By JARROD POTTER
THE decision to cut a WNBA trailblazer is never easy, but Dandenong made the tough choice to cut import guard Monica Wright following knee injury complications.
Sustained in training for the recently held World Championships, Monica Wright’s injury progressed to a point that forced the Rangers to release the premier guard from her contract.
Monica Wright had played for Dandenong in the 2012/13 WNBL season and quickly signed on at the start of the off-season to play again in Australia, but her WNBA year was marred with knee troubles and required surgery in April.
“It’s frustrating especially to lose who I think are the two best players in the league (Cambage and Wright), they aren’t going to play due to injuries sustained elsewhere I might add, not with us,” Dandenong coach Mark Wright said.
“We thought it would be a minor thing (Wright’s knee) and we’d rehab it but it turned out to be much worse than that.
“Instead of bringing her out here and having our medical people look at it we just decided that it’s best that she goes home and rehabs it there.”
Dandenong replaced the injured Minnesota Lynx guard this week as they announced the signing of Cappie Pondexter on Thursday and coach Mark Wright believed it was only through Monica’s trust and support of the Australian league that other WNBA stars have come to play in Australia.
“We’re very, very lucky to pick up Cappie Pondexter – she’ll be the only player in WNBL history to have won an Olympic gold medal – and a lot of it came down to getting Monica Wright out here,” Mark Wright said.
“Monica Wright legitimised the WNBL and it showed to other players that if Monica Wright was out here, this league was strong and basically now every team has a WNBA player.
“Before Monica it wasn’t the case that every team had a quality WNBA player, so that really helped us and legitimised us that Monica kept wanting to come back out here.”
The loss of Monica Wright – the second pick in the 2010 WNBA draft – and star centre Liz Cambage leaves a hole in the Rangers’ roster that the coach believes deprives the league of its best two players – including centre Liz Cambage – just a week out from the first tipoff.
Monica Wright featured in a pair of WNBA championship victories with Minnesota in 2011 and 2013.
Dandenong’s season starts next Saturday as the Rangers host cross-town rivals Melbourne Boomers at Dandenong Stadium from 3pm.
