WNWBL has gone to the next level

Anyone that’s watched women’s wheelchair basketball in Australia over the last handful of seasons will notice a marked improvement at the speed and standard of the game.

It is encouraging to see the influx of new players this year and each and every team has them. Whether they are crossing over from another sport or just starting their journey in the game, there wasn’t one player in round one that hadn’t earned their right to be there. Gone are the days where teams would be lucky if they had a substitute on the bench and the same five players that started the game, would finish the game.

All teams in the league are developing real depth in their squads, forcing players to earn their spots and the WNWBL is the beneficiary of the development work that is going on in each state.

 

ROOKIE WATCH: Stacks Goudkamp Bears have found a player in Georgia Munro-Cook. Scoring seven points and grabbing four rebounds in just 14 minutes of game time on debut caught the eye of everyone in the season opener. Keep up the great work Georgia; you have a very bright future in wheelchair basketball ahead of you if you want it.

 

Clare Nott: On Target

If I had to choose one player in the WNWBL to shoot for my life, it would be Clare Nott.

Low pointers are often overlooked as they rarely show up in the box score as leading stats getters. In that sense, Clare in an absolute anomaly, regularly featuring in the top three scorers for the Be Active Western Stars and currently sitting third in the league for assists.

What sets Clare apart from other low pointers in the game is she is equally as dangerous with the ball in her hands as she is in creating space and setting picks for her teammates.

After day two of the first round, Clare was averaging almost 10 points per game, shooting at an incredible 80%. A two from five effort in her final game against Victoria on the weekend dropped that percentage to 64% but still sees her sitting well clear as the league’s most accurate shooter.

Clare’s shot from anywhere within range has always been technically sound and reliable in clutch situations (semi-final in London v the USA anyone?) and it is for this reason that if I was asked to choose one player in the WNWBL to shoot for my life… It would be Clare Nott.

 

New name, same Victoria

With such a long gap between seasons, there were a lot of unknowns leading into round one. Twelve months is a long time away from competition and a lot can change in that time. One constant that has remained though, is that despite the name change, Victoria continues to be the benchmark of the WNWBL.

Undefeated through four games, they were challenged at times by every team in the competition but just had too much polish in clutch moments and deservingly so; now sit alone on top of the WNWBL ladder after Round one.

Interestingly, none of the Victorian players feature in the top four league leaders in scoring, but this I believe is where their greatest strength lies. Cobi Crispin, Leanne Del Toso and Shelley Chaplin sit 5^th, 6^th and 7^th respectively on the leading scorers list and it’s this spread of scoring that teams have found difficult to contain.

Couple their offence with the fact that they boast the best defence in the league with the least amount of points scored against them and they are looking very good for the three-peat.

 

The day will come when Amber Merritt will score 50 points in a game

Amber Merritt is just twenty years old and already holds the WNWBL’s past two scoring titles and in 2013, she has only gotten better.

I’m sure she will credit teammates Sarah Vinci and Clare Nott for creating the space for her and rightly so, but the other thing she has working in her favour in 2013 is the emergence of Amanda Nott and Deanna Smith who both helped draw defenders away from Amber.

No one had answers for her on the weekend as Amber put on an absolute scoring clinic finishing the round with an average of 30 points per game and a round high 37 points against the Minecraft Comets.

Amber made her debut in the WNWBL in 2009 and averaged 16 points per game in her rookie season. From then her average has seen a steady increase to; 19.6 (2010), 23.5 (2011) and then 25.8 (2012).

At 30 points per game after round 1, the prospect of Amber only getting better would have to be a very scary thought for opposition teams.

 

WNWBL embraced by Social Media

The WNWBL Facebook page and Twitter account were a buzz in both the lead up and during the first round of the WNWBL. Up to date results, photos and regular content are a feature of both but the credit for the rapid growth has to go to the athletes and teams.

The Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball league (NWBL) has had an 18 month head start on Facebook and in just two weeks, the WNWBL is now on par with it.

WNWBL athletes are an example of exactly how to utilise social media to promote their team, the league and most importantly of all, their own personal achievements.

We are all part of a relatively minor sport and as small and insignificant as a ‘re-tweet’, ‘share’ or ‘like’ may seem,  sharing game results or photos that you are tagged in or are relevant to you and your team, helps expose more people to wheelchair basketball.

If you haven’t already ‘Liked’ the WNWBL and your favourite WNWBL team on Facebook, jump on and do it now. Equally if you yet to follow the WNWBL or your favourite WNWBL players or team on Twitter, then I encourage you and show your support by logging in and following them.

WNWBL Facebook - click here

WNWBL Twitter - click here

 

Written by Joel Mackenzie

Photo Credit Rev William Stewart