With the WNBL (Women’s National Basketball League) 2010-11 season just around the corner, the Sydney Uni Flames have signed Knox Ford Raiders import Amy Denson. The Flames have been a highly successful team in recent history and after being knocked out by the Bulleen Boomers at Knox Converse Stadium in the finals last season, Denson will bolster an already strong line-up in the team’s quest for Championship glory.  

Denson comes off her second consecutive strong season at SEABL level after originally coming to Australia to play for Kilsyth in 2009 before moving to Knox for the 2010. The Oregon native finished runner-up in the MVP race in 2009 and was again a force to be reckoned with for the Raiders this year.

With the ability to score at will and a tireless work ethic on the boards, the forward/centre averaged 18.3 points, 11 rebounds and 2.5 assists and was the Raiders most consistent performer. Finishing in five statistical top ten categories in the league including sixth in points, fifth in total rebounds and third overall in free throw percentage at 83.1%, the talented American was rewarded with an All SEABL Selection, recognising her as one of the league’s premier players.

Raiders head coach, Heath Anderson was happy for his player reaching her goal of getting to the next level.

"When we first signed Amy she expressed her want to play in the WNBL, it was one of her goals. I’m delighted that Amy has been able to achieve this goal on the back of a solid season with us. Amy has played in some tough leagues all over the world and hopefully these experiences will stand her in good stead as she approaches her debut season in the WNBL with the Flames.

"Myself, my support staff and the girls wish her all the best in her endeavours to be successful at the next level of Australian basketball and we look forward to watching her progress and catching up with her when she is playing in Victoria," said Anderson.

Denson spoke about her achievement, "I’m excited about the opportunity to compete in the WNBL and excited about the challenge of playing in the league," she said.

"One of my goals in coming back to Australia for a second year was to break into the WNBL, so I’m looking forward to trying to put my stamp on the league."

Flames Head Coach Karen Dalton said she expected Denson to make an impact from the start in her first season in the WNBL.

"Amy played her college basketball in a strong program and has done very well in her first two years in Australia, so we expect her to contribute straight away," Dalton said.

"Everyone we have spoken to at the SEABL level, spoke highly of her not as a player, but also as a person and we feel she will be a good fit for the Sydney Uni Flames.

Denson will first showcase her talents on Friday 7th October in Townsville when the Flames take on the Fire before travelling to Logan two days later to face off against the Thunder and fellow Raiders teammates Sarah Graham, Cassie smith and Odette Andrew.

Head coach Grant Wallace acknowledged the work Lockett had done, but suggested the team was looking for an import that could be a more consistent offensive threat from the point guard position.

“Fernandez put together some great games throughout the regular season, but by his own admission, he probably had a below-par finals series. And we were always battling to fill the point guard spot this year after we lost Matt Shanahan early on, and that showed over the course of the year."

Wallace went on to say that the 2010 SEABL All-East player had been a great ambassador for this club and the sport in general throughout the local community and it was not an easy choice for the Club to move him on.

“It was a very tough decision. Fernandez has been a great representative for Kilsyth. He’s good with the kids, and he’s been fantastic to work with.

“It’s certainly not as if he’s done anything wrong, but unfortunately it’s the nature of the business that when changes need to be made, quite often it’s the imports that get rotated around between the clubs.”

Kilsyth will now obviously undertake the process of trying to find a replacement, but a number of Clubs are certain to look at the swingman for their roster in Season 2011.

Head coach Jamie O’Loughlin said that while Geelong is hopeful that Bullock will return, there is a considerable overlap between the seasons that may make it difficult for him to be a part of next season.

“The chance of a return a small, but not impossible. It depends on how Optima Gent is going, if they make finals, and if J’Nathan is happy in the side.

“We’ve known about this for a little while. J’Nathan came to us about 6 to 8 weeks ago and told us about what was happening, so he was very open about it. He actually spoke to me before finally signing their contract, so we have a huge amount of respect for him and the way he’s handled the situation.”

O’Loughlin also revealed that Bullock’s attitude that was instrumental in the Supercats recruiting of the Cleveland State University graduate before the start of this season.

“J’Nathan has been a tremendous part of this organisation, and we were very lucky to get him. When we did our research into recruiting, he had good statistics along with a number of other candidates, but the feedback we got from some of his other coaches about his attitude and application sold the deal for us.”

Bullocks’ personal and professional growth in his time at Geelong had also impressed the Geelong head coach.

“People have to remember that he was only 22 when he first arrived here, and that it was his first playing job after college. Ismail Muhammad was able to help him out as a mentor, and guide his professional development throughout the season, but his application and dedication also saw him improve his perimeter shooting and ball handling.”

“More importantly, we got to see that J’Nathan is a man of his word. He turned down opportunities to play elsewhere when he was here because he was committed to seeing out the contract he had signed with us. And he wants to take that same approach to Optima Gent. We wish him the best, but we would welcome him back with open arms if it doesn’t work out.”

Geelong will now undertake the process of finding a replacement. The coaching staff has their final season review in 3-4 weeks time, where discussions will take place about finalising the 2011 roster. The Supercats hope to have their playing list completed by the start of 2011.

Regular season: 16 wins, 6 losses, 2^nd overall

Post-season: lost to Dandenong (Semi-Finals), defeated Brisbane (Preliminary Final), lost to Dandenong (SEABL Championship)

Positives from this year: At their best, the Launceston Tornadoes were one of the hardest teams to beat in the SEABL women’s competition. They had possibly the best line-up in the league with four genuine superstars – Elizabeth Cambage, Sharin Milner, Desiree Glaubitz and Sarah Parsons. Cambage and Milner made it to the SEABL All-Women’s team, and Cambage has made it to the Opals team for the 2010 World Championships. Furthermore, Cambage, Milner and Glaubitz all represent Bulleen in the WNBL.

With that kind of firepower, it’s not hard to see how the Tornadoes went from last in 2009 to the Championship decider in 2010. Cambage was unlucky not to be eligible for league MVP or she would surely have gone very close to winning the award. But overall, the side had a good balance of inside and outside threats, and Rick Wylie had the team running smoothly in only his second year at the helm.

Negatives from this year: The Tornadoes home record was good but not great; 7-4 is fine for most teams, but when other sides face significant travel to get to your home court, and are sometimes coming off the back of a game the day before, you really should be almost impossible to beat at home. It could also be argued that sometimes the Tornadoes relied on too few to do too much. Apart from the four stars, only Jamie-Lee Peris and Zoe Mitchell contributed anything of significance during the season, meaning that their bench was shallow and underutilised.

The other major concern was dropping games when they needed them the most. Launceston had the minor premiership wrapped up until they lost three of their last four games for the year, and two of those losses coming against a Nunawading side that missed the playoffs. Who knows if Launceston would have gone on to greater things if they had had home court advantage in their first playoff game, and given themselves a week off before the final with a win.

Possible departures: Holding down so many guns can prove difficult for several reasons. Some stars are reluctant to share the limelight; others will be tempted by SEABL teams looking to top up their roster. Or WNBL teams may lure players’ interstate and make it difficult for the Tornadoes to retain them. Alternatively, financial pressure may require the cutting of a player or two. It’s never easy to see a team of such calibre dismantled, but hopefully they can do enough to preserve the core of the team to make them a real threat again in 2011.

Next year:

Type of Players needed: This depends almost entirely on what players, if any, they lose in the off season. Should Cambage depart, it will be impossible to replace her, but the Tornadoes do have some solid frontcourt players in Sarah Parsons, Jamie-Lee Peris, Zoe Mitchell, Olivia Howard and Alicia Riley. What they do need, however, is back up players at the guard positions. Stacey Poke is a solid reserve point guard, but not in the calibre of Milner, and there is not a standout reserve at the 2 spot for Desiree Glaubitz. Launceston either secures Milner and Glaubitz for next season, or immediately set about finding their replacements.

Likely improvement: Development for the Tornadoes is likely to take shape in two or three places. Firstly, if they can keep the roster together, the side will only stand to benefit from another year of playing together. Secondly, Rick Wylie needs to get his reserves into the game and find out what potential stars he has, because other teams will have gone to school on what Dandenong did to them in the playoffs, and figured out how to limit Cambage’s influence. Finally, if they can turn Elphin Sports Venue into a stadium that other sides fear, they will have won almost half their regular season games before they even begin.

Finals next year? It would be a shame to see a side that has come so far this year fall out of playoff contention. But provided they can hold their roster together, they can look forward to going deep into the playoffs in 2011. There is no questioning their talent, it is just a matter of making it work and keeping everyone happy at the same time that are the biggest hurdles the coaches and administration face in the months ahead.

Overall Grade: 8.5/10

Grant spoke about how he was pleased with how the team came together over the season, but also lamented the way the side fell out of the playoffs after finishing top of the South ladder.

The SEABL team had a great win last night over home team China. The boys really came to play after their disappointing effort against the USA the night before.

Our defensive intensity was up right from the very start of the game, and we had China on the ropes very early. From there we never took the foot of the gas for the whole game.

At quarter time our lead was 22-13, and by half time that had blown out to 50-30. Our defence proved still too tough for China after the break, and at three quarter time the lead had extended to 72-43.

China couldn't mount a comeback in the last term due to exhaustion, and we cruised to a comfortable 93-71 victory. Everyone contributed to the win with Coach Palmer frequently running in our substitutions to maintain the defensive pressure.

Some stats for the game

We finished this leg of the tour with two wins and a loss, but the United States won all three of their games to take out the title.

This afternoon we head off to our next town Ponnguo. It’s a 2 hour drive, followed by a 1 hour flight, then another 2 hour drive to finish with, so it will be another test of endurance and professionalism to see how the boys pull up.

In the next leg of the tour we play the USA first, followed by China and Germany.

We hope that the internet speed will be better at the next hotel and we can send some Captain’s Diary entries.

Regular season: 18 wins, 9 losses, 2^nd East Conference 

Post-season: Defeated Kilsyth (1^st round), defeated Knox (East Championship), lost to Geelong (SEABL Championship)

Positives from this year: The obvious positive from this year is winning the East conference final and getting to the SEABL Championship decider. But if you dig a little deeper, there are quite a few other encouraging signs to take out of the season. Firstly, the Braves had a new head coach who appeared to have the players respect, and was able to get the team into a strong position for much of the season. Ben Harvey also had the ability to adapt the teams style of play, and had good communication with his players and assistants.

The side also had two new imports that came in and fired almost from the start. Ivan McFarlin and Luke Meyer both made the SEABL All-East team, and McFarlin especially had a standout year, proving far too quick and too athletic for many opposition frontcourts to handle. The Braves were also able to find a good blend of youth and experience, ranging from veteran Ricky Daniels at age 38 through to 22-year-old Kevin Probert. Bendigo also has some promising D-League players coming through the ranks in Austin Flint, Matthew Bartlett and Chris Adkins who will look to add to the Braves strength in the coming season.

Negatives from this year: Although Bendigo hosted the East conference final and defeated defending SEABL champion Knox in the process, their record at home was less than spectacular. An 8-6 record throughout the regular season is passable, but the Braves only beat one other SEABL finalist at home for the whole year, and that was Geelong back in round 2. Moreover, in their last 6 games at home before the playoffs, Bendigo went 1-5. The best teams in almost any sport are always tough to beat at home, and the Braves need to look at how they can turn Bendigo Stadium into a fortress once again.

While Bendigo does have some talent in its D-League program, the Braves did not run very deep past their eight-man rotation. Patrick Jennings (2.3 points per game) and Taylor Bell (2.1 points) took up the 9^th and 10^th positions on the roster, and both played almost every game for the year, but after that pair, not one player contributed more than 2 points in total for the entire year. With a few roster changes slated for the off season, it’s time to get some minutes into the youngsters or look outside the club for some role players to come in and add another string to the bow.

Possible departures: One of the best moves Bendigo made during the season was to secure their import pairing for next year. McFarlin and Luke Meyer could guarantee the Braves up to 10 wins in the regular season. But it is the loss of some players around them that will test the recruiting and training powers of the Braves coaching staff. Ricky Daniels leaves with over 200 games experience and was a great training partner for McFarlin. Patrick Jennings has also indicated that he will be pursuing football in the winter of 2011, so that leaves another hole in the roster to fill. Hopefully one of Austin Flint or Matt Bartlett can step into that position.

Next year:

Type of Players needed: Role players. The first five players are probably settled enough to get the Braves back to the playoffs for 2011, but Bendigo need to add some depth to their bench. The point guard position is fine, as is the frontcourt, but some talent is needed to come in at the two and three spot when Luke Meyer and Chris Hogan are resting. Even better if these players are young, because apart from the D-Leaguers, only Kevin Probert and Taylor Bell are under 25.

Likely improvement: Obviously the Braves can improve if they can get some younger players to believe they have what it takes to compete at this level. Getting these younger players plenty of minutes and contributing, while limiting their mistakes is possibly a pressing task for Ben Harvey next year. But more importantly, Chris Hogan in particular could take another step in his development and become a star in his own right. If he picks up his defence a little bit, and continues to shoot the ball well, the Braves will have a third gun in their team that is a hallmark of so many great sides.

Finals next year? Provided that none of the core players in the Bendigo roster get seriously injured or suspended, then the Braves should get enough wins to again find themselves being a part of the post-season. But if they can also improve their home court advantage, find some replacements for the departing players, and discover a star amongst their D-League team, then Bendigo will become a seriously scary outfit.

Overall Grade: 9/10

Regular season: 17 wins, 5 losses, 1^st overall

Post-season: Defeated Launceston (semi finals), defeated Launceston (SEABL Championship)

Positives from this year: There was a lot to like about Dandenong in season 2010. The Lady Rangers took out the championship with a team that featured no players in the All-SEABL team. They experienced a 15-game winning streak for the year, the longest of any team in all SEABL competitions. Larissa Anderson won coach of the year in her first season at the helm. And they won the championship game against a side that boasts one of the most daunting line-ups in the competition.

But perhaps the most positive aspect to Dandenong’s season was the manner in which they won games. The team had four players who averaged 10 points or more per game, and five players with at least 30 assists for the year. These numbers suggest that the danger was not going to come from one or two players, but from everyone on the floor. Like other good teams, Dandenong was also a settled side; the Lady Rangers had 10 players to play 18 or more games, and 5 of those players took part in all 24 games for the year.

Negatives from this year: There are one or two small deficiencies in the Lady Rangers 2010 season. Firstly, there home record was not earth-shattering; the Lady Rangers only lost five times for the year, but four of those games were at home, finishing with a 7-4 record at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium. Also, the Lady Rangers didn’t lose often, but when they did, they seemed to drop a few games in succession; they lost their first two games of the year, and then lost three on the trot as the race for top spot was heating up in the final rounds. Only a win in the final round against Brisbane away assured them of top spot and home court advantage in the playoffs.

Perhaps the other negative from this year is that at times Dandenong possibly lacked a genuine tall player to back up Hope Terdich. Of their five losses, three came against sides with particularly tall frontcourts in Launceston, Ballarat and Kilsyth.

Possible departures: You would hope that a side that features no Opals representatives would have minimal roster changes during the off-season. You would also hope that the Lady Rangers can move some of their players into the WNBL outfit to keep them sharp and developing further.

But the fact that this side has now won a championship, don’t be surprised if other WNBL and SEABL teams come looking for a Dandenong player to top up their list. Players such as Amelia Todhunter, Stephanie Cumming and Alison Downie could be particularly attractive to sides needing to add another standout player to their lineup.

Next year:

Type of Players needed: As suggested earlier, an additional 6-foot-plus player could possibly benefit a side that is already loaded with speed and agility. At the other end, Amelia Todhunter needs someone to help her out at the point. Dandenong has a ready-made replacement in Amanda Hobba, but she needs to believe that she can perform at this level after putting some great numbers up in the D-League competition.

Likely improvement: Where is the upside for a team that many would have thought has already over-achieved this year? Can they replicate that kind of form in 2011? Can they keep their roster together for next season? They appear to be difficult questions, but if you have watched the Lady Rangers at any time this year, then you know that they have the impetuousness of youth that makes them fun to watch, difficult to coach against, and easy to motivate.

Dandenong does have a relatively young team. Apart from Larissa Anderson, the oldest player is Faith Probst at 26, meaning that this side will surely be getting better with age. But individually the Lady Rangers might be looking to get some more consistency out of players such as Alison Downie and Hope Terdich, but that can be tricky when you have such an even spread of contributors and a deep bench.

Finals next year? At this early stage, all signs point to yes. It will be interesting to see if they can again generate the kind of momentum that saw them win 15 games in a row. When a young team gets on a run like that, and has that kind of belief and lack of fear, they can be tough to stop.

But if that same young team gets stuck in a rut, or loses focus, or farewells a few key players, then Dandenong could find themselves struggling to make the playoffs. But after achieving so much this year under a new coach, the Lady Rangers only stand to become a more formidable outfit in 2011.

Overall Grade: 9.5/10

Report filed by Team Manager Mark Chivers.

After a good win against Germany a few nights ago, the SEABL team went down to the United States in a close game last night, 79-92.

The US got off to a great start and lead 17-2, before we were able to peg it back to trail at quarter time by eight.

But we pretty much played catch up after that. At one point in the last term, we managed to hit the lead, but the boys were well and truly out of gas and couldn’t sustain the momentum down the stretch.

Unfortunately, we’ve had Glenn Potts out for the last two games with a throat infection, and Dominic Friend has had to deal with a calf strain. In this heat, having one or two less bodies to throw in is making a huge difference.

We are hopeful that Glenn will be able to hit the floor for a few minutes tonight in the game against China, and that Dominic will be back for the final three games of the tour.

Here are some stats for the game against the US:

Today we practice at 11am local time (1pm AEST), before playing at 8pm tonight.

For the boys, free time is very scarce. As the team becomes more fatigued, the more they need to rest. But we have developed a great and cordial relationship with the Germans, and the coaching staff of both teams talks a lot.

The weather is very humid over here. I don't know how the boys are getting through the games. The food where we are staying is always the same for every meal. Cabbage, Brocoli and rice and a few other dishes which we don't like the look of. Next time we travel we will certainly be better prepared as far as food and drink side of things go.

Unfortunately we have not been able to send a captain’s Diary in the last few days because the internet speed here has been very slow. When we move on to the next stop, we hope that we can forward a few entries.

Regular Season: 18 wins, 9 losses, 2^nd in South Conference

Post-season: defeated Nunawading, defeated Hobart (South Championship), defeated Bendigo (SEABL Championship)

Positives from this year: While claiming the SEABL title is cause for celebration alone, it is the way that Geelong was able to do it that should have Supercat fans so upbeat about their 2011 prospects. They had a deep roster, lead by two genuine superstar imports Ismail Muhammad and J’Nathan Bullock. The Supercats also have some of the best Australian talent going around in Nathan Herbert and Braith Cox. Geelong’s depth at the 4 and 5 positions is also under-rated, with not only Bullock, but also Sebastian Loader, Dominic Friend and Daniel George all able to come in and maintain a frontcourt presence that opposition sides failed to counter. Geelong also had a settled roster. They used only 14 players for the entire season, and 10 of those players played 20 games or more.

The Supercats have one of the largest home crowds to play in front of, but they also travelled well, finishing the regular season with a 10-4 away record. Jamie O’Loughlin seems to have settled into the coaching role quickly, with everyone contributing and no obvious signs of disharmony. Another big positive comes for the organisation off the court. They obviously recruit well, but they also developed a working relationship with the Adelaide 36ers that allowed Herbert to finish the SEABL season in Geelong, and he was crucial in the first half of the championship game against Bendigo.

Negatives from this year: The point about Nathan Herbert and his NBL commitments could be a possible negative for the club in the future. While outstanding early on in the championship game, Herbert visibly tired in the second half, and it is obvious that travel and pre-season training had taken their toll on the shooting guard. Finding a balance between recruiting the best talent, making them available for NBL clubs, but without jeopardising their own SEABL chances could prove to be a big dilemma for successful clubs (just ask Nunawading). Additionally, while they have a settled roster, the Supercats have not been able to blood a great deal of youth.

The other significant negative for the club is that while they usually play in front of packed crowds, their home wasn’t exactly a fortress. They were still 8-5 at home, but they went down against sides such as Ballarat, Dandenong and Frankston. Finally, the Supercats had a particularly slow start to the year, dropping three of their first four games that saw them at the bottom of the South ladder after the opening rounds.

Possible departures: Maintaining such a roster is never easy, and many questions remain to be answered. Will Muhammad return, or will he secure an NBA or overseas contract? What impact will a long NBL season have on Nathan Herbert’s endurance next year? How long can Braith Cox continue to lead the team given that he has played over 15 seasons and has a young family to think about? Can the side retain so many bigs and keep them all happy with their minutes in the rotation? Let’s hope most of these questions have positive outcomes, because the Supercats are the blueprint for other sides to aspire towards.

Next year:

Type of Players needed: If Muhammad doesn’t return, there will be a massive hole in the 3 spot. Finding a good backup now and for the future is not a bad idea. The same goes for both guard positions. While Nick Owusu and Jamie Medved are great contributors, they are not yet in the same calibre of Cox and Herbert. The Geelong organisation has a great pool of local talent to draw on, so they need to keep the focus on long term development.

Likely improvement: If they can keep getting minutes into their substitutions, and the reserves don’t mind coming off the bench in a successful organisation, then it is possible to see the likes of Matt Hardiman, Keith Harrison and Michael Rebula extend the Supercats depth even further. The other big upside is the development of Dominic Friend. He should relish having so many classy forwards around him throughout his development.

Finals next year? Barring any catastrophic off-season developments or a force-10 premiership hangover, the Supercats are perfectly poised to defend their SEABL title next year. But doing it in the ultra-competitive South conference will not be easy. Nunawading will learn some big lessons from this year, and Sandringham were the best team in the South for much of the year, but probably peaked too early. Of course, Hobart and NW Tasmania are always tough to beat at home and still have the guns to push any team. But with their experience, Geelong will again prove hard to beat in the post-season should they get there.

Overall Grade: 9.5/10