The Ravens women’s basketball team has had a bounceback season after a disappointing early playoff exit last year. A key reason for the success has been third-year 6’3” centre Heather Lindsay.
Lindsay, an Ottawa native, has had a long journey before becoming an instrumental part of the Carleton women’s basketball team.
Lindsay said she started to play basketball at a young age when her parents decided to sign her up.
“My parents were in it, and they heard that my friend was signing up so they signed me up too. I am still friends with her today,” Lindsay said.
Lindsay reflects on her high school basketball career as a great experience.
She said she remembers her grade 10 year as a challenge because she played for the senior team.
Lindsay played for other teams around Ottawa as well as her high school team. She said one of her favourite experiences was when she played for the Juel program in Ottawa.
“In grade 11, I played for the Juel program. We weren’t that good of a team but scouts came to the games, which was a really cool experience,” Lindsay said.
Lindsay’s high school basketball career was cut short in her last year of high school when an Ontario-wide teachers’ strike cancelled the season.
Lindsay continued to play basketball and chose to play for her hometown Carleton Ravens.
This is Lindsay’s third year playing for the Ravens.
Last season, Lindsay averaged 8.2 points per game (ppg), 7.6 rebounds per game (rpg), with a total of 156 points in the season.
Twelve games into this season, she has shown improvement as she averages 15.3 ppg, 9.6 rpg, and a total of 184 points so far.
Lindsay said she owes her improvement to the fitness training she did over the summer.
“In the summer we have individuals four days a week, Monday to Thursday, that we have to attend. The trainer runs a workout every night before skills, which really helped me to get in shape,” Lindsay said.
Head coach Taffe Charles said he believes the improvement in her fitness levels has been one of the biggest keys to her success.
“She is one of our top performers and due to her improved fitness levels since last season, she can stay on the court longer and work harder,” Charles said.
Charles said he has also seen great work ethic this year as she acts as a leader. He said he sees how she leads in practice, which shows how much she cares for the team.
He said there are still some good years to come from her.
Ravens guard Stephanie Carr said Lindsay is always working hard on and off the court, which motivates the rest of the team.
“Off the court, she is always working hard, always in the gym working on shots which motivates us to work harder. On the court she is hitting double-double and she cleans up boards,” Carr said.
Fourth-year forward Lindsay Shotbolt spoke fondly of Lindsay’s work ethic, as she said it has improved others on the team, including herself.
“She always goes into the gym extra time to shoot and even though she’s younger than me by a year, she pushes me to shoot more with her,” Shotbolt said. “I have watched her improve over the years, and that really motivates me to do better.”
Shotbolt also spoke about the positivity she brings to the team, as making people feel comfortable with her level of calmness to do good.
“She is always cheering us on and asking us what she can do for us. She is definitely one of the leaders of the team as she has amazing qualities that carry on and off the court,” Shotbolt said.
Carr believes the reason for Lindsay’s success is due to her hard work in the summer, her determination to work at things she needs to improve on, and the way she has figured out her game and is playing it.
Carr said what makes Lindsay stand out as a player is her size, along with the ability to take advantage of that.
Shotbolt reflected on Lindsay’s size and said this creates huge trust for her teammates as they have full confidence in her to make most shots she takes.
“She has amazing presence on the court because of her size. Anytime the ball goes to her, there is a 90-95 per cent chance she will score,” Shotbolt said. “We have a lot of trust in her because she has a huge presence on offensive game. We build a lot of our plays around her.”
Twelve games into the season, Lindsay said her highlight was the game against Queens on Jan. 30. Lindsay helped lead her team to defeat the tenth ranked team in the country by 20 points, scoring 17 of her own.
The Ravens are currently in second place of the Ontario University Athletics’ north division with a record of 8-4.
Shotbolt attributes this success to Lindsay’s work ethic and humble personality.
“I have never met anyone like her. She cares so much for people, and she doesn’t want it to be all about herself. She will never let anyone on the team say that she is the reason we are doing so good, even though it is largely because of her,” Shotbolt said.
