Horwood Returns to Redback Family

Throughout sport coaches, players and team owners describe team culture and unity with the word ‘family’. During this off -season the Perth Redbacks, have re- signed a familiar face as the head coach of the women’s programme in 2015.

Keith Horwood returns after more than ten years to lead the Perth Redbacks in what will be a defining year as one of the State Basketball Leagues youngest squads. Horwood takes over the reins from Stuart Budd and is looking forward to leading the Redbacks after a disappointing season in 2014.

The Redbacks finished at the foot of the WSBL standings last year, however with every grey cloud comes a silver lining. This came with the positive results of closing out the season with two wins from their last four games, and the standout performances of young stars Jess Jakens and Alix Hayward. Jakens was named in the WSBL All Star Team that competed against the West Coast Waves at the conclusion of the season, and Hayward deservingly took out the WSBL’s ‘Most Improved Player’ Award.

Horwood returns to the club in a position he knows well, as the 2002 WSBL ‘Coach of the Year’ he has all the right attributes to mould a talented young squad. Horwood began his coaching career in the junior ranks of the Redbacks by coaching an under 14 boys team in 1999. He would then go on to take an under 20’s side to a championship in 2000 before taking the head- coaching role of the Perth women’s team in 2002.

Horwood is enthusiastic to return to the club he is most passionate about “ I missed being around the people at the club. The club means a lot to me. Both my kids grew up here and played for the Redbacks and it means a lot for me to come back and give something back.” The basketball brain and nous for the game clearly runs in the family, with Keith’s son Wade Horwood a long serving and highly respected assistant coach of the Perth Redbacks MSBL team.

There was no time wasted after his appointed, as Horwood completed the signing of talented guard Gabby Clayton, who returns to the WSBL after a year of playing in Cairns. Clayton returns to the WSBL where her scoring, rebounding and experience in the backcourt will be invaluable. At 25 years of age Clayton will also co captain the team with Jakens.

The team have retained the core of their playing group that includes Cat Tinley, Ariel Marusak, Monique Kickett, Lori Ashworth, Emily Harris and Jess Hughes. The club also welcomes fresh faces from New Zealand in Shontelle Gauvin, Lucy Driscoll and Meike Elkington, the latter having played at collegiate level at Longwood University in Virginia. Other new faces this season will be American Lauren Hall who was a solid contributor at William Jewel College in Missouri, and exciting young talent Shannon Street, a point guard at just sixteen years of age.

Horwood has recruited former Redbacks player Latoya Wallace as his assistant coach and her experience and insight from playing 220 WSBL games will be a valuable addition to the coaching setup. The appointment of Wallace in her new role was an easy decision for Horwood Latoya knows these girls inside out, and everybody else in this league,” said Horwood.

With such a quick and youthful line-up fans will witness a thrilling brand of women’s basketball this season from the Redbacks. “Obviously we have been working on defence, and the girls are working really hard on that, “stated Horwood. And with a wry grin he added “With the speed we’ve got we will be running the floor a lot.”

When the dust finally settles on the upcoming season, regardless of the final total in the win/loss column one thing is for certain, Keith Horwood will have made a positive influence on his players and the rest of the Redbacks family.

Matt Cecins

Follow Matt on Twitter @matt_cecins 




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