Moriah Trowell is one of Canada’s highly coveted point guards. Trowell possesses a quickness that allows her to slice her way to the basket and she also has excellent court vision. Needless to say, these are highly desirable qualities for a point guard.
Having been defeated by the UBC Thunder-birds in the first round of last year’s CIS Women’s Basketball Championship has only increased Trowell’s desire to lead the Ottawa Gee-Gees to a national title this season.
Fortunately for Trowell and the Gee-Gees, all but one member of last year’s OUA Championship team has returned to attempt another run at the title. At 5-8, Trowell has continually played at an all-star level during her three years with the Gee-Gees program. Her ability to rebound, post up, drive to the hoop and shoot the rock has made her an all-around threat to
every opponent.
During her final year of high school, a number of American universities scouted Trowell including St. John’s University in New York City, the university where she began her post secondary basketball career. However, a recurring ankle injury caused a major set back for Trowell before the season even begun.
The spring before her rookie season, Trowell had surgery on her right ankle, however the injury never healed properly. The team doctors informed Trowell that she needed further surgery in order to be cleared to play in the U.S., but after consulting with her physicians in Canada they advised her against having another operation. Not wanting to go through another painful surgery, Trowell gave up her scholarship and returned to Ottawa, eventually joining the Gee-Gees program.
Making the adjustment to the style of play at the university level did not seem to throw Trowell off her game, since she had played against high-level competition before her rookie year. Trowell has played for multiple provincial teams and the Canadian Junior National team in 2002 giving her significant international experience and the status as one of the best point guards in the league.
“I’ve had that international experience so I’ve played against players who are bigger, stronger, and faster and who’ve had more experience than me. And that for sure has pushed me and has definitely made me improve. I think I just have that little extra edge then some of the other players in the league,” stated Trowell.
No one in the league would disagree after looking at her stats. Having played in just 13 games this season due to an injury, Trowell is slowly getting back to her usual top notch form and is leading the Gee-Gees in scoring with 13.5 PPG, rebounding 7.2 RPG and steals 2.3 SPG. With a 16-6 record, this year’s team can be compared to last year’s OUA Championship winning team. However the league has significantly improved from a year ago. Many of the top teams have improved and the teams that were considered the bottom half last season have all stepped up their games vastly this year.
“This year the road to the championship will be a tougher one, says Trowell, but this team is definitely capable of going to the finals.” The team will be left with the significant loss of three key players at the
end of this season; however Moriah Trowell will not be one of them. With two more years of eligibility left, Trowell is poised to continue her exceptional play and showcase her talent in the CIS.
