Week 11 Women's SBL Player Column – Ajay Jones

IT is great to be back playing SBL this year. I’m absolutely loving it and what a first half of the season it has been! The competition is outstanding this year, there are no guaranteed wins, the ladder dramatically changes week to week and the top eight teams for the finals will come down to a fistfight - exactly what a league should be like!

Taking a year off last year was by far the hardest, yet best decision I’ve ever made. Playing back-to-back seasons for a long time was tough on my body, my mind and my social life. I got to a point where I was dreading going to trainings, I wasn’t playing at the best of my ability and I was beginning to hate the sport that had brought me so much happiness throughout my life.

I felt it wasn’t fair on my wonderful teammates and coaching staff at Suns to continue, it was at that point as the new season was approaching that I knew I needed a break! It was one of the toughest and most challenging decisions I’ve ever had to make. There were lots of tears, stress and catch-ups with the biggest influencers in my basketball life to get me to the point where I was content with my decision.

The year off allowed me to finally go travelling and see places around the world that I’ve been dreaming of, as well as put all my energy into finishing my last year of University. I travelled to Japan with my brother, Phil in December and enjoyed a holiday full of snowboarding (Let's just say - sticking to basketball is probably a good idea). I then travelled around Europe with my partner, Troy in July and ticked so many things off my bucket list. These trips were absolutely incredible and were just what I needed. Another highlight from my year off was eating dinner at a normal time every night, ha ha.

It then came around to the next SBL season and people started asking questions, questions I wasn’t ready to answer but knew I needed to. There was a part of me that still had the passion and excitement to play the game. So after a lot of contemplation, running through the pro’s and con’s in my head, I thought, what the heck, give it another go. It was a hard decision to not return to Suns as I had a remarkable six years there but a fresh start with new team, new bunch of girls, new coach and new plays was just what I needed.

I joined Perth Redbacks with a lot of new faces this year, adding strength to the great bunch of talented girls they already had. The club has such a wonderful culture, right from U12s through to the SBL teams. I felt very welcomed by all the girls, coaches, club and supporters when I started. The on-going support, huge crowds and media backing has been outstanding, something the club should be commended for.

A new team, however, always comes with a few challenges; getting used to how each other play, gelling as a team and testing out what does and doesn’t work. We’ve had a bit of a shaky start to say the least, losing a few close games, due to giving the opposition a huge lead, requiring us to chase the entire game.

Looking on the bright side though, we are fifth on the ladder with six wins and five losses. Last weekend we strung together a great win as a team, which I feel, is certainly a turning point for us. When we capitalise on our opportunities and utilise each of our individual strengths, I know we can be pretty freaking amazing.

We are now half way through the season and I can’t wait to see what the second half has in store for us. I look forward to working hard as a team and stringing together some big wins with a talented bunch of wonderful girls!

Bring on finals and the opportunity to make that big dance!




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