University of the Fraser Valley women's basketball coach
Al Tuchscherer has rounded out a star-studded recruiting class, signing blue-chip point guard Maddy Gobeil out of South Kamloops Secondary.
Gobeil, named MVP of last season's B.C. AA provincial championship after leading her South Kam Titans to the title, joins a stacked Class of 2019 cohort set to join the Cascades next fall. Previously announced recruits include forward
Deanna Tuchscherer (Al's daughter, out of Chilliwack-G.W. Graham) and guards
Nikki Cabuco (Coquitlam-Dr. Charles Best) and
Jessica Parker (Port Coquitlam-Riverside).
"Number one, she's a guard that can score and can facilitate,"
Al Tuchscherer said, breaking down Gobeil's on-court skillset. "She can run things in the half-court, or she can push in transition.
"But more than anything, she's a flat-out competitor. She hates to lose, and has always elevated her teams to higher levels. We're trying to evolve our team culture, and we're liking where that's headed with our current team. I think she's really going to add to that with how hard she plays, and what a great team player she is."
Gobeil, who stands 5'7", achieved her greatest high school basketball success at the expense of her future teammate Deanna Tuchscherer, leading the Titans past the G.W. Graham Grizzlies 73-67 in overtime in the provincial AA title game last March. In addition to her tournament MVP award, she was named to the B.C. Top 15 Dream Team after averaging 29 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game last season.
But it was her positive relationship with the Tuchscherers that sealed Gobeil's decision to commit to the Cascades. She's played with Deanna for the past three summers – in 2016 on the U15 provincial team, 2017 with BC United Basketball Club, and 2018 with the U17 provincial team. Cabuco and Parker were also part of the U15 B.C. squad which won silver at the national championships.
Al Tuchscherer coached Gobeil for two summers, serving as an assistant coach with the U15 provincial team and with BC United.
"I wanted to play for Al again," explained Gobeil, who plans to enrol in kinesiology at UFV. "I like the Cascades' style of play, and the way they were doing things here. I like the team's tenacity and grit, and there's a good culture around the program. I wanted to be a part of that.
"Also, when I heard Deanna was signing that was also a really big factor, because we have really good chemistry on the court and a really good friendship. It's close to home, and the academics are good here."
The Cascades women's basketball team takes a 7-5 record (sixth in Canada West) into the Christmas break, and they return to game action Jan. 4-5 at home vs. the Brandon Bobcats.
Â
