Former All Star seals Boomers’ roster rejuvenation

Veteran Cleveland-born tall Jantel Lavender is taking her power-packed sport to the Boom Box for WNBL24. She’ll be joined within the purple and gold by history-making Tall Ferns wing Tera Reed in a double strike for the Boomers.

Lavender, 34, is among the many world’s most-experienced gamers, having navigated the rigours of a professional basketball profession that started again in 2011 as a top-five WNBA draft choose for the LA Sparks and contains a number of stops in Turkey, Poland, Italy and again within the US.

The 193cm tower is a well-versed admirer of Aussie basketball tradition, taking part in alongside a number of from the Land Down Under all through her profession, together with a rookie season in LA with Opals captain Jenna O’Hea and, most just lately, mentored rising Aussie star Ezi Magbegor – a former Boomer – at Seattle Storm.

“I love the people that are from there, all the Australian players that I’ve played with in The W and overseas, I’ve just really had great connections with them and I think Australians just work extremely hard,” Lavender, who was a part of the Sparks workforce that received the 2016 WNBA championship, stated.

“I’ve never been to Australia, that’s going to be definitely crazy for me to know that it’s the heart of winter in America and I’m in the sun – they’re going to be so jealous.”

Lavender is the second import signing for the Boomers this month, arriving within the wake of star Sparks playmaker Jordin Canada’s dedication to the membership.

“Super excited to work with Jordin Canada, I’m super excited to work with Kristy Wallace,” she stated.

“I have a savviness for the game, I understand it on another level. I love to watch the game be played in poetry. I love to play the game fast and obviously that’s what our goal is.”

Fellow new-arrival Reed, together with Boomers teammate Penina Davidson, was a part of the Tall Ferns’ historic run to fourth place eventually month’s FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney.

The 25-year-old is a gifted wing who averaged 8.5 factors and 6.2 rebounds as New Zealand made the ultimate 4 for the primary time at a significant match.

The Boomers backed up their 2021 title run by taking Southside to 3 video games in final season’s WNBL semi-finals earlier than the winds of change blew by. Only two gamers from final season’s roster have returned, with the likes of reigning WNBL MVP Cayla George and Opals captain Tess Madgen switching to Sydney and the league’s main scorer Tiffany Mitchell signing a profitable deal in Europe.

But the membership, below Chris Lucas, has acted swiftly in replenishing its expertise, including a bunch of huge native names, headlined by bronzed Opals Sara Blicavs and Keely Froling and dual-sport starlet Mon Conti. It’s a roster that, on paper, is among the many deepest within the WNBL.

“I’m extremely pleased with where our team is at, but it’s going to be essential for this new look group to establish its own identity as a team early,” Lucas stated.

“The chemistry and how we jell at the start of the season will be telling for the new look Boomers.

“There’s no reason why this team can’t come together, play some great team basketball that is exciting to watch, and have a successful season.

It gives Lucas a high degree of certainty in his planning, still two months out from the beginning of the Boomers’ pre-season.

FLYERS TALK JACKSON FUTURE AS TWO STARS RETURN

Lauren Jackson is ahead in her recovery from a pair of surgeries that prematurely ended her WNBL comeback as Southside coach Cheryl Chambers eased outside concerns over the club’s quiet free agency period.

As the Flyers unveiled the return of Opals Asia Cup bronze medallist Maddy Rocci and experienced scoring machine Bec Cole, Jackson, at 42, is yet to make a call on whether she’ll return to the court as she recovers from a ruptured right Achilles and fractured left foot.

But Chambers said talks were ongoing with Australia’s greatest player and, regardless of her decision, the coach wants her involved in some way at the club.

“Her rehab is going really well, physically she’s feeling good and she’s well ahead of where you would expect her to be from those two injuries,” Chambers advised Code Sports.

“There’s still some discussions about if she has the desire to come back and they are ongoing.

“We both mutually respect each other and we’d love to still have her around.”

The Flyers’ post-grand remaining roster now stands at 4, with younger weapons Nyadiew Puoch and Dallas Loughridge, who has simply been cleared for contact after struggling a torn ACL, below contract.

Rivals Melbourne Boomers poached three Flyers in Sara Blicavs, Monique Conti and Aimie Rocci and have introduced eight of their 10 gamers for WNBL24, sparking a bit unrest amongst Southside followers.

But Chambers stated work had been executed to rejuvenate her roster with a younger focus and revealed two imports had been on the way in which — the membership is about to announce an influence ahead and centre.

“It’s been a change of direction from the club, we’ve had a similar core for about four years and it’s time to reinvent, get a little bit more energy and see if we can take a step further and win the thing,” Chambers stated.

“Maddy (Rocci, 25), Nards (Puoch, 19) and Dallas (Loughridge, 19) are all young. We want to put more development into Nards and really see how far we can push her ceiling.

“We’ll have two imports this season, both American, and it’s the first time we’ve had two as the Flyers.”

Cole, 31, signed a two-year deal and has redemption on her thoughts after she exploded for 20 and 26 factors within the grand remaining losses to Townsville.

She stated many Flyers followers had approached her with questions in regards to the make-up of the workforce.

“I find it so sweet, some of them come to Waverley Falcons games to support and they’re like ‘what’s going on, what’s happening with the Flyers’,” Cole stated.

“So it’s good to know we still have lots of supporters in our corner and they’re just as interested and excited for this season as we are.”

With Blicavs gone, Cole is predicted to shoulder an even bigger scoring load, whereas Rocci can be handed the keys on the level after being buoyed by her rose gold expertise with the Opals in Sydney.

“Playing international basketball, you gain a lot of experience and to learn from the likes of Tess Madgen, who is someone who I really admire, I’m really excited to take that back to the WNBL season,” Rocci stated.

The Flyers pre-season formally suggestions off on September 10.

14 factors in 5 minutes grabs gold: Next Gen Opals revealed

Is Australian girls’s basketball on the verge of one other golden period?

The way forward for Australian girls’s basketball is in nice palms with a bevy of next-gen Opals taking up the world stage.

The Australian Sapphires certified for the FIBA U17 World Cup by storming to a 3rd consecutive U16 Asian Championship gold medal.

And a bunch of WNBL and Centre of Excellence starlets try to emulate their youthful counterparts as a part of the Gems line-up at this week’s FIBA U19 World Cup.

After the 80-74 win over Japan, Sapphires coach Tom Garlepp stated the professionalism and dedication to get higher among the many very elite on the age group had produced more and more expert athletes, which bodes properly for the longer term.

“I do think there are some special futures in this team and the age group at large and it’s really exciting to see them compete on an international stage at a young age as they scratch the surface of what are going to be some exciting careers,” Garlepp advised Code Sports, from Jordan.

“They are a very uniquely competitive group and the team has a lot of girls that put in countless hours of extra work to be the best they can be.

“That culture within the age group is lifting the 12 girls that were a part of this team, but also pushing the girls back home that are around the mark who want to break in.”

“The team had a lot of sickness and injury across the week and to be able to get over the top of a really talented Japanese side was a proud moment.”

SA wing Sienna Lehmann, 16, was topped MVP of the match, averaging 11.8 factors, 4.2 rebounds 4.8 assists and a couple of.8 steals and was joined within the All Star Five by NSW guard Ruby Perkins.

Lehmann poured in 20 factors on a collection of fairly floaters within the gold medal sport towards Japan to maintain the Sapphires afloat, earlier than a shocking fourth quarter explosion from tough-as-nails NSW guard Jesse-May Hall.

Down 5 with 7.46 left within the sport, Hall poured in 14 factors in a five-minute stretch, ending with 21 within the win. The Sapphires have received each sport they’ve performed on the match — an ideal 18-0 since their 2017 inception.

Slightly over 3500kms away in Madrid, Spain, the Gems atoned for a horror 83-68 tournament-opening loss to the hosts with a bounce again 85-45 hammering of Argentina.

WNBL starlets Isobel Borlase and Nyadiew Puoch are main the Gems’ cost. Borlase, simply 18 and already a fully-rostered participant with Adelaide Lightning, drained a outstanding eight-of-10 three tips about her solution to 26 factors.

Meanwhile Southside Flyer Puoch had 17 factors, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. U20 National Championships MVP Isla Juffermans, who led NSW to gold on the January match in Geelong, stood tall within the center with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, including 2 blocks.

There is a bunch of WNBL faces within the workforce, together with scoring machine Jayda Clark, who has signed with Canberra Capitals, Borlase’s Lightning teammate Tayla Brazel, Melbourne Boomer Paige Burrows and new Townsville Fire acquisition Saffron Shiels.

Daughter-of-a-gun Rubi Vlahov, who brings the toughness of well-known Boomer dad Andrew, was a growth participant at Perth Lynx final season.

Former Boomers’ growth gamers Sophie Burrows — no relation to Paige — and Tess Heal — niece of Aussie hoops legend Shane Heal and cousin of Opals Asia Cup bronze medallist Shyla Heal — are a part of the squad.

Also on present is reigning U20s Nationals defensive participant of the match Jess Petrie — whose father is former NBL Rookie of the Year Anthony Petrie — and poised level guard Rubi Gray (Tasmania).

SAPPHIRES FIBA U16 WOMEN’S ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD MEDAL-WINNING TEAM

Coach: Tom Garlepp

Assistants: Sarah Graham, Nic Martin

Team: Lucy Aherne, Jessie-May Hall, Jade Crook, Zoe Jackson, Ruby Perkins, Sitaya Fagan, Sophie Taylor, Coco Hodges, Sienna Lehmann, Prasayus Notoa, Zara Russell, Lara Somfai

GEMS FIBA U19 WORLD CUP TEAM

Coach: David Herbert

Assistants: Keegan Crawford, Zoe Carr

Team: Paige Burrows, Isobel Borlase, Tayla Brazel, Sophie Burrows, Jayda Clark, Rubi Gray, Tess Heal, Isla Juffermans, Jessica Petrie, Nyadiew Puoch, Saffron Shiels, Ruby Vlahov

Originally revealed as Basketball news: Melbourne Boomers full WNBL24 roster with arrival of WNBA All Star Jantel Lavendar