The CMU Women's Basketball program has announced the commitment of Gina Maher for the 2024-25 MCAC and NIAC seasons. The Vincent Massey Collegiate signing is ready to take her game to the college level after stellar high school and club careers.
The second signing of the week from Vincent Massey Collegiate, joining women's volleyball recruit Imani Rhoden, Maher enjoyed a very successful run as a Trojan, winning the Tier 1 Championship three consecutive seasons en route to Provincial Championship runs. In her grade ten season Maher and the Trojans were MHSAA "AAAA" Provincial Championship finalists, and it was her junior varsity coach, Adam Kahn, who Maher credits with giving her the confidence to make her believe she could succeed. Her two varsity seasons at Massey her team reached the Provincial Championship Final Fours, narrowly edged by Garden City for the chance to play in the title game on both occasions. Of the four tournaments her Massey squad entered this season, the team medalled in all four, including two tournament titles at the Sisler Spartan Classic, and the Buckeye Classic at Miles Macdonell. Maher recently came off an appearance at the MHSAA "AAAA" Graduating All-Star game, playing with and against the top competition in Manitoba. When she's not on the court representing the Trojans in basketball, Maher also suits up for the school's team handball program, as well as the track and field team, where she competes in the sprint disciplines, and hones her speed and agility training with those sports.
Maher's developmental journey into one of the top point guards of her class began with Wolves Club basketball, which laid the foundation for successful seasons to come and the opportunity for furthering her basketball career post high school. A member of Evolve Basketball since 2022, the 5'4" point guard now runs the floor with other top players in the province during the club season, and won the Peg City Championships with the team this past November. She's appeared at a number of showcases including weekends in Regina and Saskatoon, as well as USports showcases with the team representing the cream of the crop from Manitoba.
Blazers women's basketball's first signing of the offseason played alongside 2023-24 Blazers rookie Sara Bergen with Evolve, and the connections with the current team continue as it was her friend's older sister, Reyna Reyes that helped bring her into the fold after an appearance at the 2022 Blazers Sports Camps. It was here at the Loewen Athletic Centre that Maher first caught the eye of Blazers Athletics staff, as she was just entering her varsity years. CMU Director of Athletics, Cara Isaak, weighs in on the big signing stating "Gina is a great athlete and she'll bring strong leadership skills and vision to the team right away. She sets big goals for herself and is so ready for the challenge of MCAC ball. I've been really impressed with how driven she is both on and off the court - she's an outstanding student - and also with her leadership style in listening to and valuing all the different people around her. She's going to be a great fit on this team of amazing women!"
The Blazers Women's Basketball program is looking to rebound this season after their run of five consecutive MCAC title wins came to an end this past February. Plenty of talent on the team and a revamped NIAC and MCAC schedule that sees the St Boniface Rouges enter the American conference looks to make for another exciting campaign both here in Manitoba as well as in the Northern United States.