COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than an hour into a preseason practice, Nadine Muzerall sits on her “perch” to watch Ohio State’s drills. The perch is a nickname players gave to a ledge above the bench.

At first glance, there’s nothing fancy about Southill Drive in the Chicopee section of south Kitchener. Plain-looking bungalows and three-storey walk-up apartments of red brick and beige built ...