Inside the Huddle with Chelsea Aubry

Chelsea Aubry used to think the guards on her team had it easy. With a recent switch from forward to guard, she is experiencing first hand that isn't the case.

Lucky for the Kitchener, Ontario, native, she is a member of the Canadian National Team and spent the summer playing internationally, developing her perimeter skills and enabling the transition to be smooth and effective for her at Nebraska, making her a more valuable player to both teams.

Perimeter skills were a weakness for the 6-foot-2 Aubry, but with the quickness and versatility of the international players, Aubry has developed her foot speed and adapted herself into a more well-rounded player. She is averaging 6.3 points and 5.6 rebounds this season after coming off the bench to average 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds while playing 23.6 minutes per game for the Canadians.

"They can shoot the three, they can dribble penetrate, they can take you in the post, they can be point guards," Aubry said of the international competition. "They are so versatile at the three, four and five position in international play that it will help me tremendously if I can continue to develop these kinds of skills. I can play different positions for my national team and not just the four, five positions."

The three position - which plays the function of a wing guard - has also helped Aubry become a more efficient passer. Since most teams play motion offense in the international leagues with lots of moving and no real set plays, players have to learn to create opportunities by moving the ball around quickly and effectively. Aubry is already beginning to see the benefits, having produced 12 assists this season compared to just a total of 16 assists from the 2004-05 season.

Coach Connie Yori has seen the improvements Aubry made over the summer and the opportunity it brings to Nebraska. Yori said in order for a team to be productive and successful, all players on the court need to have strong passing skills and be able to handle the ball.

"I think Chelsea playing the position she's playing for us this year, she naturally has to develop her passing skills because she's asked to handle the ball more," Yori said. "She has developed in the area of passing the ball this year primarily because of the position she's playing. I think that's going to help as the four player on the Canadian team. The Canadian team runs motion offense which is a passing offense, so they are going to ask a lot of their players to handle the ball and pass the ball. So by her playing the three position, she's working to develop her perimeter skills more which will hopefully carry over to her national team and the style they play."

Aubry has also benefitted from Nebraska's defensive style, which is a pressure man-to-man defense, and much like most teams internationally play. In fact, that pressure defense is what was most appealing to Aubry when choosing schools. She chose Nebraska over teams like Iowa State because defense was her greatest strength. She also has the ability to move well laterally for her size. Without being able to utilize her greatest strength in the game, Aubry said she couldn't find a reason why she should be on the court.

"I'm not a zone person, I'm a man-to-man person," Aubry said. "What a team played is one thing I really looked at. I knew talking to people from Creighton that knew Coach Yori always played a motion as well. I like to move. So, that was a big thing when I was looking at schools is if they played a system that I could fit into and that I could use for my national team as well."

Yori sees the potential benefits for Aubry as she continues to pursue her goals of making the Canadian Olympic team. While the Huskers play primarily a man-to-man defense, there is some zone incorporated into the game plans, but Yori is still well-known throughout the country for her pressure defense. Not only is Aubry getting plenty of practice at that skill, it makes the transition between teams easier and beneficial.

"Playing the position that she's playing right now, the three, is a challenge because she's having to guard quicker opponents. I think she's done really well on the defensive end in doing so," Yori said. "That's only going to help her down the road. When she gets with the Canadian team, she sees a lot of big kids, but she's also going to see a lot of quick fours who put the ball on the floor. So by her playing the three-spot for us, she's been able to develop to be the kind of perimeter player that will help her down the road."

While Aubry is succeeding all around the world on the basketball court, there isn't much time to spend at home in Ontario. It hasn't stopped her parents, Rick and Shelley, from getting to watch their middle-child play. The Aubry's try to incorporate Chelsea's games into business trips and alternate by the month. They also take advantage of the radio broadcasts on Huskers.com for the games they miss. In addition, they have captilized on games played in the northern part of the United States. In recent years, the Huskers have played games against Notre Dame, Ohio State, Marquette, and most recently, Michigan, allowing for a quick trip to the States to see Chelsea play.

Despite playing far away from home, Aubry sees Nebraska as a place she can go to turn her long-term goals into a reality.

"My goal is to make the Olympic team and Nebraska is the perfect fit to help me get there," Aubry said. "I can't be with my national team the whole year, but Nebraska and the Big 12 Conference is such a competitive league that I can develop skills and I think I have. Talking to my nationals team coach who has seen me every summer has said that I've developed skills every year since I've been here. I think that's great and hopefully I can continue to do that so when it comes Olympic time, I can be ready."