Right: Dandenong Rangers coach Dale Waters conducted the open trials on Monday and Tuesday night and was impressed with the talent that presented. By Glen Atwell
THE search for the next Dandenong Rangers superstar is on.
On Monday and Tuesday night, the Women’s National Basketball League club (WNBL) held open trials, and a hoard of talented athletes hit the court in pursuit of one of the five squad positions available.
Coach Dale Waters, along with Dandenong veterans Caitlin Ryan and Samantha Richards, conducted the trials at Dandenong Basketball Stadium on Monday and at Lyndale Secondary College on Tuesday.
The contenders putting their best foot forward came from a variety of basketballing backgrounds, including the Big V, South East Australian Basketball League and state, metropolitan and country representative teams.
Coach Waters said he was more than impressed with the talent and quality of the players trialling.
“We had around 30 at Dandenong on Monday night and a good mix of youth and experience,” he said.
“The five squad positions will be filled by young emerging players and a couple of experienced basketballers.”
The trials put players through a variety of tests, all designed to replicate the high-skill demand of playing in the WNBL.
Basic skill acquisition work was followed by setting up game-like scenarios, where the players had to adhere to some basic structures while injecting their own creative flare on a situation.
“I was certainly impressed with the quality, and it was good to have Sam and Caitlin down there to compare the skill levels of those trialling with some seasoned WNBL campaigners,” Waters said.
The Rangers coaching staff will now sit down, assess the outcomes of the trials and narrow the development squad to a core group.
Waters also has some other exciting plans before the WNBL season tips off in October.
“We’ll be holding a country trial in the Latrobe Valley region sometime soon,” he said.
“And we’re looking at creating a part-time development group just for the young, emerging players that we come across in the trials.
“It’s an exciting time for the Dandenong Rangers,” Waters said.
