Raring to go… new coach, new league

By Paul Pickering
NEW league, new coach, revamped roster – Dandenong’s winter women’s side will head into the unknown this weekend.
The Rangers have jumped ship from the Big V to the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) and will begin their 2009 campaign under the guidance of head coach Wayne Pollock against Nunawading on Sunday.
Pollock, who is an assistant to Dale Waters with Dandenong’s WNBL side, has taken over the group that Michael Davies took to the Grand Final of the Big V’s Championship division last year.
He expects the SEABL’s top division to provide a more consistent challenge in 2009.
“It’s difficult to know what to expect, but the general opinion is that the SEABL is going to be deeper, because you’ve got us and Sandringham joining a league that already had a fair bit of depth,” Pollock said this week.
The Rangers have lost club stalwarts Mel Colcott, Demelza Waixel and Fazlyn Hartley to retirement, while point guard Fahy Phan’s future is still in limbo.
Those departures will pave the way for emerging WNBL players Faith Probst and Amelia Todhunter to take on more responsibility this season.
Pollock is keen to experiment with Probst – a versatile forward at 184cm – alongside Todhunter in the backcourt, but he will have plenty of options at the guard position.
The Rangers have recruited experienced Melbourne Tigers guard Chelsea Burns and teenage Apple Islander Catherine Guest, who joined the WNBL development squad as part of the club’s Tasmanian scholarship program last year.
Guest, a promising swingman, has moved to the mainland to study medicine at Monash University.
Megan Moody will be another welcome addition, having played professionally in Spain – with the same team as Rangers WNBL import Jenni Benningfield – and Italy after finishing her college career in the States.
Moody is expected to miss the first couple of games due to injury.
Pollock said he will start Todhunter, Burns, Guest and Probst alongside perennial pivot Tess Meyer against the Spectres on Sunday.
“I’m really enjoying the role, and I’m keen for us to play fun, up-tempo basketball that people enjoy coming to watch – and I think we have the group to do that,” he said.
Pollock’s vast experience – which includes mentoring several state junior teams – will be complemented by the enthusiasm of WNBL legend and first-time assistant Emily McInerny.
Tip-off is at 12.30pm at Nunawading on Sunday.
Dandenong’s SEABL men will begin their 2009 campaign the following Saturday night against Sandringham at Stud Road.
** Read the Star next week for a season preview of the SEABL Championship Men’s division.