Alyssa Doneza: January's Zueike Female Athlete of the Month
Doneza drives the ball down court in their final home match of January
Congratulations to Alyssa Doneza of Blazers Women's Basketball on being selected the CMU Zueike Female Athlete of the Month for January. In her third year of university hoops, but first with the Blazers, Doneza has led the team and conference in most offensive categories, and helped the team secure an MCAC Finals berth with wins over St Boniface this past month.
Doneza was the biggest addition of the off-season for Blazers head coach Sharlene Harding, who needed to replace the minutes and scoring from her 2024-25 seniors Briana Ehrmantraut, Oluwanifemi Gbadamosi, and Danielle Ehmann, and she has filled the scoring guard role vacated by Ehrmantraut admirably. With only one league weekend remaining, and the Blazers Women's Basketball team on a bye, Doneza sits at or near the top of a number of statistical categores for the MCAC, including first in points per game (15.1), first in both 3-point percentage (30.8) just ahead of teammates Betty Girmay and Chanelle Lafreniere, and in free throw percentage (85.2), first in assists (20), and first in total points (151) by a wide margin.
Of the five games the Blazers played in January, Doneza was the leading scorer for CMU in all contests, and was the game-high scorer in four of the five. After the team secured a tight 57-54 win over Les Rouges on January 9th, Doneza rattled off back-to-back 20-point performances, on January 10th again against St Boniface to secure the season series and guarantee the team a spot in the MCAC Finals, and then two weekends later against the Trinity Lions in NIAC regular season play. Doneza's ability to shoot from the outside as well as drive the basket makes her a dangerous scoring threat, and also opens the floor for her teammates to thrive, as she has also shown a deft ability to distribute the ball.
Blazers head Coach Sharlene Harding knows the impact that Doneza has in every game, even if it is so automatic is almost gets overlooked at times. The second-year head coach weighed in on her primary guard, stating "averaging a league high of over 16 points per game in January, with impressive shooting accuracy, calm ability to dribble out of any press, and tenacious defence, Alyssa was by far the most impressive player on any court this month. Her consistency of play and leadership on and off the floor is invaluable. Furthermore, her willingness to leave it all on the court made her a standout in every game. Her talent, competitiveness, and drive make her a dream to coach and, by far, the most deserving of the CMU Female Athlete of the Month for January."
The Blazers now get set for MCAC Championships, hosted by the top seed Providence Pilots at 3:00PM on February 15th in a winner-take-all contest for the MCAC crown. CMU is the underdog in the game, looking to upset the Pilots who are undefeated in MCAC play with only one week remaining in the schedule. The week following the provincial championships, the Blazers will head south to Plymouth, Minnesota for another crack at the NIAC Championships after taking home both the MCAC and NIAC titles in 2025.
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