Recap The Court

Jacob Smith

There are few things that get me as fired up as seeing someone who seemingly takes as much pride in the defensive side of the ball as they do the offensive side. When you get that player who brings the passion and toughness it can energize a whole team, and the Warriors have that piece in a very large role.

Summer Pahl is a 5’11 forward from Kitchener, Ontario who went from St. Mary’s High School to Mercer University in the Southern Conference in the NCAA. Playing two years, Summer gained most of the playing time during the 2019-2020 season where she scored her season high 14 points against Chattanooga on February 20th, 2020 and grabbed 13 rebounds, another season high on February 29th against UNC Greensboro. Summer started 17 games in her second season with the Mercer Bears, suiting up for 23 games playing 22 minutes per game.

Photo: Mercer University Athletics

Playing against now WNBA star Megan Gustafson and Iowa alumni Monika Czinano, Summer says the most memorable part of her time at Mercer was a NCAA tournament game against Iowa in her rookie season 2018. “Being in the atmosphere taught me what it meant to want to win, and how to win. In pressure situations, being in a stadium with 10 to 15 thousand people, you can barely hear your coaches, you can barely hear anything, there’s so much pressure.”

From Mercer, Summer took her gained knowledge and experience, and transferred to Waterloo during the 2020 COVID season, and in her fourth season of eligibility, Summer helped push a team that had been on the rise, to a 17-5 record and a OUA semifinal appearance, and captured the eyes of many with her impact on both ends of the floor.

How about this for an impact, in the month of November during the 2022-2023 season, she shot 51 per cent from the field while averaging 9.5 rebounds per game. The impact continued throughout the season as she finished with 9.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game on 48 per cent shooting in 19 games played.

Summer was tied for 10th in the OUA in steals per game with 2.1 last season, and the defensive end is where she made her biggest mark on the Warriors run. Statistics aside, there are few players in the OUA to me that you can really build a team around, and Summer gives all the traits of a leader and cornerstone of a team, which she’ll have to be for the Warriors this season.

In the Warriors first preseason game against the University of Toronto, Summer’s presence was felt from the first whistle to the stunning comeback in the fourth quarter and Waterloo’s win. Whether you wanted to see the focus on defence, the knowledge of the offence and where to be when, the ability to corral the team and keep them on track, Summer showed everything through a relatively rough shooting night for the Warriors, and as things start clicking in the shot making, she has a real opportunity to be one of the faces of this league.

The Warriors lost a lot of veteran leadership in the offseason with much of the core graduating, but coming into 2023, they may have all they need to maintain the standard. Fresh off a summer in the Hoopqueens Summer League where she captured the championship, Summer is going to be one of the most experienced players in the OUA this season. Alongside Ghiselle Poblete who showed her scoring ability in the preseason win, Summer has the tools and the ability to be not only the vocal leader, but in the conversation for the most impactful player for a team.

Summer brings what the Warriors are looking for, someone who plays tough defence, is willing to play physical and knows the standard to stay at to be successful. “The culture of the team is being very gritty. Defence is one of our strong suits and it transitions to offence.”

This is a season that you’re going to want to pay attention to the experienced Summer Pahl for the Waterloo Warriors. NCAA experience, pro experience, a very well rounded skillset and a roster that will need someone of her presence to get them through the swings of a season.

With a new blend of rookies, Summer has taken on a leadership and mentor role for those coming after her, “last year my leadership was through energy and getting people hyped. This year I have to be a little more vocal. I’m trying to help foster leadership, decision making and confidence in our upperclassmen. I’m trying to be more vocal but also teach the future leaders how to lead for when i’m gone.”

I can pretty comfortably say that should she pursue it, there are going to be many pro teams that are keeping their eyes on the 2023 Waterloo Warriors and their leader Summer Pahl.