Name: Mary Besselink
Hometown: Kingston, ON
Position: Wing
Height: 5’10”
Prospective Program: Religious Studies/Education
Mary Besselink is swapping out her Maroon and White for Green and Gold.
The 5’10” wing is transferring from the University of Ottawa to attend St. Thomas University with the intention of studying Religious Studies and Education in Fredericton.
Tommies’ head coach, Fred Connors, beamed about the style of play Besselink will bring to his team.
“She brings a ton of versatility on both ends of the floor and really fits into our program in several ways. She is a ‘defense first’ player who wants to do what’s best for her teammates. She is a skilled passer and has a wide array of skills on both ends. What really stood out the most was her maturity and experience as a player.”
Besselink spent two years with the Gee-Gees and during that time the team went 39-6 in OUA regular season play, 3-2 in OUA playoffs and won a bronze medal in 2018-19 U Sports Final 8.
“The ACAA is a competitive league, and the Tommies’ style of basketball adds to the competitive nature of this league,” said Besselink about playing basketball for STU. “As Coach Connors mentioned, STU plays a very ‘defensive minded’ game, and defense is something I have always taken pride in.”
It wasn’t just STU’s style of play and reputation on the court that interested Besselink. She feels the learning environment that St. Thomas offers will be best suited for her.
“St. Thomas will allow for a more focused learning environment with the small class sizes. As well, St. Thomas offers a one-year graduate program in Education, and having plans to become a teacher, STU will hopefully allow me to finish my undergrad as well as pursue my teaching degree. But most importantly, the people that have helped me thus far in this experience have been nothing short of amazing and have reassured me that STU will keep me happy as my home away from home.”
“She has a great outlook on being a part of a team and how to build a winning culture,” added Connors. “When you bring in an impact player like Mary you have to be happy.”