The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds women’s basketball team gathered one last time at the recently held annual “Breakfast for Success”, where the players who wore the team colours in 2011-12 were saluted.

 It’s always an emotional time when a season ends and a program at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport level changes with graduation and hopes of a new beginning that starts in earnest almost the second the final buzzer goes at the end of a year.

 With mainstay stalwarts Megan Corby, Emma Russell and Jordanne Holstein graduating from the Varsity Reds’ program, head coach Jeff Speedy has been busy recruiting and earning commitments from players he hopes will be pieces to the puzzle that is an Atlantic University Sport playoff team and even take the next step to league champion.

 Speedy has started putting those pieces of that puzzle together and while he indicated “more commitments are right around the corner”, is excited to make the announcement of two key recruits who will wear the red, black and white of UNB into 2012-13 and beyond.

 Chelsey Collette of Rothesay, NB, and Katelyn Mangold of Peterborough, ON, will arrive on campus this summer, ready to make their mark at the CIS level.

 Collette is a five-foot-seven shooting guard, who emerged as one of New Brunswick’s top players and recruits following a sensational four-year career with the Rothesay High School Red Hawks.

 A four-year varsity player, Collette was a key part of the Red Hawks capturing the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association AA championship this past winter. The offensive catalyst was named Final 12 MVP for her work in leading the Red Hawks.  She scored close to 1,500 points during her high school career.

Collette was the Southern Conference MVP and a two-time NBIAA all-star that included four years as a member of Team New Brunswick. She is familiar with UNB, having attended a number of Varsity Reds summer camps as a developing player.

 “I have known Chelsey for a long time and clearly remember her from our summer camp five or six years ago,” said Speedy. “It’s very rewarding to see the player and person she has become. It’s great to know that a player who has been part of the UNB family for years will now complete that cycle and suit up for us. Chelsey competes hard, which I love, and we can certainly use in our program - plus, she can flat out score. We believe she has a very bright future in the AUS and at UNB.”

 Mangold brings much needed size to the Varsity Reds, playing the post position and checking in at six-foot-three. She brings impact with her size, strength and willingness to compete.

 “Katelyn is going to be a fantastic CIS player who will have a positive impact on our team right away,” Speedy said. “She has the desire to improve and with her amazing work ethic, the sky is really the limit for her. We needed some size and with Katelyn, we received that, but more importantly, we have brought an outstanding person, great student and a player who is going to be a treat to watch on the court and to coach.”

 Mangold was immediately comfortable at UNB during her recruiting visit. The opportunity for her to play with the Varsity Reds at the Richard J. Currie Center and its outstanding multi-purpose facilities was part of the reason she opted to leave Ontario and arrive at UNB.

 “I chose UNB because the basketball program, the academic standards and the campus facilities were everything I was looking for,” she said. “It just felt like a good fit from the minute I arrived here for my visit.”

 That feeling will only help her when she starts working out with the Varsity Reds.  “There were a lot of things that impressed me during my visit from the amazing athletic facility to the friendly welcome,” she said. “UNB is the perfect place for me to excel in the classroom and improve my game on the court at the same time. I get the feeling everyone will go out of their way to help me realize my goals.”

For further information please contact:
Jeff Speedy
jspeedy@unb.ca
(506) 447-3100