Hustle, The Ottawa Rookies' Way: The Story of the First Competitive Girls' Basketball Team in Canada's Capital

In 1973, a group of high school girls, frustrated by the lack of competitive basketball in Ottawa, approached Hazel Miner, who was newly active in the community basketball scene. Hazel responded by forming a city-wide girls’ all-star team.She then persuaded the first Canadian university player drafted by an NBA team to coach her girls in their inaugural season. He taught them key skills, arranged future coaching, and named the team the Ottawa Rookies.With no competitive league to play in, Hazel scheduled challenging exhibition games across Canada and the United States. The Ottawa Rookies often defeated top universities and senior teams, winning 523 games over 16 seasons — surpassing the fabled Edmonton Grads in total wins.Twice, the Ottawa Rookies finished fifth at Senior Nationals with players much younger than their competition. They won seven Ontario championships. Notably, two players became Olympians, several made various national teams, and two dozen joined the provincial team.What started as an elite girls' basketball squad became a club, adding two younger teams. As a result, more than 150 girls wore the Ottawa Rookies uniform, collectively winning 30 medals at the Ontario championships from 1973-74 to 1988-89.The Ottawa Rookies blazed a trail for competitive girls’ basketball in Canada’s Capital, creating a dynasty along the way.Hustle, The Ottawa Rookies’ Way is the story of this pioneering club, its fearless manager, dedicated coaches, and the girls who chose competitive basketball. The games, struggles, and triumphs are chronicled, as are the girls' basketball pursuits beyond the Ottawa Rookies.Through the lens of the Ottawa Rookies, this book captures some defining moments in the history of Canadian women’s basketball.The book is 354 pages, with hundreds of images and tables. A colour version in paperback is also available.About the Author: This is Pam Coburn's second book, and as an original Ottawa Rookie, she was well-positioned to tell this story. With a big assist from the players, coaches and Hazel Miner, Pam reconstructed the history of the Club and its place in the development of competitive girls' basketball in Canada. Read more