Plainsmen offence starts with Genesis

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/12/2024 (515 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Genesis Lopez Mejia often provided the energy boost the Crocus Plainsmen needed last year as a sophomore.

Her role on the varsity girls’ basketball team is a whole lot bigger now, and coach Adam Hartman is confident she’ll grow into it well. Her first chance to showcase that improvement is today at 9 a.m., as the Plainsmen host the Virden Golden Bears to kick off their Early Bird tournament.

“G is every fan’s fan-favourite. She’s always smiling, she’s always running 100 per cent and seems to never run out of energy. Last year, that energy was exactly what our team needed where she could be a spark defensively,” Hartman said, adding the five-foot guard had the benefit of learning from current Brandon University guard Kylie Kulman.

“She didn’t always have to feel the pressure, so she’s going to make mistakes as she learns to move into a lead point guard role where a lot of teams are keying on her.

“She’s got a lot of competitive edge, she’s got a lot of spirit to her, I believe even though she’s going to make some mistakes early on, she’s going to really grow this season.”

While Lopez Mejia got the callup to varsity in Grade 10, she’s still a late bloomer to hoops. She comes from a soccer family — her older brothers are former Plainsmen boys’ stars Kevin and Daniel.

Genesis shares that gene and scored some big goals for Crocus on the pitch last spring, but basketball has overtaken soccer in her heart.

“I look forward to it since the beginning of the year since it’s my favourite thing to do,” Lopez Mejia said.

“It’s just the way the coaches are here for basketball … it makes the experience a whole lot better.”

When Lopez Mejia made her varsity basketball debut, she learned the game is a lot faster than soccer — “A lot taller, too,” she chuckled — but it just means she’s the fastest player in the game by a smaller margin.

She’s a tenacious defender and an improved ball handler. The latter will be key for the Plainsmen as they learn to play without Kulman and Amber Neapew, who created the bulk of their offence last season.

From the sideline, Hartman sees Lopez Mejia’s potential to create terrific scoring chances for her teammates.

“For sure getting better with my left hand because I couldn’t do a single layup last year with my left, and for sure looking at the whole floor more, lifting up my head and just seeing open teammates,” Lopez Mejia said.

“I get along really well with the others because I’ve known them since JV and I’m friends with them out of school so I feel like I have a lot of confidence now trying to teach them new things and being a better leader.”

Hartman is excited about this group since they’ve not only spent time developing in his program but also play club ball and love getting extra reps in on their own.

He said seniors Grace Mohr-Clark and Rebecca Alebiosu are also in line for bigger roles this year, while he expects contributions deep into his lineup.

“We’ve got a lot of girls who are doing really well,” Hartman said. “Our coaching staff’s kind of interested to see who those players are who are going to be stepping up.”

The other quarterfinal on Crocus’s side of the draw features Neepawa and Souris at 10:45 a.m. The winners meet in today’s semifinal at 5:45 p.m.

On the other half of the draw, Vincent Massey faces Portage at 12:30 p.m., then Dauphin takes on Swan Valley at 2:15 p.m. Their semifinal is Saturday at 10:40 a.m.

The final is set for Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

“This is just a nice little test for us. Whether we win or we don’t isn’t really going to be telling us how our season’s going,” said Hartman, whose team has won the event all but one year it has hosted.

“We’re all excited to be able to step on a court and be able to play the sport we love.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

» Instagram: @thomasfriesen5