Recap The Court

Jacob Smith

Underdogs is a story of Brock Women’s Basketball and the growth of a program through the ups and downs. Starting with the 2015-2016 OUA season, this series will look in-depth at each season with interviews and features of players and staff associated with the program.

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Her resume was stacked by the time she got to Brock, with two years at Guelph with the Gryphons and years with the Canadian Women’s Junior National Team.

In 2014, Bridget Atkinson let the Gryphons to a 8-11 record, tied with Brock in their division. Bridget started immediately for the Gryphons, and averaged 10.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists. She ranked third in the OUA in assists in her first season and her consistent scoring showed much promise for the upcoming years.

For personal achievements in the CIS, Bridget was awarded CIS Rookie of the Year along with OUA Rookie of the Year and OUA 2nd team All-Star. In just her first year, Bridget took the OUA by storm and it only got better going into her second season.

Photo: Guelph Gryphons

The 2015-2016 season only improved for the Gryphons. They lifted their record to 11-8, second in the division behind McMaster, and secured a playoff matchup against Brock where they defeated the Badgers 69-51. The Gryphons then moved on tot he second round against the Ottawa Gee-Gees and were defeated 55-43. She earned another OUA second team All-Star nomination and the Gryphons team MVP.

Outside of the CIS, Bridget made a name for herself on the national stage. She competed in 2014 and 2015 with the U18 and U19 Women’s National Teams, highlighted by a second place finish in the U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2015. She averaged 17 minutes and 22 minutes per game in the two tournaments, and the experience and time on the court only added to her basketball IQ, and that translated to the CIS.

With all those accomplishments and accreditations, it should be fairly obvious that Bridget wasn’t your average player. In her years in the OUA and later in the OCAA, she showed herself to be one of the best in the league at all times, and her season with the Badgers was no exception.

Bridget played with an intensity and desire to be the best and win, that was rarely matched in the games she played. She had a bulldog style of play on offence and played with a lot of pride on defence, and put together she was a trouble for every team and a dominant force for the Badgers to run their play through.

There were few that could guard Bridget one on one during her year at Brock, and a majority of that is due to her ability to create her own shot, and score from anywhere inside the three-point line. If you could think of a master of the mid-range game during that period of OUA Women’s Basketball, Bridget would have to be put in that conversation. Quick release and good footwork is what Bridget credits her fluidity to, and there is definitely a presence of both in how she attacked defenders.

Whether it’s a fade-away, a step back jumper at the top of the key, or pushing you inside the paint for a contested layup, Bridget showed she was one of the best at completing tough shots and pulling something out of nothing and that was a massive tool for the Badgers during the 2016 season.

Like she had shown the past two years with Guelph and attacking one-on-one and off ball screens, when Bridget gets her defender separated or sees even a hint of an opening, she will attack and use all her force to get the best look she can get. She shot 43% from the field during the 2016 season averaging 14.4 points per game, and she was the spark for the Badgers consistently when they needed a bucket or to get to the line.

On the other side of the ball, Bridget is a fierce defender. She plays with a level of pride that elevates her game. She isn’t an easy player to beat and her physicality means she won’t be backed down without a fight. She is always focused on not being beat by the person she’s guarding and her intense focus on the individual assignment gives the rest of her team an easier time only having to focus on their own roles.

She plays with a level of dominance that makes you feel like she knows she’s the best on the court and she’s going to prove it, and the year she spent at Brock showed that. She’s an all-star in many senses of the word and she elevated the expectations and standards of the team through her work ethic and devotion.