The Perth Lynx are gearing up for their first WNBL season with their new look, under the ownership of the Wildcats Chairman Dr Jack Bendat.
Tessa Lavey of the Australian Opals was named as team captain after impressing her team mates and coaches in the first month of training and playing together. There is a co vice-captaincy with Nat Burton and Sami Whitcomb both being appointed. Burton is also an Aussie Opal and Whitcomb is an exciting American shooting guard who most recently starred for Rockingham Flames.
The Lynx have played two pre-season games, one resulted in a draw against Dandenong, and the other they lost to Bendigo Spirit by 4 points. Despite missing out on the win in both games, coach Andy Stewart was still impressed with what he saw. Considering the whole Lynx roster only trained together as a whole fairly recently, Stewart said he was pleased with how the group was gelling as a team.
The girl’s first game of the season is on the 10th of October and the Bendat Basketball Centre (Perth) against the Sydney Flames.
Perth Wildcats have also unveiled an exciting new roster which includes Aussie Boomer Nate Jawai, a highly athletic Casey Prather from America and international point guard Jarrod Kenny from New Zealand.
Damian Martin will captain the Wildcats for the fourth time and he has said that he has high hopes for his team this season and that the squad will need to be at it’s best to contend for it’s seventh Championship. Martin has been voted the best defensive player in the NBL five times, and this will be his seventh year with the Wildcats. Greg Hire has been named as vice-captain, and this will be Hires fifth season with the Wildcats.
Coach Trevor Gleeson is pleased with the momentum heading into this season after the Wildcats finished third in the NBL Blitz (a pre-season competition) with big wins over last season’s Championship Winners New Zealand Breakers and the Townsville Crocodiles. Gleeson was happy with how the new look back-court performed and has suggested that the Wildcats physical and intense style of basketball will remain a strong part of the team’s identity this season.
The Wildcats will open their season with a trip to Adelaide to take on the Adelaide 36ers on Saturday the 10th of October.
Good luck to both of our Perth teams on the upcoming season!
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