Girls Basketball Preview: FGR dribbles into season with youth, talent & high expectations
The Father Gabriel Richard girls’ basketball team is dribbling towards a bright future that may have already started. Despite a young roster, the Irish have plenty of talent to compete this year for titles and Tim Cain is the perfect coach to lead them down a road of possible dominance today and tomorrow.
“We have some really good young players who are unselfish players who play with a defensive mentality,” says Cain, now in his fourth year as coach at FGR. “We need to continue to learn how to play together. There is a ton of talent so if we can be unselfish and aggressive at the same time we can be special.”
They’ve gotten off to a “special” start with three dominating wins already in the books.
The Irish opened with a 64-18 win over Allen Park Cabrini and then knocked off Plymouth Christian 61-44 and Westfield Prep 73-50. One great sign for Cain and the Irish is that three different players led the Irish in scoring in the first three victories. Mikaela Waroway had 20 points in the win over Cabrini; Vanessa Rodriguez scored 23 in the victory over Plymouth Christian; and Charlotte Miller netted 27 in the victory over Westfield.
Miller is just a sophomore and is already one of the top players in all of Ann Arbor. “As great as she is offensively, her defense is moving towards elite,” says Cain. “She has amazing vision and can flat out shoot.”
Twin freshman Vanessa and Ava Rodriguez are expected to lead the backcourt for the next four years. “Vanessa is a playmaker who can run the offense and can shoot it,” says Cain. “Ava is more of a wing and an excellent shooter. Both are fearless and fun to watch.”
The Irish do have some experience on the floor. Senior Danielle Hehman is a shooting guard who “plays with great pace/feel offensively,” says Cain. Senior Mikaela Waroway is a “defensive star who deflects everything,” says Cain. “She can back down defenders and create for others and really gets our defense going.”
The Irish went 15-7 last year and finished third in the Catholic League. They lost in a District final.
Upcoming games include: 12/10 vs. Macomb Dakota (17-5) LBI Best of Michigan Holiday Classic; 12/13 at Arbor Prep (25-2) D3 State Champs; and 12/28 vs. Lansing Catholic (19-3) Christmas tournament,
