HAMILTON, ON - Mohawk Mountaineers women's basketball is taking a major step forward with the announcement of five experienced athletes committing to the program for the 2023-24 season.
Joining the team are Maddie Anderson, a former NCAA Division I athlete; Skyla Minaker and Tatjana Boskovic, who both formerly played for the University of Guelph Gryphons; Peyton Connolly, who spent one season a redshirt for the University of Victoria Vikes; and international talent Angie Garcia Castro.
Entering his second season as head coach, Mihai Raducanu said this group of recruits will bring both leadership and talent, as well as help make everyone else better both on and off the court.
"We brought in exactly what we needed," Raducanu said. "We brought in pieces that can help us establish the culture faster."
Anderson spent three seasons between 2019-2022 with the North Carolina Central Eagles before joining the Mountaineers coaching staff last season as an assistant. During her time with the Eagles, Anderson appeared in 62 games, scoring 181 points and making 35 threes.
"What a great find for us," Raducanu said. "She totally understands our culture from having been on the coaching staff last season, and she is going to provide a ton of shooting power to our team."
Minaker played for the Gryphons at the U Sports level for four seasons between 2017-2022 and Boskovic joined her as a teammate in 2018 and also played four seasons at Guelph.
In her four years with the Gryphons, Minaker played 80 games, starting 68 of them, and averaged 9.7 points, 4.6 rebounds 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Minaker's best season with Guelph came in the 2019-20 season, when she averaged 11.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 3.2 steals.
"This is a player that at any level of basketball, doesn't matter if you're in high school or the highest-level pro, this is the type of player you need," Raducanu said. "We are beyond lucky as a coaching staff to have somebody of this calibre come in and teach our younger players, and help us establish the true team atmosphere on and off the court."
Boskovic during her time at Guelph played in 47 games, scoring 96 total points and shooting nearly 30 per cent from three. Coming to Mohawk, Boskovic will be an athlete that can play multiple positions and has the ability to spread the floor with her shooting while also taking defenders into the post.
"She has untapped length and talent," Raducanu said. "She can score, is athletic, can shoot, makes good decisions and she blocks shots."
Connolly spent the 2019-20 season as a redshirt with the Vikes and proceeded to take some time away from the sport of basketball, but Raducanu said she has been working on her game consistently over the last couple months.
"I've known Peyton since she was little. She brings a very high IQ," Raducanu said. "She's going to be someone we rely on to bring some firepower on the offensive end as well as on the defensive end."
Castro is a talented guard from Colombia who approached the Mountaineer coaching staff back in January about potentially joining the team, and they were immediately impressed with her effort and time spent in the gym working on her craft.
"She brings a lot of energy, toughness and an older style of mentality," Raducanu said, while adding that Castro is a team-first player.
Anderson will enroll in the Massage Therapy program, Minaker will study Recreational Therapy, Boskovic will accept her studies in either Public Relations or Business Fundamentals – Small Business, Connolly will enter in the Graduate Diploma in Digital Health, and Castro has been studying in the Digital Health program.
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