Sudbury guard looks to crack Vermont’s starting line

A lifetime goal achieved, one can hardly blame Kristine Lalonde for taking a moment to savour the pinnacle she has reached. Yet the same dogged determination and work ethic that would lead the way to her basketball scholarship at the University of Vermont (UVM), clearly remains front and centre as she looks back on her freshman year.

There have been far more ups than downs for the graduate of Lasalle Secondary, who overcame an early season bout with mononucleosis before truly settling in to her new team.

As she recalls, her time as a Lancer, as well as a final year of high school spent with the National Elite Development Academy in Hamilton, prepared her well for what was to come.

“Everything was that much more competitive and you had to work that much harder — it was always really intense,” Lalonde said. “I really didn’t have that much of a hard time adjusting to it.”

Blessed with a veteran roster that included four starting seniors, UVM coach Sharon Dawley took full advantage in adding some complexity to the playback.

While the team would prosper, Lalonde’s sickness would keep the 5-10 guard off the court until late November, when UVM battled Dartmouth in a non-conference outing. “I was a little nervous because everyone else had already played. But once I got in, got going a few lengths of the floor, I was fine.”

Practicing against the Vermont senior tandem of guards Courtnay Pilypaitis and May Kotsopoulos left Lalonde well-equipped to handle the defensive assignment against most opponents she would face.

It’s a facet of her game Lalonde remains thoroughly committed to, one area where hard work and solid technique are equal contributors to success. “You have to want to play good defense,” she said.

Lalonde knew, right from the outset, it would not be her offensive production that would provide game time opportunities in her rookie year at Vermont. “Points wise, I wasn’t that concerned with scoring, I just really wanted to focus on defense and assists.”

With a team goal established to win the America East Conference, the UVM Catamounts would walk away from the 2009-2010 campaign having exceeded expectations. A 13-3 in conference regular season record found the Vermont crew second only to Hartford as the playoffs began.

The team hit the post season on a roll, downing Albany in the quarter-finals (61-36) and Boston University in the semis (69-52), before earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament with a 55-50 victory over Hartford.

Seeded 10th in their bracket, this year’s edition of the UVM women’s basketball team reached a historic first, knocking off Wisconsin (ranked seventh) 64-55 for the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament victory.

A second-round loss to the Notré Dame Fighting Irish (84-66) would culminate a memorable ride for Lalonde and her teammates. Ironically, while the Sudbury freshman would average nearly 10 minutes of playing time per game, the first-round playoff win over Albany would mark Lalonde’s first starting assignment at Vermont.

“I was playing really well, passing the ball well, and we needed to change up our lineup (as Albany uses a three-guard formation),” Lalonde said.

The game was just one in a season full of memorable firsts. But as the saying goes, success can be fleeting. Coach Dawley has moved on, with former Canadian National team member Lori Gear McBride now at the helm of the Catamounts.

And with four seniors graduating and a fifth starter transferring out, Vermont will have a different look come September 2010. “It will be a whole new team next year,” Lalonde said. “There will be new starters, new high scorers — I’m looking forward to it.”

With her confidence building throughout her initial full schedule of NCAA competition, Lalonde senses the ability to lead her team on the court, a critical element if she is to earn the role of starting point guard.

Just the latest stop in a ride that has included far more peaks than valleys for the hard-working Sudburian.

Randy Pascal is the voice of Eastlink Sports and the founder of SudburySports.com.