Rangers name shining stars

By Paul Pickering
EMILY McInerny’s Beijing Olympics campaign gained further momentum last week as the Australian Opals veteran was named Dandenong’s Most Valuable Player for the 2007/08 season.
McInerny accepted the award during the Rangers’ MVP gala dinner at the Freccia Azzura Club in Keysborough on Friday night.
The event, which included the unveiling of the Jayco Rangers Team of the Decade, was attended by more than 180 people – most of which would have been pleasantly surprised by Dandenong’s passage to the WNBL preliminary final earlier this month.
For McInerny, the MVP accolade came less than a week after she was presented with her ninth Defensive Player of the Year award at the Women’s National Basketball League’s grand final luncheon.
On accepting the award, McInerny, who shared the MVP honours with Jacinta Hamilton in 2003/04, said she was ‘delighted and very surprised’ to hear her name called.
“I know I’ve done a lot in my basketball career, but at 29 years of age, it’s a great honour to have won this award,” she said.
McInerny’s legacy at Stud Road was also recognised in her selection in the starting five for the Jayco Rangers Team of the Decade.
The team, which was chosen as a celebration of Dandenong’s 10-year partnership with naming rights sponsor Jayco Australia, included some of the WNBL’s most decorated players.
McInerny was joined in the starting five by Allie Douglas, Jess Bibby, Jacinta Hamilton – all members of the Rangers’ 2003/04 and 2004/05 championships teams – and 2006 World Championships MVP Penny Taylor.
Douglas, who skippered the Rangers between 2000 and 2005, was named captain of the elite 10-player squad.
Active stars Caitlin Ryan, Emma Randall (now with Bulleen), Samantha Richards (Perth) and Carly Wilson (Perth) were selected on the bench alongside WNBL games record-holder Lucille Bailie.
Back-to-back championship mastermind Gary Fox was named as the coach of the squad.