STU men’s basketball team restructures as women’s team builds on success

The STU men's basketball 2025-26 Tommies (Credit: STU Athletics)  

Fifth-year forward Evan Valanne thinks that the last season was a “down year” for the St. Thomas University (STU) men’s basketball team.

The team lost to Crandall University in the quarter-final during the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) playoffs. They were playing in the championship game the year before.

Valanne thinks that, as an older player, his opinion on the team matters.

“I've been here for a while. I think the guys kind of respect that and understand, I know what's going on, what's happened. So I think that's the big thing, just being a voice in practice, on court, off court, that kind of idea,” he said.

John Hickey, head coach of the men’s team, said that physical fitness was a big factor in training over the summer.

Hickey said that last season was kind of disappointing and that they didn’t finish where they wanted. He hopes that the team will take the lessons they learned last year and apply them to this season.

On the other hand, Hickey believes that the biggest strength the team has is their adaptability. 

“We have a lot of guys who have a high ability to play at this level. Our compete level right now, in practice, is extremely strong and we have a lot of guys who are willing to put in extra time to get better,” he said.

The team has to forge ahead after losing a few key players, who have been staples for the last few seasons. 

Forwards Ethan Tumwine and Owen Amos have left the Tommies, as well as guard and last year’s conference scoring leader, Noah McCarthy.

While adjusting to their loss, the team brought in veteran players from other schools to join the Tommies.

New recruits include fourth-year forward Jeven Eddy and third-year guard Jeremy Coria from the University of New Brunswick, third-year wing Ceejay Hanson from Cape Breton University and second-year guard Marcus Wilson from the University of Northern British Columbia.

Rookie forward Jack Gimby is looking forward to playing his first season with STU. 

Gimby found the transition to university basketball to be a big change, but thinks he’s getting used to the increased physical play compared to the high school level.

“It feels pretty good, it’s a great program here. The coaches are great and all the people surrounding it, the community comes in, helps out … there’s a bunch of people donating money. So yeah, seems like a great squad to be on,” he said.

STU women’s basketball fourth-year guard Kathleen Quinlan has been on the sidelines since last November with a medial patellofemoral ligament tear in her knee. 

Quinlan expects to be in the clear for the Nov. 1 season opener against Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU).

She said that she had great support rehabbing her injury. “It takes a lot more mental strength than it does physical strength, because we’re, as athletes, used to training, so I knew what to do on that part. It's just being patient and waiting because I'd be back on the court today if I could,” she said.

Quinlan said that last season was interesting because they didn’t know what to expect in the beginning. The team continued to improve as the year went on and began to peak at the right time towards the playoffs, where they lost the semi-final to MSVU.

Likewise, Head Coach Fred Connors believes the team got better as the season continued, despite injuries and having younger players.

The majority of the women’s team roster are returning members. 

Connors believes that the team has a lot more confidence since they have been playing schools they normally wouldn’t due to hosting nationals last year. 

“We went through a lot as a team together last year in terms of competition and adversity and they're kind of seasoned and toughened,” he said. “We're just trying to refine.”

Both Connors and Quinlan believed that the team’s biggest strength is their defence.

“They work very hard, not just in practice or in the weight room, but in the classroom. Last year, we had 13 of our 14 players [who] were national scholars. We won the Leroy Washburn Award for community service. This group works hard across the board,” he said.