Forsey shows an ability to rebound

The one thing you can usually count on when talking about Atlantic universities basketball rookies is their inconsistency.

Memorial Sea-Hawks rookie post Ally Forsey is no exception, although she has been exceptional more times than not this season.

Forsey was pretty much a no-show against St. Francis Xavier X-Women last Saturday. The first-year player from St. John's contributed one assist and three rebounds while playing a forgettable five minutes as the Sea-Hawks lost their first game of the season.

"Oh, my gosh," said an embarrassed Forsey about her play in Game 1 of the series. "The girls told me to forget it, so I went home, got my mind focused and said I was going to have a big game (Sunday)."

The real Forsey, who has already earned an AUS player of the week award this season, showed up the next day and put up 20 points while pulling down seven rebounds in 21 minutes, earning player of the game honours.

The impressive MUN rookie, who has been a starter since the opening game of the season, will be counted on to contribute her fair share this weekend, with the 9-1 seventh-ranked Sea-Hawks in Fredericton, N.B., for a pair of games against the 4-6 UNB Varsity Reds.

Part of MUN's - some might say surprising - success this season has been due to the younger players on the team stepping up after the loss of veteran stars Katherine Quackenbush and Leslie Stewart to graduation.

Forsey's impressive start certainly fits that description.

Memorial women's head coach Doug Partridge is somewhat surprised at what he's gotten out of the former Holy Heart of Mary high school star so far this season.

"Ally has been very solid for us," said the MUN mentor. "She has been good both offensively and defensively and is always ready to take feedback and make the right changes to be more effective.

"I thought that she would have a role to play on this year's team," Partridge added. "Obviously, I did not foresee her averaging almost 14 points and six rebounds on 56 per cent or so shooting.

"She has brought a real desire to excel and make an impact and deserves a lot of credit for both the positive attitude she brings to being coached and her desire to succeed," said Partridge.

And while most rookies struggle with inconsistency, Forsey's off night against St. Francis was clearly an aberration, at least based on her other nine regular season games in the first half of the AUS schedule.

Asked if there was any part of her game that has surprised the veteran coach, Partridge said it has been, in fact, consistency.

"That is the most difficult thing to project from a high school player. Players are inconsistent in high school. You are trying to determine if they have the ability to get focused and consistently concentrate on the university level because on this level you cannot come in and out of the game and hope to have any real level of success."

jbrowne@thetelegram.com