Skip To Main Content

Brock University Athletics

Skip To Main Content

Scoreboard

Sam Keltos
Stephen Leithwood

Women's Basketball Stephen Leithwood

Badgers NCAA transfer caps season with U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Month

Sam Keltos of the Brock women's basketball team was named the U SPORTS Athlete of the Month for the month of March on Thursday, April 9.
Sam Keltos of the Brock University women's basketball team was named the U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Month for the month of March after a historic performance on the court.
 
Keltos, a third-year centre from St. Catharines who is studying Biological Sciences, said this award is icing on the cake of an unforgettable season after transferring from the NCAA to play for her hometown Badgers.
 
"My first season with the Badgers, personally, couldn't have gone any better," said Keltos. "I was able to showcase what I can do here at Brock, and at the national level. With the team, we proved to so many people how determined and hard working we are."
 
Keltos said she made the jump from the NCAA to the OUA in order to follow her dreams.

 
Chris Critelli and Sam Keltos
Samantha Keltos (right) poses with Brock Badgers legendary coach Chris
Critelli (left) after being named Player of the Match versus UPEI at the
U SPORTS Women's Final 8 in Ottawa last month.
"I want to play professionally after Brock and the minutes I was getting at St. Francis were not going to help me achieve this goal," she said. "I had to do what was right for my future. In the end it was totally 110 per cent worth it and probably the best decision I've ever made in my life."
 
Keltos stepped into the lineup and immediately created chemistry with her teammates and helped the Badgers post one of their best overall records in team history (27-8). She finished second on the team with 15.4 points per game and led the team with eight rebounds per game and two blocks per game.
 
Head coach Mike Rao said he witnessed Keltos' confidence grow as the season progressed.
 
He recalled a conversation between the two early in the season as the turning point in the way she approached the game, and the team.
 
"She's a very good player, but was a little rusty early in the season. I knew I had to be patient with her because I was a new coach to her," said Rao. "I told her let's just work and work and grow and we'll see what this brings for next year. "
 
Keltos looked up at Rao with a stern face and said: "Next year? How about this year?"
 
"She just put her head down and went right to work," said Rao. "I was just trying to take some pressure off her, but she turned the incline up a couple of notches. She really bought into her teammates and what we're all about."
 
Keltos saved her best performance for the Critelli Cup Final against the Ryerson Rams on Saturday, Feb. 29.
 
She posted a game-changing 42 points to lift the Badgers over the Rams as one of the all-time great championship performances to lead her team to victory, and their first provincial title since 1983. She added 12 rebounds for her seventh career double-double, including three steals and a pair of assists.
 
The OUA Second Team All-Star was nearly perfect from three-point range by hitting eight-of-nine from beyond the arc. The week before, Keltos poured in 17 points and added seven boards to help Brock edge Western 69-65 in the OUA semi-finals. She named OUA and U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Week for her performance.
 
At the U SPORTS Women's Final 8 in Ottawa from March 5 to 8, Keltos led the Badgers in scoring in every contest as they reached the gold-medal game for the first time in school history. Keltos was named the Nike Top Performer as player of the match for all three games: 24 points versus Calgary (W72-71), 23 points and 17 rebounds vs. UPEI (W69-55) and 21 points versus Saskatchewan (L82-64) in final.
 
The following week, sports across North America, and the world, began postponing or canceling their events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
"Thinking back on it, especially being in quarantine right now, I am so grateful to have been able to finish out our season," she said. "It makes it that much more special for us to have done that."
 
Rao said the future is bright for Brock women's basketball and Keltos is just hitting her stride.
 
"Sam hasn't hit her ceiling yet," said Rao. "In our U SPORTS run she started to develop an inside hook. She missed two, but didn't give up on it and then proceeded to hit a couple of them against some tough teams. It's the little things that are the next steps of her development. It's going to be really exciting. The fruits of that growth are coming."

Sam Keltos Game 1 Nationals
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Samantha Keltos

#4 Samantha Keltos

C
6' 3"
Third Year

Players Mentioned

Samantha Keltos

#4 Samantha Keltos

6' 3"
Third Year
C