Need a scouting report for the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association’s PRO•LINE Legacy Cup championship?
Ask Erin McAleenan.
She has coached, will coach, still coaches and certainly knows a bevy of the talent that will assemble at the Richard J. Currie Centre Saturday and Sunday.
McAleenan, the head coach of the reigning Atlantic University Sport women’s basketball conference champion University of New Brunswick Reds, is the honourary chair for the MWBA final.
‘It was great when we reached out to Erin and she accepted this role for the weekend championship,’ said MWBA commissioner, Jen Lloyd of Dartmouth, NS. ‘Not because she will be on her home UNB floor, but what she has accomplished with the Reds and during her remarkable coaching career is a credit to women in sport and incredibly inspiring. We’re in for what should be a tremendous weekend of basketball.’
McAleenan is certainly used to the RJCC sideline, but she will take on a different role this time around.
There are a number of present-day UNB players in the mix this weekend that McAleenan knows very well.
And also a number of players she has coached against at the USPORTS level or knows from the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.
McAleenan capped her third season at the helm of the Reds with a title run in the AUS and a silver medal at the national championship.
The Sussex, NB, native has previously coached at the University of Lethbridge (2012-13 through 2014-15), York University (2015-16 through 2020-21) and the University of British Columbia (2021-22 and 2022-23).
Prior to her first head coaching job, McAleenan served as an assistant coach at the University of Alberta for three seasons.
She played four seasons at Acadia University (1999-2000 through 2002-2003) with the Axewomen.
Along with her work in Canadian university basketball, McAleenan served as head coach of Canada’s gold medal winning women’s 3X3 team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, was an assistant coach with the national junior women’s team between 2017 and 2019, was an assistant coach with Canada’s women’s team at the 2011 Pan Am Games, and was head coach of Alberta’s Canada Summer Games team in 2013 and was head coach of Alberta’s U17 girls’ team in 2011 and 2012.
McAleenan serves as a mentor for the Coaching Association of Canada’s High Performance Women in Coaching Mentorship Program, where she provides leadership and development opportunities for other women in coaching positions.
She will kick off weekend play when regular season champion Halifax Thunder (9-1) face Nova Scotia city rival No. 4 seed Halifax Hornets (6-4) at 5 p.m.
The nightcap is an all-New Brunswick battle between No. 2 seed Moncton Mystics and No. 3 seed Fredericton Freeze is set for 7:30 p.m.
Winners advance directly to the PRO•LINE Legacy Cup final on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The losing sides meet in Sunday’s 11:30 a.m., consolation game.
The games this weekend will be available on Pay Per View through www.ao.live Each game is $10 (plus tax) or there is a tournament four-game package for $30 (plus tax) if you’re unable to attend live.
Individual game tickets are unavailable at the RJCC box office, but day passes are $15 for adults for two games or $12 for seniors/students. Four game packages are available for $30 or $25 for seniors and students. Please note a clerical glitch on the senior’s ticket price for weekend pass, which organizers apologize for.
Children under-14 are admitted free to all games.
- With Files From UNB Athletics
