It's showtime for Kendall Lydon.
The former St. Albert Skyhawk runs the floor as the electrifying point guard for the 7-1 MacEwan University Griffins in Canada West women's basketball.
"I'm kind of the quarterback at the structure of what goes on on the court. I control tempo and make sure we're doing what we want to do," Lydon said after the team's first practice after the Christmas break on Monday. "I'm also one of our captains so I've got to make sure I'm communicating verbally no matter what is going on the court. I have to be the communication link between Dave (Oldham, the head coach) and the team so it's a good role for a point guard. I love it."
Lydon leads the Canada West in assists with 5.9 per game, is fourth in steals with 22 and is 22nd in points per game at 13.3, which is second best on MacEwan.
The third-year Griffin is also the team leader in minutes played at 31.4.
"It's getting to be a better part of my career. I'm confident," said Lydon, who started her post-secondary career with the Alberta Pandas and then joined MacEwan in its last Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference season before making the jump into the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks.
"I'm a veteran now. I have experience under my belt. I'm probably using my basketball IQ to make up for other parts of my game so every night I need to think everything through."
Oldham praised Lydon for her court smarts and skill level.
"Kendall is certainly our floor general and runs the show out there for us. I have an incredible amount of confidence in her to make good decisions. She is a good scorer as well. She shoots the three ball very well and competes night in and night out against other team's top guard players," said the new bench boss at MacEwan after coaching the Spruce Grove Panthers, the two-time reigning metro Edmonton division one champions and 2015 4A provincial silver medallists.
"Kendall is also one of the best decision makers I've ever coached. She has a very good understanding of the game and a very high IQ at a point guard level, which is a unique thing to have," Oldham added. "She instills a lot of confidence in our group and I've had many people say to me this year that our group is very composed and is very calm under pressure and we don't get rattled and a lot of that is credited to Kendall and how she manages the game and manages herself and controls the tempo and leads our team."
Lydon, 22, was a prime-time player with the three-time 3A provincial champion Skyhawks under the direction of head coach John Dedrick after arriving at St. Albert Catholic High School in Grade 10 from the Chehalis (Wash.) Bearcats.
"From day one Dedrick put a mentality into us that is unlike any coach I've ever had. In every practice and every game it was 100 per cent no matter what or else you're getting your butt chewed so I think that definitely led up to having the work ethic you need to make it in the CIS. Dedrick really instilled that in all of us. We have a bunch of SACHS girls here so obviously he's doing something right."
Lydon left the Pandas after one season and limited court time to play under then head coach Rob Poole at MacEwan.
"It just seemed like a good fit," said one of four Skyhawks on the 2014 MacEwan team that won the ACAC championship and a Canadian Colleges Athletic Association bronze medal.
Last season, MacEwan was first in Canada West, Lydon was second in points at 13.3 per game, her same total at this stage of the season, while averaging 28.8 minutes in 20 starts.
"It's better competition. You know every game you play is a challenge and how much you prepare is going to contribute to you winning Friday and Saturday night. You need to be in your top form, mentally ready and body ready. You need to be one hundred per cent all the time or you're going to lose on any given night," said Lydon, who has one year of eligibility remaining.
MacEwan is on a roll with five consecutive wins before the holidays.
"So far so good. We're in first right now and that's how we wanted things to happen in the first semester," Lydon said. "We're a veteran team and we have the best personnel possible. On any given night anyone of us could have a really good game and we all feed off each other."
Basketball brings out the best in Lydon.
"The game always makes sense and you can dictate how well it goes for you. If other things happen in your life, no matter what basketball is sound and it's always going to be there and will be until you're done your career no matter what you do. You can work hard and basketball is a good backbone of that," said the bachelor of arts student who is working towards a criminology degree.
SACHS pipeline
Lydon is joined on the MacEwan roster by the following Skyhawks' alumnae and former 3A provincial champions.
Kayla Ivicak, guard. "Kayla has had a great season for us. She adds so much. She is a very tenacious on-ball defender. She has also worked on her offensive game (7.0 average) and is a legitimate scorer in multiple ways. She is a great offensive rebounder. She is a really tough competitor that brings her best effort every game and has contributed in a huge way to our team so far this season," Oldham said.
Paige Knull, guard. "Paige has really upped her game this year in terms of her ability to score. She is averaging around nine points a game and last year was under two so she has really brought more depth and variety to her offensive game. She is more comfortable shooting the ball. She is also typically our primarily on-ball defender for the other teams' point guards so she brings a defensive presence to our team that is very important. She has been really important to our success so far," Oldham said.
Haley England, forward. "Hayley has come in and brought a lot of really positive energy to our team. She comes off the bench at the forward position and her work ethic is very strong. She has a very high IQ for the game of basketball and understands not only how we want the game to be played but how she fits within the team concept and she is great within the role she has on our team. I've been really lucky to bring someone like that from the college level and have her adapt well to the university game, Oldham said.
Brielle Wise, guard. "Early in the season Brielle had to overcome surgery that she had on some ligaments in her hand so she had a little bit of a slow start just because of that and didn't play for the first month but has done really well in the last few months of learning the CIS game. She is our only true rookie this year on the roster and it's a big jump for any high school athlete. As a high school coach previously, I know the jump that those athletes have had to make and she is working hard at it. She is an important part of our rotation at the guard spot and as her confidence grows so will her level of play."
