Desrosiers doesn’t shy away from hard work
Erika Desrosiers is that kind of player.
She’s the one her Winston Knoll Wolverines teammates want on their side. Her extreme aggression and energy also make her the opponent no one wants to compete against.
A guard with the Wolverines’ senior girls basketball team, Desrosiers will gladly take a charge in the paint, play in-your-face defence and do a little talking in her opponent’s ear while doing so.
“If this was hockey, she’d be the Tie Domi out on the court,” said Wolverines head coach Jeremy Gaboury, moments after his team dropped a 63-41 decision to the Evan Hardy Souls on Saturday night in the senior girls final at the Balfour Basketball Classic. “With her aggressiveness and maybe a little a chirp here and there, you would hate to have Erika breathing down your neck all game.”
Generously listed at 5-foot-6, the undersized Desrosiers makes up for a lack of height with her speed, tenacity and relentless pursuit of the basketball. She’s not afraid to guard the other team’s top scorer, regardless of her height or weight.
“I’m not intimidated by anyone,” said Desrosiers, who scored a team-high 10 points in the final. “I’m aggressive in the way I play, and I know I can be over-aggressive sometimes, too. Sometimes it gets me into trouble.
“I just like being the girl who can push other girls around. I’m little, but that doesn’t mean I can’t out-jump a 6-foot-2 girl for a rebound. I’ll work harder than her. That’s what I do.”
Gaboury would agree with that.
“Passion comes to mind when I think of Erika’s style,” Gaboury added. “She plays with a ton of passion every time she steps on the court, whether it be at practice or in a game. She’s an extremely hard worker and probably the hardest worker I have ever coached in my eight years at Winston Knoll.”
Her play over the weekend earned her a spot on the Balfour tournament’s all-star team. Desrosiers’ teammate, Madison Kowalchuk, was also named a tournament allstar.
Desrosiers is a co-captain and one of the seven senior players on the Wolverines. Gaboury admitted his team will have its hands full knocking off the LeBoldus Golden Suns and Riffel Royals this season, but with a leader like he has in Desrosiers, anything is possible come playoff time in March.
“You know she’s always going to give you 110 per cent with everything she does,” he said. “Whether it’s giving a foul or going up for a layup against a 6-foot-3 girl in the paint, you’re going to get Erika’s best effort every single time. Run through a brick wall? She’ll do that, too.
“I think any one of her teammates in that room look to her to be a leader. Erika sets the tone a lot of the time and we’ll rely on her to do a little bit of everything for us just because she’s capable of doing that.”
EXTRAS: The Balfour Redmen placed third in the senior girls draw with a 7741 victory over the Sheldon-Williams Spartans. Jennifer Tonita netted 22 points in the win, while Brooke Cooper had 14 points for the Spartans ... In addition to Desrosiers and Kowalchuk, Balfour teammates Tonita and Kaylee Howard were selected to the tournament all-star team. Evan Hardy’s Natasha Layton was also an all-star, and her teammate Leesa Eggum was named tournament MVP.