallee.)

Now, as for the "undersized" Lancers...well, Windsor seemed big enough last year, albeit their 21-1 record only went so far against Canada West teams in March. In any event, they will work Clemencon in with the 6-4 Iva Peklova in what sounds like something few OUA teams can measure up to. (We will pause to acknowledge that listed heights in basketball only occasionally flirt with reality, but this team is qualitatively much bigger than the average Ontario team.)

Vallee later says: "We're going to prepare an offence where we play two posts at a time and where we focus on the inside a lot. If we go two tall at all times, it will create incredible matchup difficulties." As alluded to above, Peklova's size already creates difficulties, so if Clemencon can contribute in the expected ways, it's not going to be a particularly close race in the OUA West this year.

Related:
Hoops Lancers recruit top French player [Mary Caton, Windsor Star]
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8 comments:

  1. Can we get the broadcasters in the audience an official pronounciation of Clemencon (or possibly Clémençon)? I'm assuming clay-men-son, more or less.

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  2. I would go with with Cle-men-con. Good find, Rob.

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  3. If you ask the other 15 OUA coaches, its spelled O-h-M-o-n-D-i-e-u!

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  4. The 6'2" Clemencon will be the most skilled player in the OUA and a likely CIS all-star. As Coach Vallee has stated, no current Lancer would even make a French division 1 team. Windsor will be tough to beat in the OUA. Are they good enough to win the CIS? IMO, that'll depend on Laura Mullins health and the conitinued improvement of 6'3" Raelyn Prince & 6'4" Iva Peklova. Had Mullins been healthy for the CIS, Windsor would have fared better. Also, if SFU gets the boot from the CIS, that would open things up even more at the CIS level.

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  5. To say Windsor would be tough to beat this coming season is an almost ridiculous understatement.
    They'll run the table this year, no doubt.
    In fact, they should have done that last year.
    If Windsor doesn't win the OUA there ought to be an investigation.
    Obviously, with these two new recruits, Windsor is aiming much higher than merely repeating as Ontario champs.
    They're in it to win it, and the Lancers believe this s the year the Canada West monopoly can be broken, and it will be broken by them.

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  6. Oh...and don't forget about the previously announced recruit from Windsor Catholic Central, Miah Langlois. Langlois, a 5'9" guard was recruited by about a half dozen NCAA D1 schools. She turned them all down for a shot at a CIS championship. At least that's what she said upon her signing. As for Windsor running the OUA table...it depends on who isn't coming back. If Drandia Roc & Alisa Wulf are back, along with Clemencon...well they'll certainly go 22-0 in the OUA and be prohibitive CIS favourites. If one of Roc or Wulff comes back then, they will still run the OUA table, but could be challenged by a uSask or uAlberta. Without Roc & Wulff, they should still win 90% on their OUA games...but I wouldn't expect a CIS championship. However, all would be back for 2010-11 and then they would be ready to challenge again at the CIS level.

    This is a program who's best days still lie ahead. That's a scary thought for the rest of the OUA.

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  7. I think with or without Roc or Wulff the Lancers will have a tremendous shot at the OUA and CIS. Iva Peklova has been working hard along with Raelyn Prince. The new recruits will just add to the depth that the lancers already have. Even though the Lancers have great post presence the guards will also make a significant impact in the upcoming season. Miah Langlois should have a significant impact in her first year with her quickness and passing first mentality. Laura Mullins will hopefully have a successfull recovery and be back just as good or even better. When she does return that will be a huge problem for the OUA and CIS. She will be a secret weapon when the Lancers return to the CIS championship tournament. Someone who didn't get recognized this past season as much as she should have is Bojana Kovacevic and I feel like she will have an impressive upcoming second year. With all this being said I think the Lancers have a great shot at the OUA and contestants at the CIS again this season.

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  8. Are you serious saying Bojana Kovacevic did't get enough recognition, she got more than enough while other players got none!This team has a lot of tallent,some who are not given the chance to show what they are made of.

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