Salome Nuako has made impressive strides in her career with the RDP Queens basketball team.
A year ago, the 19-year-old from Sherwood Park saw limited playing time until later in the season, averaging 11.8 minutes per game and 2.6 points.
This season, it’s a whole new ball game.
She’s averaged 25.8 minutes per game and 8.8 points. In fact, late in the season, when forward Jayden Demchuk went down with a finger injury, she averaged 37.7 minutes per game over her final six starts, including one game against Olds, where she played the entire 40 minutes.
With Demchuk sidelined, Nuako and Rachel Harvey were the only two inside players.
“It’s been good and bad, exhausting at times,” Nuako said. “But I like the challenge and want to rise up to it.”
Salome feels her confidence has come a long way since she arrived in camp last season.
“I feel like I’ve really built my confidence. That first year, I was so scared to even catch the ball and shoot, to make a post move,” she said. “My last game, I was driving it more, taking more shots, and even if I didn’t make them, I continued to shoot.”
That, combined with her ability to see the floor and not think the game but just react, shows in the level of her play.
“I feel my decision-making is way better,” she continued. “I can’t explain it, but since last year and the beginning of this year, it has improved considerably. I had a repertoire of things I wanted to do, but didn’t know how to implement them into a game, but now I have that experience and I’m able to implement them into the game-calling.”
Queens head coach Avery Harrison can only smile when asked about Salome and her progression.
“She really has come a long way,” he said. “Not just her confidence but it’s her defence and how well she’s reading the floor.
“The rotation she makes and the way she commits to where she has to go on defence. She makes a big difference on the back end, I’m really impressed how hard she works.
“I think the game has really slowed down for her and I see better and better things for her in the future.”
An indication of how far her defensive game has come is that she finished the season with 16 blocks, second only on the team to Harvey’s 19.
“Really,” she said, looking surprised. “I didn’t know that.”
But while her game continues to progress, she admits she still has things to work on.
“Just consistency,” she said. “I’m taking shots that aren’t always falling and I feel they’re crucial shots in the game and I would like them to drop more.”
Salome has worked hard on her mid-range game and is one of the better 15-foot shooters on the team.
“I like that shot and being one of the taller players (six-foot-one) they can’t block me that much.”
Still it’s important for her to continue to build her inside game. With that in mind she’s worked hard with Harvey, who is in her final year at the college level.
“Working with her has been great. We always go one-on-one and she’s great in the key and I want to be better.
“I like playing against taller girls. Smaller players are quicker and dart by you, while the taller players, I can move with them.”
Salome came out of Salisbury High School and liked what she saw from RDP.
“I talked with Avery and he has a great reputation. I liked what I saw from the college and it had the program I wanted,” said Salome, who is taking psychology.
“I wanted to go to a smaller school, one that’s not too big and overwhelming. The professors here are excellent and the community is great.”
Psychology is a four-year program, so she’ll be with the Queens for at least two more years.
“Maybe I’ll stretch it to five,” she said with a smile.
One thing is certain: following graduation, she hopes to play professionally.
“Absolutely. It’d be great to play full-time and for money. That would be a dream.”
The Queens placed fourth in the South Division this season, a lot of which had to do with the fact they lost both starting guards at Christmas.
As a result, the Queens will face North Division champion The Kings University Eagles on their home court in the first round of the playoffs, Friday at 6 p.m.
The Queens go in as underdogs but not without confidence.
“They have triple our roster, but if we play smart, we can beat them and definitely challenge them,” said Nuato.
Harrison agrees.
“We are in tough, looking at our roster after losing two starting guards at Christmas and our second leading scorer two games ago,” he said. “But one thing we have is a great work ethic, and our team has improved consistently since the start of January.
“I like where we’re at right now with the things we’re doing and how hard we work.
“Playing Kings is a challenge; they’re a great team, but we know what we have to do, and strange things happen in the playoffs.
“You can’t write us off, so we’ll play the best we can and see how the cards play out.”
The winner of the Queens-Eagles game faces the winner between NAIT and St. Mary’s.
On the other side, Briercrest faces Keyano and top-ranked SAIT clashes with Concordia University of Edmonton.
Danny Rode is a retired Advocate reporter and member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame who can be reached at danrode@shaw.ca
