Top Recruit Danielle Boiago Commits to McMaster Marauders!

HAMILTON,ON–There are players who collect statistics, but more valuable are players who collect gold medals, and the McMaster women’s basketball team has picked up a true winner.

Marauder coach Theresa Burns is very excited to confirm the commitment of Hamilton native Danielle Boiago as the team’s first recruit for 2012.

A standout player at St. Thomas More Secondary School, Boiago is among the elite guards in the Ontario high school ranks and should make a major contribution as a first-year player.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Danielle into our Marauder family,” beamed Coach Burns.

“I’ve watched her play from the time she was quite young and you knew right away that she was a special player. Danielle has a tremendously high basketball IQ, and can beat you with a perimeter shot, breakdown move, or by creating opportunities for teammates.”

Along with leading her high school team to the OFSAA Quad-A championship last November, Boiago was the starting point guard for Ontario’s Juvenile (17U) Provincial team that captured the Gold Medal at last summer’s Canadian Championships in Winnipeg.

She also previously played for Team Ontario on the 15U team, which captured a silver medal at the Nationals.

“McMaster is the perfect fit for me because it has the academic and athletic balance that I was looking for in a university. When I visited MAC, the girls were all very welcoming and being on campus felt like home to me,” commented Boiago, who was a three-time member of the Hamilton Separate School All-Star team that competed in the Hamilton Spectator All-Star Classic.

“I am looking forward to playing for such a dedicated coaching staff led by Coach Burns, and I feel privileged that I will have the opportunity to do so in my own city in front of my family and friends.”

Boiago has won numerous awards over her playing career in both high school and club basketball, and currently playing for Hamilton Blessed Sacrament in the provincial JUEL league, is the loop’s leading scorer averaging over 23-ppg.

She has been accepted into McMaster’s Kinesiology program.

Coach Burns expects Boiago to make an immediate impact, adding, “She loves to compete and will elevate her play in tough games. She’s a quiet leader and will lead by example with equal passion at both the offensive and defensive end of the court. On every team she plays on whether its high school, club, Provincial Team she is the quarterback that makes the engine run. There is no bluer ‘blue chip’ out there.”