Inglima turns up the heat

DANDENONG Rangers recruit Vince Inglima arrived in Melbourne on 17 January after a gruelling flight from the United States.
He stepped off the plane and into 38-degree heat. The next day it was 39.
It was far from the wintery chill of California, where Inglima spent the 2006-07 season playing for the Sonoma State University Seawolves.
Inglima said aside from the extreme heat, he had settled in well.
“Those first two days were very rough on me. I was actually getting dehydrated, I had to increase my fluids,” he said. “Melbourne has been great. I’ve moved in with Ash Cannan and Brent Hobba.”
Inglima said he was not joining the Rangers to replace Lester Strong, but as an entirely different player.
“I’m no Lester – my game is more about scoring from the outside,” he said. “I’m hoping to add an extra dimension to the team.”
On Saturday night Inglima did just that, scoring 17 points and showing signs of brilliance to come in the Rangers’ Championship Division season opener against Waverley as his team won 120-94. Inglima said the difference between the college basketball he played in the US and the Big V was the amount of training required.
“I was on the court every day in the States,” he said. “The Big V isn’t quite as demanding, but the skill level is very high.”